South Africa SIM Card

The prepaid SIM card for South Africa with an international cell phone is the most convenient and economical solution for staying in touch while in South Africa. All incoming calls while in South Africa are FREE, regardless of where they originate. Pay the local rate for local calls and use your cellular phone in South Africa like you do at home. And unlike home, your South Africa SIM card and cell phone service is prepaid so there is no need for a contract.

For more information please refer to the User guide that comes with your package.

Please Note:
Your South Africa SIM Card (MTN) will require a SIM-unlocked GSM 900 compatible international cell phone. If you do not have your own international cell phone, we have several models available for rental or purchase.

If you have a locked compatible GSM phone, you can easily unlock it. To do so, visit www.unlockingcodesforphones.com

Domestic Calls

With your South Africa SIM card you have a choice of 3 calling plans: Classic (default), Pay Per Second and Payback. The Payback plan rates have not been listed, but information may be obtained by calling 173 from your South Africa cell phone. You may switch your South Africa cell phone plan once per month free of charge.

Classic (default)

MTN Pay as you Go Classic has been created for those people in South Africa who may not make a lot of calls and who tend to make more calls during Off-Peak times. It also offers preferential rates to other South Africa MTN numbers. All calls within South Africa are charged on a per minute basis.

Pay Per Second

If you're on a budget and make a lot of short calls while in South Africa, SMS may be your best bet while traveling in South Africa. SMS provides an easy way to arrange those important dates or simply want the best Off-Peak prepaid rates. If this sounds like your situation, the South Africa MTN Pay as you Go Call Per Second payment option is the one you should choose. All calls in South Africa are charged on a per-second basis, where you only pay for the time you use.

Peak time: Weekdays 7 AM - 8 PM

Off-Peak time: Weekdays 8 PM - 7 AM, All day Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays

International Calls

Depending on the domestic rate plan you have selected, your international calls from your South Africa Pay as you Go prepaid SIM card will be charged as follows:

Classic (default)

All international calls with your South Africa SIM card are charged on a per-minute basis.

Pay Per Second

All international calls with your South Africa SIM card are charged on a per-second basis.

Zone 1: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino Republic

Zone 2: American Samoa, Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Dominican Republic, Faroe Island, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guam, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Mariana Island, Monaco, Mozambique, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Zambia

Zone 3: Alaska, Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Austria, Azerbaijani, Barbados, Belarus, Rep of, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Denmark, Dominica, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Israel, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Martinique, Mauritania, Montserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Portugal, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Spain, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Island, USA, Yugoslavia Fed Rep, Zaire (Congo DRC)

Zone 4: Argentina, Aruba, Ascension, Benin, Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Central African Rep, Chile, China Peoples Rep, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Rep of, Cyprus, Czech Rep, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Rep of, Falkland Islands, Finland, Georgia, Rep of, Ghana, Guatemala, Guiana (French), India, Japan, Kenya, Korea Rep (South Korea), Kuwait Mobile, Latvia, Lebanon, Macao, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Rep of, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, St Helena, St Pierre & Miquelon, Taiwan (China Rep), Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USSR - Russian Federation

Zone 5: Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Brazaville, Cook Island, Djibouti, Ecuador, Eritrea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea People's Rep, Haiti, Hungary, Rep of, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia Mobile, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Rep of, Macedonia, Rep of, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Niue, Norfolk Island, Pakistan, Palau, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Wallis & Futuna, Western Samoa, Yeman Rep of

Zone 6: Cuba, Diego Garcia, Egypt, Ethiopia, French Polynesia, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Korea Democratic (North), Mali Mobile, Nicaragua, Sao Tome / Principe, Tonga, Vietnam

Roaming Calls (calls placed when traveling outside of the country)

Roaming is currently not available with your South Africa service.

GPRS Data Rates (Wireless Internet)

GPRS is currently not available with your South Africa service.

In order to add airtime to your South Africa SIM card, please follow the instructions below. You may purchase additional airtime from Telestial, most convenience stores, tabac shops and petrol stations in South Africa Additional airtime purchased locally, is available in denominations of R 60 (US$3.50), R 60 (US$7.00) and R 180 (US$22.00).

• Locate the recharge voucher code, affixed to your SIM card package*
• Dial 555 and follow the voice prompts
• Enter your recharge voucher code followed by # when prompted
• A voice prompt will confirm your credit balance

You may dial 555 and press option 1, free of charge from your South Africa cell phone, to find out your remaining airtime balance on your South Africa SIM card.

*Telestial provides you with a recharge voucher code, that you will find printed on a sticker, affixed to your SIM card package. At your destination, you can add your airtime and may purchase additional airtime in form of scratch cards, where you will need to scratch off the gray protective layer to reveal your recharge voucher code.

REMEMBER: Do NOT purchase another SIM card when your airtime credit is depleted! You only need a recharge voucher! Your incoming calls are always free, even when you run out of airtime.

Additional airtime for this SIM card is available directly from Telestial

Please click here for details.

Your service will remain active as long as you place at least one chargeable call within every 3 months. Failing to do so will result in your credit as well as mobile phone number to expire.