Powertel, the sole aggregator of ZESA prepaid electricity will be introducing prepaid electricity scratch cards to its growing distribution channel.
Just last week Powertel finalized a long overdue integration with Econet, Telecel, and NetOne allowing registered users the opportunity to purchase the utility product from the convenience of their mobile devices. The system went live on Friday with most users expressing satisfaction with the service thus far.
Now, Powertel looks to add more convenience by offering prepaid electricity recharge scratch cards in $5, $10, $20 and $50 denominations. According to Powertel the scratch card works like this:
- Scratch the recharge card to reveal the recharge number
- You then send an SMS to 134
- SMS should say: zetdc*recharge number*meter number
- Once you send the SMS a notification should be received containing the recharge meter number.
The scratch cards should be available at all Powertel agents and be available to resellers by Friday, We are yet to establish how much the recharge cards would be for resellers seeing that electricity resale has been quite a profitable venture in Zimbabwe.
Sore Points
- The recharge card system is currently only available to NetOne and Powertel networks, they expect the system to be integrated with all other mobile operators starting next week.
- The denominations, we think that starting at $2 and moving up would have been more reflective of the convenience the recharge cards are meant to serve. A quick solution to a tight fix which should allow some ‘bachelors’ a chance to buy electricity recharge at $2. Also, a $30 voucher wouldn’t hurt, not for its practical use but for the sake of having it.
- The steps to recharge are slightly complicated. If the product is being purchased by resellers, for example, Powertel has essentially made its money already, so why not allow a user to simply scratch a code and input into the meter?
It could be that their e-payment system generates codes on demand and may not have provision for an allocation of recharge card codes but this may be something Powertel will have to look into for ease of use.
We are very critical on ease of use, and this should become one-step operations as the product evolves.
- Cash. Like all recharge cards, this will require cash to purchase. As we wait for the introduction of Bond Notes the cash crisis still persists so the uptake of this product may be slower than they anticipate. Nobody is willing to let go of USD at this point, which is why the mobile money integration was critical.
- A little too late? The introduction of the recharge cards may be a little too late in the game, this probably should have happened once the metered system came into effect. At a stage where even airtime is moving to electronic purchases, this may be a late introduction.
Besides the sore points overall it is a welcome introduction to the convenience of buying electricity. Our main question is why didn’t this come sooner? As Powertel adds more ways to purchase electricity consumer methods will now become a case of preference over limited availability.
What do you think of Powertel’s new electricity recharge card system?
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14 comments
Cumbersome recharging process. Maybe a USSD code along the lines of *134*Recharge key*meter number# which would be close to how we recharge our phones anyway.
But I really want to talk about is Trump.
But I really want to talk about is Trump. – hahaha
where can i buy them wholesale
That prepaid meter is offline so I dont think there is a way of recharging your electricity directly from the recharge card.
The recharge process for these cards is too cumbersome! I would just buy either straight from my bank account or from my ecocsash/telecash wallets.
Personally I think the team at Powertel is kinda desperate to innovate!
And yha, all we wanna talk abt is Trump!!!!!! Viva Donald Trump!
powertel has been sleeping nezamu mukanwa .how do sell zvombo kumuvegi .avo magetsi ano tegeswa 24 /7 not zvana ok ne mabank .powertel mamuchibikira magandanga chiisai mari muhomwe its your time to benefit from your investment .you have made it easy for us and you have empowered the vender in line with the zim asset agenda .
I can’t figure out what the real value to us customers is from these recharge cards…. Anyone to assist???
Very handy especially for my folks in rural communities. General dealers can stock and resale the vouchers. Most rural folks don’t have money in the bank (plastic money) or in their Ecocash wallets. So in the absence of re-sellers who are directly linked to Powertell in real time, the prepaid cards are the best.
Whilst the move by ZESA to allow me as a customer several options to purchase tokens is a welcome development, my only question on recharge cards is that isn’t this move retrogressive to the government’s drive to promote plastic money not mentioning the recent directive by the same government asking companies (mobile companies in particular) to phase out recharge scratch cards?
it is, but then again Bond Note is coming
hatisi kudzokesa shure here apa, minister we environment akuti ma recharge cards are polluting wani
no policy check and consistency in gvt!
Anongove mazvake mazvake muhurumende, angoma kuti abvunze zvonzi uri wetimu ipi!
its good for power tel to introduce the prepaid cards it brings magetsi mumakumbo chaimo .kwete zvekunzi magetsi apera this and that .well done powertel .good work.
FYI, Powertel is *NOT* the sole aggregator of ZESA prepaid electricity. Anyone who has tried to integrate with the ZESA prepaid tokens platform can tell you that.
lol, please inform readers who it is then?