Tariffic, the company that helps businesses and individuals reduce their cellphone spend, has released details of how South Africa’s mobile operators go about calculating how much you’ll have to pay in for ending your contract early.

Many South Africans want to do this to switch networks or simply move to a prepaid plan. The problem is, they can be left with a hefty cancellation fee.

Last week, Tariffic released its latest “Perfect Package Tracker”, which focused on the topic of contract cancellation fees. The company has now published the calculations that it used to determine the cancellation fees in its analysis.

The amount that you’ll pay to cancel your cellphone contract before it expires is based on numerous factors and varies from service provider to service provider. The various formulas can be found below:

Tariffic said the calculations were obtained by “reverse engineering” actual cancellation quotes received and contacting the service providers in the case of any discrepancies.

Those wanting to end their contracts early should take the following action, Tariffic said:

Vodacom: Dial 082 111 and follow the prompts for “contract queries” then “cancellations”;
MTN: E-mail [email protected] and request a pre-cancellation quote. The company will contact you within seven working days to take this forward;
Cell C: Dial 084 143 and select option 2, which goes to the cancellation department;
Telkom: Dial 081 180 and ask an operator for a cancellation quote.

“For all service providers, you will first receive a cancellation quote before any charges are implemented. If you choose to go ahead with the cancellation, you will have to make the payment for the cancellation fee, via EFT, and send proof of payment to your service provider,” Tariffic explained. — (c) 2016 NewsCentral Media