Why does airtime/date expire?

[Swa]

Vodacom SmartS SIM only: R209 150/400/400
Yes its R1.40/min if you used the voice only, but you also get 400mb data worth about R25 and 400 SMS's (if you use them)

You don't get all the free stuff you get when recharging, but you don't get all those annoying sms's telling you what you can get if you recharge now.

So where is the saving? Suppose you can use the data but then you presumably won't need the SMS. So it's R1.20/min at best. Contract will never be cheaper because they have you by the short and curlies while on prepaid everyone is moving around.

 

[profeet]

Why does airtime/data expire? Legality of it?

Pretty much same reason cap accounts don't normally carry over.

Money spinners:
You buy it for R10, only use R2, they score R8. This not even taking into consideration you pay R10 for something that is actually R8.

 

[Dairyfarmer]

500mb data is actually R99 on Vodacom prepaid. I was thinking 3rd party data from Axxess or Afrihost (only available on MTN).

 

[Dairyfarmer]

1. The Promotional price plan (the ‘Service’) is available from Saturday 1 August 2015 at 00:01 until Sunday 31 July 2016 at 23:59
8. On this price plan you cannot make use of Power Hour, Chat for 20, Power Bundles, My5, Night Shift or Everyday Extra
14. No refunds will be allowed for any dropped calls due to network congestion.
15.1 If the SIM card is used in a fixed location device to regularly make and receive calls to multiple numbers, the Service will be suspended immediately, pending an investigation.
16. Vodacom reserves the right to limit the Service in regions or areas where there is limited network capacity (high congestion) in order to maintain consistent quality of service.
17. Vodacom reserves the right to alter or terminate the Service in order to prevent catastrophic impact on the network.

17 is worded in every t&c I've seen on all networks

 

[Kosmik]

The Promotional price plan (the ‘Service’) is available from Saturday 1 August 2015 at 00:01 until Sunday 31 July 2016 at 23:59

And thats from?

 

[supersunbird]

1. The Promotional price plan (the ‘Service’) is available from Saturday 1 August 2015 at 00:01 until Sunday 31 July 2016 at 23:59
8. On this price plan you cannot make use of Power Hour, Chat for 20, Power Bundles, My5, Night Shift or Everyday Extra
14. No refunds will be allowed for any dropped calls due to network congestion.
15.1 If the SIM card is used in a fixed location device to regularly make and receive calls to multiple numbers, the Service will be suspended immediately, pending an investigation.
16. Vodacom reserves the right to limit the Service in regions or areas where there is limited network capacity (high congestion) in order to maintain consistent quality of service.
17. Vodacom reserves the right to alter or terminate the Service in order to prevent catastrophic impact on the network.

17 is worded in every t&c I've seen on all networks

That for the 79c promotion or something else?

 

[pinball wizard]

So you guys do know mtn just increased prepaid calls to R1.50/min?

 

[supersunbird]

So you guys do know mtn just increased prepaid calls to R1.50/min?

Only for new users who just join MTN and don't change their package, it's called MTN Base. The person would then need to switch to MTN Pay Per Second to get the 79c per minute effective rate.

 

[ahoudet]

OK, then give the contract (a voice one, not Telkom LTE one ) name and provider and I will work out if a Vodacom L contract (just an example) is cheaper than a prepaid for the same amount of money.

Afrihost Mobile XS or whatever it's called.

50 mins + 1GB data for R99 per month... And it's a month to month contract.

Does this count?

 

[SauRoNZA]

So they can sell the wholesale volume twice.

 

[Spliffcat]

Your data/airtime is kept on the networks. Somehow thieves get in and steal it. Nothing gets done about this theft. Seems to be rampant from our president to the hobo on the corner.

 

[Fro]

This applies exactly to me, I could have written it.

But just read from 1 July they only giving back 500mb if you buy 1 gb instead of giving back 1 gb

Yip, I'll be moving next month. The free amount will only last 15 days now, for the 1 GB bundle. They're probably trying to cover their **** up in Nigeria.

 

[Dairyfarmer]

All the "free" stuff the networks give has an expiry and a dozen t&c. They protect themselves down to cutting you off if the system is overloaded without recourse.

 

[markbdaniels]

Yip, I'll be moving next month. The free amount will only lasts 15 days now, for the 1 GB bundle. They're probably trying to cover their **** up in Nigeria.

Let me know where you go. I want to jump ship too.

 

[Chevron]

Pretty much same reason cap accounts don't normally carry over.

Money spinners:
You buy it for R10, only use R2, they score R8. This not even taking into consideration you pay R10 for something that is actually R8.

Actually most of the time they sell you something at R8 that costs R10. Many ISPs rely on breakages to make a profit on data.

So where is the saving? Suppose you can use the data but then you presumably won't need the SMS. So it's R1.20/min at best. Contract will never be cheaper because they have you by the short and curlies while on prepaid everyone is moving around.

Depends how much you call. It's really not as simple as x or y is cheaper. And even if you don't call that much once you take the cost of a phone into account the differences in cost are so small that it's just not worth the hassle being on prepaid.

The main reason people think prepaid is cheaper is because they were irresponsible when they were on contract and run up a huge bill calling all their friends and family. So it's easier to blame the contract than their lack of self control.

 

[Swa]

Depends how much you call. It's really not as simple as x or y is cheaper. And even if you don't call that much once you take the cost of a phone into account the differences in cost are so small that it's just not worth the hassle being on prepaid.

The main reason people think prepaid is cheaper is because they were irresponsible when they were on contract and run up a huge bill calling all their friends and family. So it's easier to blame the contract than their lack of self control.

There's a rather big difference between R1.20 and 79c and that's only if you make use of it all.

 

[Lupus]

There's a rather big difference between R1.20 and 79c and that's only if you make use of it all.

The only good reason to take a contract is, if you can't afford the phone cash. Or if you actually manage to find a contract where you do score.
Dion wired had one for their birthday special, R149 a month for a R3k phone, vr headset and R110 airtime. Yes I know the airtime only really equates to R79 or so, but the other R70 for the phone a month bargain.

 

[Fro]

Let me know where you go. I want to jump ship too.

I'm stupid I though you couldn't take any 3rd party data while still buying airtime for normal voice and sms. I sent them, Afrihost, an email and they replied that you can do it like that, so I'll just use a 3rd party from next month on. And I'll save some money as well. I'll go with Axxess because Afrihost's data doesn't roll over, just their top up data. I bet you'll also be able to use normal voice and sms's with Axxess, but I'm just going to send them an email to confirm.


This is why I thought you could only use data while using Afrihost and Axxess.

 

[LazyLion]

Because money.

 

[profeet]

Because money.

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?p=17907383