How To Borrow Airtime In South Africa

How do I borrow airtime from MTN South Africa?

MTN XtraTime is a service that allows you to borrow airtime on credit when you run out of airtime and payback on your next recharge. MTN XtraTime is available to ONLY Prepaid customers that are eligible for the service.

To be eligible for XtraTime service, you MUST:

  • Be a Prepaid customer
  • Have registered your phone number
  • Have been on the MTN network for more than 3 months
  • Have spent at least N200 monthly for 3 months
  • Have between N0 and N75 in your main account
  • Paid-up any outstanding XtraTime loan request

Borrow Airtime via *606# Menu:

  • Dial *606# and select XtraTime
  • You can then select your preferred amount from the list
  • After selecting your preferred amount, the system will then send you a message with the amount you are about to borrow and the applicable service fee for you to confirm the transaction.
  • Once you confirm your transaction, the system will deduct the service fee, credit your XtraTime account with the remaining airtime balance and send you a successful notification message.

Borrow Airtime via 606 IVR:

  • Dial 606 and the system will play an announcement for you to select your preferred language, either English, Igbo Hausa or Yoruba.
  • Upon selecting your preferred language, you will be required to select either XtraTime or XtraByte.
  • Once you select XtraTime, the system will then play out all the airtime amount that you can borrow.
  • You can then select your preferred amount from the list
  • After selecting your preferred amount, the system will then play an announcement with the amount you are about to borrow and the applicable service fee for you to confirm the transaction.
  • Once you confirm your transaction, the system will deduct the service fee, credit your XtraTime account with the remaining airtime balance and send you a successful notification message.

Click here to read Terms & Conditions.

How do you borrow airtime from Vodacom?

Airtime Advance Terms and Conditions

These are the terms and conditions of the Vodacom Airtime Advance (“the Service”). It is important that you read thorough these terms and conditions carefully before using the Service. Personal information will be stored, processed and only used by our appointed administrative partner, this may include your MSISDN number and information regarding your airtime payment history.

By subscribing to the Service, you agree to the following terms and conditions: 

Qualification

1. The Service is available to Vodacom Prepaid customers with the following qualifying criteria:

a) Must have been active on the Vodacom network for a period of 3 months or longer;

b) Customers must have a minimum cumulative recharge of R29 per month for at least 3 months in a row.

c) An objective criteria is applied to ensure sustainable provision of the airtime service, so if you meet the activity and recharge criteria but still can’t use the service now then keep recharging and check back in a month or two.

2. The Service is also available to uChoose and Top Up customers with the following qualifying criteria:

a) Account must have been paid up to the month prior;

3. Only eligible Vodacom Prepaid, uChoose and Top up customers will be offered the service

4. Non-qualifying but eligible customers can try again once they have met the qualification criteria indicated in 1a and 1b

Extended Qualification

5. In order continuously use the Airtime advance service ONCE qualified:

a) You as the customer will need to continuously recharge with a minimum amount of R29.00 per month in a row.

b) Where you as a customer have not fulfilled the required R29.00 P/M recharge, you as the customer will be disqualified from the service at the end of the immediate month. 

c) In order to requalify to use the service, you as the customer will need to recharge with a minimum R29.00 P/M for a period of three months in a row.

6. As a customers you are allowed to take up to 99 advance without repaying them in full.

a) Where you initiate a 100th advance without having repaid in full the other outstanding advances, the request/advance will not be honored as you have 99 outstanding advances.

b) To be able to request more advances, you as a customer will need to settle all outstanding advances [including access fees].

7. As a prepaid customer you are allowed at any time to contact Vodacom customer care via email on customercare@vodacom.co.za to request for the Airtime Advance service to be deactivated/removed from your profile or you want more information.

8. Where you have requested for the service to be deactivate/removed from your profile:

a) As a customer, you will continue to be liable for any outstanding advances [including service fee] up to the point where the service/product has been deactivated from your profile. 

b) To have the service reactivated/reinstated onto your profile, you will need to contact Vodacom. Where such a request is received, you as the customer will need to recharge with a minimum R29.00 P/M for a period of three months in a row.

General

9. The Airtime Advance service can be taken up by the customer directly using USSD *135*082# , through My Phone menu (*111# or *135#) or through the www.vodacom.co.za website.

10. Customers can use Airtime Advance to purchase a Just4You offer on *123#

11. Customers will be given a total Airtime Advance limit depending on their specific profile.

12. Prepaid customers can take multiple Airtime Advances or Data Advances up to their total limit.

13. uChoose/TopUp customers can only take one Airtime or Data Advance at a time and must fully pay an outstanding Airtime or Data Advance before taking another Airtime or Data Advance.

14. Each advance, whether Airtime Advance or Data Advance, will incur a R1 Access Fee for providing the Service. The Access Fee means the fee for the provision of the following:

a) Any bearer costs;

b) Any third party costs; and/or

c) Costs of deploying, operating and maintaining the airtime advance infrastructure   , and a special algorithm developed to ensure the sustainable provision of the product.

15. Provision of the Airtime Advance or Data Advance service will involve the processing of your personal information. Please find Vodacom’s Privacy Statement here.

Airtime Advance

16. Airtime Advance can be taken in denominations of R5, R10 and R20 (VAT Inclusive), to qualifying customers.

17. The Airtime Advance facility can be used for any transaction i.e. Voice, Data, and SMS. 

18. Customers will be allowed to transfer airtime from their Airtime Advance as per the current Airtime Transfer business rules. 

19. Airtime Advance will be seen as a normal recharge in the customer’s account 

20. No recharge benefits/incentives such as Night Shift, Talking Points or Extra Airtime will be allocated for an airtime advance. These benefits/incentives will be triggered once a recharge is made to pay the airtime advance.

Data Advance

21. Customers can take Data Advances in the following denominations:

a) 10MB valued at R3.00

b) 25MB valued at R6.00

c) 70MB valued at R11.00

d) 125MB valued at R18.00

22. These data allocations will be standard data allocations and will be valid until 23h59 (i.e. midnight) on the day of allocation

23. The allocated data cannot be used for data roaming

24. The allocated data cannot be transferred to another customer

25. Allocated data will not trigger any recharge or bundle purchase promotions/incentives (e.g. Talking Points, Night Shift, etc.)

26. Customers using Facebook Flex (FREE mode) may be presented with a data advance bundle offers from Vodacom through the Facebook App.

Repayment

27. Outstanding Airtime Advance or Data Advances will be deducted from ANY recharges, including Airtime Transfers, CRM recharge incentives. 

28. An access fee of R1.00 (VAT Inclusive) over and above the Airtime Advance amount or Data Advance value will be recovered per advance in order to cater for costs incurred as per clause 14 above. 

29. The payment of the Airtime and/or Data Advance will work as follows:

Example A: 

•  If a customer has taken a R10 Airtime Advance and recharges R20, only R9 will be left due to the following:

•  The R10 (Airtime Advance) + R1 (access fee) = R11 will be deducted leaving him with a balance of R9. 

Example B: 

•  If the customer has taken R5 Data Advance and recharges R6, nil amount will be left due to the following:

•  The R5 (Data Advance) + R1 (access fee) = R6 will be deducted leaving a balance of R0. 

30. Should the customer recharge with a lower denomination than that of the full value of the payable Airtime Advance or Data Advance, the full recharge will be deducted until the total cumulative value of the payable amount has been paid.

31. Prepaid and uChoose/TopUp customers can take out additional advances up to their total limit (if available). 

32. For uChoose/TopUp customers the Airtime and Data Advance value must be paid within the calendar month of the request, should the customer not recharge and/or the full value is not paid within the calendar month, the outstanding amount will be added to the customer’s monthly bill for that calendar month which will become due and payable on their next payment. 

33. The Service will be available to qualifying Vodacom Business uChoose/TopUp customers; however, the Corporate Administrator of the company can revoke access to the service via existing processes.

34. Prepaid customers with an Airtime Advance or Data Advance payable at next recharge who wish to migrate to Top Up or Contract will be allowed to do so, and the airtime advance plus access fee will be added to their first month’s invoice. 

35. If a customer takes Airtime Advance or Data Advances to a value that is at their total limit they will not be able to take additional advances until they have recharged and paid a portion or all of their advance airtime.

36. Customers will receive a confirmation SMS in the following scenarios:

a) When their account has been credited with the Airtime Advance amount;

b) On recharge and the Airtime Advance deduction has been made and when the full amount of the Airtime Advance has been paid.

c) uChoose/TopUp customers will receive a message indicating that any airtime advance will be added to their monthly invoice (per clause 32).

37. Vodacom has the right to change or modify these terms and conditions at any time with the method of notice determined by Vodacom. Any material amendments or changes to these terms and conditions will be communicated to you in writing on prior notice.

How do I borrow airtime from Telkom?

Borrow airtime or data, dial *180#, and select Emergency Top Up.

Get charged R1 Service Fee when you get Emergency Top Up.

Recharge to pay it back.

Available Emergency Top Up airtime: R3, R5, R10, R15 & R20

Example: If you take R10 Emergency Top Up airtime and then recharge with R20.

Telkom will deduct R10 + R1 Service Fee = R11 and your remaining airtime balance will be R9.

Emergency Top Up Data

Hourly: 75MB for R5 (valid: 1 hour)

Daily: 30MB for R5 • 150MB for R10.50 • 300MB for R20 (valid: 1 day)

Weekend: 100MB for R10 • 200MB for R19 • 500MB for R29 • 1GB for R49 (valid: Friday – Sunday)

Weekly: 50MB for R5 • 100MB for R15 • 250MB for R30 • 500MB for R50 • 1GB for R75 • 2GB for R100 (valid: 7 days)

Daily Social Bundles: 100MB for R5 • 250MB for R10 • 500MB for R15 (valid: 1 day)

Weekly Social Bundles: 100MB for R8 • 250MB for R12 • 500MB for R18 (valid: 7 days)

FreeMe Bundles: 300MB for R29 • 500MB for R39 (valid: 14 days)