FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Airtime Advance
What is Airtime Advance and how does it work?
How do I know if I qualify for Airtime, Data and/or Voice Advance?
How much does Airtime, Data & Voice Advance Cost?
By when should I make repayment?
Can I purchase data or voice bundles with Airtime Advance?
Does the airtime I get from Airtime Advance expire?
I took an Airtime Advance but did not get Night Shift, Talking Points or Extra Airtime?
Where did my airtime go when I recharged?
I took an Airtime Advance of R10 but more than R10 was taken when I recharged. What happened?
Can I transfer airtime that I get from Airtime Advance?
How do I check how much Airtime Advance I owe Vodacom for?
What is the additional charge on my monthly bill?
Why am I not able to use the Airtime Advance service?
How will I repay my outstanding Airtime Advance through bundle recovery?
How will I be notified when my bundle recovery has been processed?
What is Airtime Advance and how does it work?
When you're out of airtime, data or voice, you can get airtime, data or voice in advance when you need it most and only pay the next time you recharge your account.
How do I know if I qualify for Airtime, Data and/or Voice Advance?
In order to qualify, you must be either a Prepaid or Hybrid Customer and must have:
- been active on our network for at least 3 months; and
- recharged with a minimum total of at least R29 per month over 3 months.
- The Service is also available to eligible Vodacom uChoose and Top Up customers, provided that your account has been paid up to the month prior.
- Post-paid customers do not currently qualify for Airtime Advance.
- To see if you qualify for Vodacom Airtime Advance, simply dial *135*082#. You can also read the Airtime Advance terms and conditions to find out if you qualify for the service.
How do I get Airtime Advance?
- If you qualify for Airtime Advance, dial *135# and then select 'Airtime & Transfers' or *135*082# and then select 'Airtime'
- Select an Airtime Advance option as per your qualifying criteria.
- You will then see the confirmation message, select ‘1’ to Confirm.
- Or use the odapay App
How do I get Data Advance?
- If you qualify for Data Advance, dial *135# and then select 'Airtime & Transfers' or *135*082# and then select 'Data'.
- Select from the 20MB, 35MB, 75MB, 120MB and 300MB Data Advance options as per your qualifying criteria.You will then see the confirmation message, select ‘1’ to Confirm.
How do I get Voice Advance?
- If you qualify for Voice Advance, dial *135# and then select 'Airtime & Transfers' or *135*082# and then select 'Voice'.
- Select from the Voice Advance options as per your qualifying criteria:
- 15Min On-net (Vodacom-to-Vodacom),
- 20Min On-net (Vodacom-to-Vodacom),
- 35Min On-net (Vodacom-to-Vodacom),
- 60Min Any-net (Vodacom to any network),
- 80Min On-net (Vodacom-to-Vodacom),
- 150Min On-net (Vodacom-to-Vodacom)
- You will then see the confirmation message, select ‘1’ to Confirm.
How much does Airtime, Data & Voice Advance Cost?
- The cost of taking an Airtime, Data, Voice Advance is just R1,20 (VAT inclusive) for every R10 or part thereof advanced per Advance for both Airtime Data & Voice Advances.If you take a Data Advance of 300MB for R19, a total of R21,40 will be deducted (R10 + R9 ) + (2 x R1,20 access fee).
How does Repayment Work?
- Outstanding Airtime Advance, Data & Voice Advances will be deducted from ANY recharges, including Airtime Transfers, CRM recharge incentives and direct bundle purchases. For avoidance of doubt, outstanding Airtime Advance, Data or Voice
- Advances will not be deducted from any Advance taken within the Max Limit, and only actual recharges.
The Access Fee plus the Airtime Advance amount, Data or Voice Advance value will be recovered per advance in order to cater for costs incurred.
The payment of the Airtime, Data and/or Voice Advance will work as follows:
- Example A:
- If a customer has taken a R10 Airtime Advance and recharges R20, only R8.80 will be left due to the following:
The R10 (Airtime Advance) + R1.20 (access fee) = R11.20 will be deducted leaving the customer with a balance of R8.80.
- If a customer has taken a R10 Airtime Advance and recharges R20, only R8.80 will be left due to the following:
- Example B:
- If the customer has taken R5 Data Advance and recharges R7, R.0.80 amount will be left due to the following:
The R5 (Data Advance) + R.1.20 (access fee) = R6.20 will be deducted, leaving a balance of R0.80.
- If the customer has taken R5 Data Advance and recharges R7, R.0.80 amount will be left due to the following:
By when should I make repayment?
- The Airtime Advance / Data Advance / Voice Advance value together with the Access Fee must be repaid on your next recharge or direct bundle purchase.
- For Prepaid Customers, if you don't repay the Advance within 30 days, you may be disqualified from the Service at the end of the immediate month following the 30 days or, depending on your profile, your Max Limit may be adjusted downwards.For uChoose/TopUp customers, the Airtime, Data & Voice Advance value must be paid within the 30 days of the request. Should the customer not recharge within 30 days and/or the full value is not paid within the calendar month, the outstanding Advance amount will be added to the customer's monthly bill for that calendar month which will become due and payable on their next payment.
Can I purchase data or voice bundles with Airtime Advance?
Yes, airtime from Airtime Advance can be used like normal airtime to buy data or voice bundles.
Does the airtime I get from Airtime Advance expire?
No, airtime from Airtime Advance is like normal airtime and does not expire.
I took an Airtime Advance but did not get Night Shift, Talking Points or Extra Airtime?
The allocation of Airtime Advance does not trigger any recharge benefits/incentives. When you recharge to pay your outstanding Airtime Advances, this will trigger recharge benefits such as Night Shift, Talking Points, Extra Airtime, etc.
Why did my Airtime Advance total limit change?
Your Airtime Advance total credit limit is dependent on how often and by how much you recharge; if you keep your recharges (amount and frequency) the same, your limit will remain the same, but if your recharges change, your total credit limit may increase or decrease based on your recharges.
Where did my airtime go when I recharged?
Outstanding Airtime Advances are deducted from your next recharge(s) until the full outstanding amount is paid.
I took an Airtime Advance of R10 but more than R10 was taken when I recharged. What happened?
Before 6 May 2025:
- Your Airtime Advance was taken before 6 May 2025 and for the R10 Airtime Advance you have taken; you were charged a R1.10 Access Fee that was added to your outstanding amount and deducted from your next recharge(s).
After 6 May 2025:
- Your Airtime Advance was taken after the 6 May 2025 and for the R10 Airtime Advance you have taken; you were charged a R1.20 access fee that was added to your outstanding amount and deducted from your next recharge(s).
My friend transferred some airtime to me via Airtime Transfer, but it did not go through and they were ‘charged’. What happened to the airtime?
All recharges as well as incoming Airtime Transfers will be deducted to pay any outstanding Airtime Advances.
Can I transfer airtime that I get from Airtime Advance?
Yes, airtime from Airtime Advance can be used like normal airtime. It can be transferred as per the Airtime Transfer rules.
How do I check how much Airtime Advance I owe Vodacom for?
Simply dial *135*082# or www.vodacom.co.za and follow the menu.
What is the additional charge on my monthly bill?
uChoose or Top Up customer? If the Advance is not paid by the end of the calendar month, the outstanding amount will be added to your monthly bill for that calendar month.
Why am I not able to use the Airtime Advance service?
- You need to qualify to use the service. Refer to question 2 above.
- In order continuously use the Service ONCE qualified, you, as the customer, will need to continuously recharge every 30 days.
- Where you have not fulfilled the required monthly recharge, you may be disqualified from the Service at the end of the immediate month following the 30 days; or depending on your profile, your Limit may be adjusted downwards.
- uChoose / Top Up customer? You need to have paid your account up to one month prior before you can qualify to use the service. Accounts in arrears do not qualify for Airtime Advance.
In order to requalify to use the Service, you will need to recharge with a minimum R29.00 per month for a period of 3 months in a row.
How will I repay my outstanding Airtime Advance through bundle recovery?
- If you purchase a 2GB data bundle for R100 valid for 30 days, and have an outstanding Airtime Advance of R100, R50 will be used to repay the Airtime Advance and Access Fee, and you will be allocated with a data bundle to the value of R50, valid for 30 days.
- If you purchase a 2GB data bundle for R100 valid for 30 days, and have an outstanding Airtime Advance of R20, R22,40 will be used to repay the Airtime Advance and Access Fee, and you will be allocated with a data bundle to the value of R77.60 of the same type and validity.
How will Hybrid and Top Up Customers repay their outstanding Airtime Advances through bundle recovery?
- If a Hybrid and Top Up Customers has an outstanding Airtime Advance that is less than 30-days, and purchases a bundle without their airtime, Vodacom will use this bundle purchase to recover their outstanding advance. However, should the Hybrid and Top Up Customers not purchase a bundle or recharge within 30-days, then the Airtime Advance outstanding will then be added to your monthly bill.
How will I be notified when my bundle recovery has been processed?
- The customer will receive the SMS post the recovery notifying the Customer of the portion of the bundle purchase that was recovered towards their outstanding airtime advance and balance in airtime.
Find out more
- Find out more here
- Read our Terms and Conditions