Vodacom airtime transfer

[boeriebuffet]

So apparently you can't transfer the monthly airtime that you pay for on a Vodacom Topup contract, only the airtime that you purchase additional to this. Does this make sense? Why can't I transfer my unused airtime for someone else to use? Anyone know if this is the same on the other networks?

P.s. Any good ideas on what to do with unused airtime?

 

[Ockie]

3. Top Up customers may not transfer any of the credit they receive on the 1st of every month.

http://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/airtime-transfer-terms-and-conditions

Been like that for many years.

You can use it to buy a data bundle.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Can you transfer said data Bundle?

 

[Dairyfarmer]

Welcome to the world of small print!

What also annoys me is that Vodacom won't allow you to transfer all the airtime you purchased. You have to leave 20% behind.

Prepaid customers are only allowed to transfer 80% of the value of their accumulated recharges in their account.
Top Up customers are able to transfer 80% of all recharges made above the airtime credit received on the 1st of every month.

MTN makes no mention of how much you need to leave, so I guess its what every you have can be transferred.

 

[boeriebuffet]

I am assuming they do this, because if you (or someone else) can't spend the airtime received on your contract they effectively didn't give it to you, so you're just paying for the handset.

I used to be able to purchase games or in-game items via Boku with airtime (at a ridiculous cost of like 50% but at least it was possible), but now it seems they have put a stop to this too! (Boku support confirmed the service is no longer available in SA).

 

[Dairyfarmer]

... so you're just paying for the handset.

The price of the handset is already added to the cost of the contract. Vodacom also like to charge a whack extra for that privilege too.

 

[boeriebuffet]

The price of the handset is already added to the cost of the contract. Vodacom also like to charge a whack extra for that privilege too.

True, so technically you're paying double for the handset, unless you're a businessman stuck in the stone-age phoning through your business-card folder every day to use up all the airtime

But then again, that's if you have some airtime left, because Vodacom loves to wait until your data bundle expires and then R50-R100 airtime literally disappears in a few minutes for "data usage" at R2 a MB. But oddly enough when my data bundle is active my phone doesn't even use 50MB data in a few days, nevermind minutes lol (but that's probably a matter for another thread)