Porting to FNB Connect

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andre_b

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Hi. If anyone is thinking about porting to FNB Connect, I would advise rethinking that decision. Here's why:

1. Delivery of the new SIM card took them a week. It's OK to wait for a new SIM when it's a new product, but what about when one urgently needs to do a SIM swap?
2. The number porting was a nightmare. I ported from MTN and I ensured that my contract was cancelled and the number on pre-paid. So on MTN's side, everything was OK. FNB Connect had some sort of issue which the call centre agents couldn't clarify. It took multiple phone calls and escalation requests to have the number ported.
3. The FNB Connect call centre doesn't deliver the same level of service as the bank does which adds to the customer's frustration.
4. FNB uses Cell C as its backbone. This is in itself is a recipe for disaster: bad call quality, regularly dropped calls and constant data connectivity issues.

On the plus side, it's worth mentioning that:

1. Managing your SIM and connectivity benefits is very easy (using the FNB Bank App or FNB Online).
2. Additional eBucks Rewards
3. Decent pricing on their data bundles
4. There are Topup, Prepaid and Postpaid Contract options (including unlimited calls @R249/month)

Whatever you decide, keep the above in mind when considering FNB Connect.

A great alternative: Afrihost Air Mobile (https://www.afrihost.com/airmobile/monthly). Incredible customer service and they use MTN as their network backbone.
 
I have an FNB Connect Sim card. I tested it using calls to FNB call centre numbers. It was impossible to communicate. Call quality is so bad that the two sides of the call struggle to get what the other is saying.
 
It appears that dearest Andre left us with this wisdom in 2020 never to return or to be seen again.

Interesting post though, I've been considering picking up a Connect contract and shiny new phone because of the FNB ecosystem benefits he mentions. I'll be transferring over from the Afrihost offering which is decent value but I can't for the life of me get voicemail working properly. It keeps defaulting to the frankly pointless Voicemail Lite setting and MTN is no help, nor is Afrihost.
 
OK glad I didn't port an existing number over to them then. Will be using the FNB Connect sim as a spare sim then instead.
 
Update, still bad service.

Are they still on Cell C, sure I saw somewhere they where switching to MTN backbone?
 
Hemps said:
Update, still bad service.

Are they still on Cell C, sure I saw somewhere they where switching to MTN backbone?
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Something must have changed in the last couple of months.
Signal seems way better and I dont drop with load shedding anymore.
 
Over and above the primary prepaid FNB sim I got 2 years ago, this week I got an extra 2 prepaid sims, put one into a spare phone for my old man and it showed that it's on 'MTN - FNB' or something to that effect.

I went into the FNB canal walk branch to get them and the cost per prepaid sim is R55 and they come with 1GB data and 30 minutes talk time that both expire after 30 days. I'll see how it goes with them and will try report back in a few weeks. I suppose the experience is likely to be area dependent, can't say it's been too bad an experience with my primary sim, I have even been using it to join MS Teams meetings whilst driving down the N1 to work and it's been fine. Phone calls have also been fine as far as I can tell but I can't say how good or bad it is compared to vodacom for example.

I've not ported any numbers over to them yet, might port my old man's vodacom number over depending on how these extra sims behave. I am using my primary FNB sim as my data sim as I burnt through what little vodacom data I had (Vodacom Red contract with 50min 600MB data) doing a freakin speed test that chowed 900MB in one go as it was on 5G (I thought I was on Wi-Fi...).
 
backstreetboy said:
Can you port at a later time?
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I would imagine so but I speak under correction. You mean porting a vodacom/mtn/cell c number over in which case the FNB number gets discarded and the vodacom/mtn/cell c number gets assigned to the sim card instead?

Edit: OK I see the terminology is porting IN or OUT. These are the options when dialing *147# from an FNB prepaid sim and selecting '4. Port my number' from the main menu.

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StrontiumDog said:
I would imagine so but I speak under correction. You mean porting a vodacom/mtn/cell c number over in which case the FNB number gets discarded and the vodacom/mtn/cell c number gets assigned to the sim card instead?

Edit: OK I see the terminology is porting IN or OUT. These are the options when dialing *147# from an FNB prepaid sim and selecting '4. Port my number' from the main menu.

View attachment 1509201

View attachment 1509203
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Thanks
 
Reviving this thread. Yeah so the porting from vodacom to Fnb has completed yesterday. Nobody can call me nor can I receive any sms. My boss had a fit this morning. Contacted FNB they said vodacom still has my number I know they talking trash because my old sim is inactive and they rarely have porting issues. Contacted Vodacom they said the FNB has hold of my number and it's not rerouted on their FNBs side. Fnb opened a case. Still waiting. So far not a pleasant experience thought porting would be seamless on prepaid nowadays compared to a decade back. Already worried for the future but now I'm stuck with them for a 2 years because I got a great contract and it was easy signing up with them compared to the other network. But I won't judge this soon just because of this hiccup... a BIG hiccup that could potentially threaten my job...
 
Update. Probably worse decision I've made now it loses connection and picks up again. Happening now 3 days in a row and the customer support isn't helping at all
 
Just useless.18490.jpg
 

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Despaireon said:
Just useless.View attachment 1836688
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Have you got your network set to automatic?

Can’t say I’ve lost signal completely like that short of being in the mountains where nobody else works either.

Been using FNB Connect for probably 3 maybe even 5 years with very little issue because Vodacom was actually so **** at my house I couldn’t take calls.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Have you got your network set to automatic?

Can’t say I’ve lost signal completely like that short of being in the mountains where nobody else works either.

Been using FNB Connect for probably 3 maybe even 5 years with very little issue because Vodacom was actually so **** at my house I couldn’t take calls.
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Nope I switched to manually. Even now it's doing the same and I'm at work. This is becoming a serious problem and fnb is clueless I'll speak to them again
 

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Despaireon said:
Nope I switched to manually. Even now it's doing the same and I'm at work. This is becoming a serious problem and fnb is clueless I'll speak to them again
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Put it back on Automatic otherwise you are in for a bad time.
 
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