Keeping a spare MTN sim card alive

[blunt]

Hi,

I've got a spare MTN prepaid sim I want to keep going, I've scheduled a prepaid topup of R5 every 2 months.

If I don't ever "use" it, but it's always got airtime, does it still get killed off after 3 months?

 

[GreGorGy]

Hi,

I've got a spare MTN prepaid sim I want to keep going, I've scheduled a prepaid topup of R5 every 2 months.

If I don't ever "use" it, but it's always got airtime, does it still get killed off after 3 months?

MTN airtime <= R15 expires after 2 weeks. Seriously!

So that R5 will expire well before the next charge. I say plug it with R5, and call someone to use it.

 

[blunt]

MTN airtime <= R15 expires after 2 weeks. Seriously!

So that R5 will expire well before the next charge. I say plug it with R5, and call someone to use it.

wow that's quite bleak :|

guess that's what I'll have to do then

 

[ginggs]

If I don't ever "use" it, but it's always got airtime, does it still get killed off after 3 months?

In my experience, yes. MTN will kill off your SIM card if you don't generate a "billable event" (a chargeable call or SMS) for 90 days, even if you have airtime, even if your SIM has been RICA'd. IIRC, using data from a data bundle is not a billable event either.

 

[proxilin]

On Vodacom you have to make a call or send an sms to keep it alive. Not sure about the time period, but I think it's 3 months. So pop the sim into a phone once every couple of months and just send an sms to your other number. It's a big schlep yes, but there doesn't seem to be any way around it.

 

[cavedog]

MTN has a service called Access4Life Extender. It will keep your simcard active @ a charge of R20 per 90 days.

You can activate MTN access4life extender by calling 173 OR dialing 141 select option 9 then option 2.

It will explain the T&C's off the service and you will be able to activate it there. ***Even if you decide that you will use the sim during that 90 days you will still be charged R20 every 90 days until you cancel it.

 

[jax_maxit]

@blunt Im in the same boat as you. Except my MTN sim is for backup in case people can't reach me on my Cell C number. R5 every 80 days or so (what I do) is better than the R20 Access4Life thing. Don't recharge every 2 months. Wait longer.

 

[sajunky]

Access4Life Extender works well if going overseas for longer period and you don't want to be exposed to roaming charges.
For normal backup use it is enough to recharge R30 or more and make chargeable call every 90 days, as ginggs wrote (even few seconds counts). It doesn't matter how frequent you recharge. With my usage if I recharge R30 I still have airtime after one year.

 

[blunt]

Thanks @jax_maxit and @sajunky

I'm not going overseas or anything, just would like to keep a spare number to use for things like domain registration information etc. So I'll try the @jax_maxit route.

 

[maumau]

Does it stay alive if it's in a tablet with no airtime or data loaded but wifi activity? MTN sim.

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Does it stay alive if it's in a tablet with no airtime or data loaded but wifi activity? MTN sim.

Nope, data have to pass through the SIM...

 

[maumau]

Tks Librarian, off to top up tomorrow. Glad i saw this thread.

 

[Sonic2k]

Thanks for reminding me

*puts SIM into phone and starts up WhatsApp*