In South Africa, the ‘Please Call Me’ service is a convenient way by many different cellular networks for cell phone users to send a free notification to another person, asking them to call back. This service is especially useful when you are out of airtime or in an emergency. Each major cellular network in South Africa – Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, and Telkom – offers this service, but the method to send a ‘Please Call Me’ varies slightly between them. Here is a guide on how to use this service on each of these cellular networks.
How to send a ‘Please Call Me’ with different cellular networks
1. Vodacom
Vodacom, one of the largest telecom providers in South Africa, offers an easy way to send a ‘Please Call Me’:
- Dial *140*recipient’s number#.
- For example, if the recipient’s number is 0812345678, you would dial *140*0812345678#.
- After dialing this USSD code, the recipient will receive a message indicating that you would like them to call you back.
Vodacom allows you to send a limited number of free ‘Please Call Me’ messages each day.
2. MTN
MTN, another major player in the South African telecom market, also provides this service:
- Dial *121*recipient’s number#.
- For instance, to send a ‘Please Call Me’ to 0831234567, you would dial *121*0831234567#.
- The recipient will receive a notification with your request to call back.
MTN users have a daily limit on the number of free ‘Please Call Me’ messages they can send.
3. Cell C
Cell C offers a slightly different method for its ‘Please Call Me’ service:
- Dial *111*recipient’s number#.
- For example, to send a message to 0841234567, you would dial *111*0841234567#.
- The recipient will then get a message indicating your request for a call back.
Like other networks, Cell C also imposes a daily limit on the number of free ‘Please Call Me’ messages.
4. Telkom
Telkom, known for its extensive coverage in South Africa, also provides this useful service:
- Dial *140*recipient’s number#.
- If you want to send a ‘Please Call Me’ to 0817654321, you would dial *140*0817654321#.
- The recipient will receive a message with your number and a request to call you back.
Telkom users are also subject to a daily limit on the number of free ‘Please Call Me’ messages.
Remember, there’s a daily limit on how many ‘Please Call Me’ messages you can send, so use them wisely. Here are the daily limits for sending ‘Please Call Me’ messages on each of the major cellular networks in South Africa:
- Vodacom: Users can send up to 10 ‘Please Call Me’ messages per day.
- MTN: The daily limit for MTN users is 5 ‘Please Call Me’ messages.
- Cell C: Cell C users can send up to 7 ‘Please Call Me’ messages per day.
- Telkom: Telkom also allows up to 5 ‘Please Call Me’ messages per day.
Cellular networks designed these limits to prevent abuse of the service while still providing a helpful tool for users who may be out of airtime or in need of urgent communication.
Conclusion
The ‘Please Call Me’ service is a lifesaver in many situations, especially when you are out of airtime or in an emergency. Each network in South Africa offers this service with slight variations in the USSD code. This service is based on the importance of connectivity and the thoughtful features provided by South African cellular networks to keep their customers connected.