Airtime loss due to error by MTN

Recently got an MTN sim card becuase I heard the network was really good. Network was decent, but their USSD codes never seemed to work properly, either taking forever to go through or giving up halfway through whatever you were doing with weird errors. Called customer service and issue was resolved for a time.

Fast forward to 16 March 2026, I bought airtime and used that to buy data bundle using MTNs USSD codes and selecting the Mytown menu, where I bought 5GB day and 5GB night for R59 which would expire in 7 days.

The USSD codes were back to giving me trouble, but eventually I managed to get through and make the purchase. I got confirmation of the purchase via the USSD code but did not get a confirmation SMS. I didn't think much of this due to the purchase already being confirmed by the code string.

The very next day, the network disconnects me. I try to check my data, nothing. Try to check my airtime balance which should be R2, nothing. After calling customer care, it turns out I was being billed with out of data rates since I didn't purchase a bundle, which I did. I explained that it was an error on their side, can I get my airtime back or atleast the difference in data? No.

I had just been ****** because of an error on the carrier's side and pleasantly told there's nothing I can do to get that money and time I wasted back. I asked if there was anybody else I could speak to, the customer care agent said she'd take down my name and ask her supervisor to call me back in 10 minutes. 24 hours later and I'm still waiting for that call.

I try emailing MTN customer care explaining the situation and the phantom call back and eventually get a reply from someone that's not an automated response.

They tell me that I was charged out of bundle rates, like I didn't already know that from the call with customer care agent, and gave me a USSD string that I could dial to block out of bundle data use (which was a default setting on my Telkom prepaid simcard, by the way). No mention of a possible refund or return of some data I paid for subtracting what I had already used (which is not difficult for a network carrier to do).

The best part, the USSD string provided by that email doesn't work properly, I kept on getting either an unkown error reply or a reply with the number 1 before and an ok button (that doesn't do anything) before I reached the actual option to block. This led me to just giving up and removing their sim card.

I can't speak to home internet service provider side of MTN, but as a mobile network carrier, this is outrageous. They basically ****** me because of an error on their side and neither corrected their faulty USSD codes, nor made some sort of gesture to make up for their mistake.

Now, the question is, could this have happened to someone else? Possibly, because some people don't have how long 10GB of data lasts or are just to busy to catch a mistake like this and query it.

I have two other numbers, my primary being Telkom and my other prepaid sim that I use only for data being Vodacom and neither have given me this issue.

If you don't like being ****** because of a mistake that you did not make, then take my advice and stay far away, far away from MTN.

If you use them anyway, please make sure to block out of bundle data use unless something like this happens to you.

The code is *135*6#, Chose option 1 for data, Then option 1 for yes, block.

I hope it works for you.