MTN Choice contract builder launched online

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I just automatically load R300 onto my prepaid sim card every month. It's exactly the same as having a top-up contract, without the 24-month vaseline action. I never go over R300, if I do then I'm very glad that I can't unknowingly ring up a large bill. If I need more airtime then I just topup manually, which is exactly what you would have to do on top-up contract anyway. So again, not really much of a difference from a contract.

Who said anything about Topup? It's basically the same as prepaid. No real benefit actually besides the phone subsidy.

Yeah, like trying to earn enough to pay for your expensive contract with MTN or Vodacom, of which you don't even use all the minutes as its a set amount at the maximum you might use per month.

Actually only Vodacom is like that. MTN gives you set airtime value that carries over if not needed and you can use it on whatever you want. All without the hassle of prepaid.

 

[AlmightyBender]

MTN gives you set airtime value that carries over if not needed and you can use it on whatever you want. All without the hassle of prepaid.

I consider bill shock and over the top prices to be more of a hassle to my life than once-off setting up an automatic pre-paid purchase...

You make the assumption that we worry about our balance but the opposite is true. I worried far more about my balance when I was on contract.

 

[SaiyanZ]

I consider bill shock and over the top prices to be more of a hassle to my life than once-off setting up an automatic pre-paid purchase...

You make the assumption that we worry about our balance but the opposite is true. I worried far more about my balance when I was on contract.

This is why I've also been on prepaid for the last year. Another huge bonus of prepaid is that it gives you the option of saving cash if you don't use your phone much in a particular month.

 

[falcon786]

I'm so glad you can predict your usage every month. Unfortunately I'm a human, not a robot. I cannot predict what my usage will be next month.

There are better things in life to worry about than my prepaid balance.

+1 I tried prepaid for a month or two after I canceled my MTN contract but its too much headache especially when you stuck in a crisis and need to make an urgent call but hey you don't have airtime then you gotta waste five minutes buying it online by which time the urgent call is not even needed anymore.And what if you find yourself in some remote area with no data connection by some basic calling reception then what?

I was waiting for a good subsidized phone deal so simply went onto Cell C month to month contract with a soft cap around R200/R300 more than my average monthly spend.What a relief,pre paid is a headache to micromanage.

When the deal I wanted came out I grabbed it since I got an iphone 5 for an extra R100 per month,so my iphone 5 costed me an effective R2400 on CELL C.

As long as you have a softcap and your network has real time billing then a contract is the best way forward.When I was on MTN my bill did go over the limit because they don't have accurate real time billing.Luckily I see Cell C and Telkom mobile have instant billing, I'm not sure about Vodacom.

 

[falcon786]

You've got it wrong, only poor people need subsidised phones. I just buy my phones cash, no need to be any cellphone companies bitch for 24 months.

You don't need to be poor to see a good deal when it hits you in the face,you only need to be sleeping to miss it and these days with CPA its easy to get out of contracts,they can only charge you the remaining handset charges and 10% of remaining monthly payments.

 

[BuckRogers]

Bought a S4 on gumtree for R5K and converted to prepaid. Best thing ever. Just recharge when you hit about R100. That will cover more than an hour of talktime, enough for any emergency. Your soft cap on contract can also stop you from making calls in an emergency, so no difference really, except I phone for 2c/sec and have no chance of a out of bundle shark biting me.

 

[krycor]

Actually only Vodacom is like that. MTN gives you set airtime value that carries over if not needed and you can use it on whatever you want. All without the hassle of prepaid.

Yup, i have one of those top up contracts which do that. works nicely and sometimes i have like 5-6 months carried over which is handy like when car broke down with all the calls i did and still have a nice 5 months buffer left

been doing this for last 4 yrs and kinda only reason i keep with MTN as i typically have R500-1k in buffer. unless i go on a phone call spree or when e.g. landline moving.