How to Cancel MTN Contract

Are you looking for information on how to cancel an MTN contract? MTN is the second biggest mobile network in South Africa. Many MTN subscribers take out contracts for phones, tablets, airtime and data. Unfortunately, a lot of people start looking for ways of cancelling their contracts with MTN South Africa even before the end of the specified minimum timeframes. The reasons for doing this are given below. But what are the MTN contract cancellation steps?

MTN Contract Cancellation Steps

To cancel a contract with MTN, you have the following options;

1. MTN contracts can be cancelled over the phone by calling 808 from an MTN number. You can also call 083-1808 from a non MTN number. When you call, you are essentially giving them notice that you wish to cancel a contract.
2. It’s also possible to request to have your MTN contract via email on the address; customercare@mtn.co.za. This is probably the best option, since you will retain record of your request.

How long does it take to get a response?

So, how long does it take to get a response to your contract cancellation request? Well, in general, it can take between 3 and 5 days for you to get a response.

That doesn’t mean, however, that your contract will get cancelled within a week. In fact, MTN specifies that you need to give 20 days notice before the cancellation of a contract. So, when you reach out to them, you can assume that that’s the beginning of those 20 days.

MTN states that those cancelling contracts need to do so in writing or in a way that everyone concerned can keep a record. However, contract cancellations cannot be done via SMS. So, it’s probably better to do so by writing out something.

Why Cancel an MTN Contract?

So, why would you go to the extend of cancelling your MTN contract. There are several reasons why you may be looking to go down this road;

You can no longer afford to keep paying your bills

Cancelling your MTN contract could be the logical choice if you are no longer able to keep up with payments. It can happen to any of us. Times have been tough, what with the Covid 19 pandemic.

In any case, there is no reason for you to stress yourself with contracts when you no longer have the capacity to make payments. Rather better to go the prepaid route of eating what you have paid for.

You are no longer satisfied with MTN and want to move

That’s another common reason for learning how to cancel an MTN contract. If you go to Twitter today, you will discover that many people in South Africa are not satisficed with their networks. You will see people blasting all the networks.

The good thing is that it’s easy to port from one network to another in South Africa. Porting means you will not lose your number when you move to another network. So, this is what you may be looking to do. You have had enough of MTN and you want to go to another network.

You are leaving South Africa

Some people look for information on how to cancel their MTN contracts when moving out of the country. Honestly speaking, there is no reason for you to keep the contract running when you are migrating to Zimbabwe, the UK or to any other country. Better to cancel the contract so you don’t have that hanging over you while abroad.

You are no longer happy with the contract

Perhaps when the contract was pitched to you, you thought you were getting the best deal in the world. But now you have decided that it’s not really for you. So, you have decided to learn how to cancel your MTN contract.

Many people do this, unfortunately. They hear about this or that deal and they immediately want to join the bandwagon. It’s probably one of the major reasons why there are so many people also looking at how to cancel MTN subscriptions.

People join or sign up and after a while, they realize that the deals that they got are not for them. Maybe the deals are too expensive or the terms are just not right. So, if you are like this, you will be looking to cancel your contract with MTN.

Do I get charged when I cancel my MTN contract?

That’s the worry for most people. Does cancellation of an MTN contract accrue charges? The answer is yes, you will have to pay to have your contract with MTN cancelled.

What you need to understand is that any contract that you sign is a legally binding agreement. By cancelling, it means you are breaking that agreement. The network, therefore, has the leeway to penalize your in a way that’s reasonable within the eyes of the law, however.

If you owe any money, those monies will have to be paid. You are protected, to some degree, by the Consumer Protection Act. But that doesn’t mean you will walk away scot free. You will find relevant information by looking at your particular contract or by reaching out to MTN.

What do people usually pay?

We have already noted that breaking a contract means you will have to pay something. But what’s that something. As noted, each contract will be different. It depends on the type of deal that you got and the devices that you got as part of the bargain.

But just to provide guidelines, MTN usually charges people who cancel contracts the equivalent of a month’s payment plus any amounts remaining on payments for the phone or other gadget that you may have gotten as part of the contract.

What happens to my phone when I cancel and MTN contract?

This is an interesting one; what happens to the phone that you got as part of the contract when you cancel? Most people are not aware that during the course of the contract, the device actually belongs to the network. So, you are essentially renting the phone till you have paid for it in full.

But what happens when you cancel the contract? Well, the phone actually belongs to MTN, so you will have to pay for it to belong to you. That’s part of the charges that you will get when you cancel a contract early. You will be paying for the remainder of the contract.

What happens to my number?

As is the case with the phone, the number does not actually belong to you but belongs to MTN. So, should you decide to cancel, the number will revert back to the network. That’s assuming that you had not ported the number elsewhere.

What happens if I don’t cancel my contract with MTN?

That’s a question that you may have been asking yourself. The majority of this article was written under the premise that you wish to get out of a contract with MTN before the end of it’s minimum period.

When signing a contract a contract with the company, you agree on a minimum duration for the running of the agreement. Let’s assume that that’s 12 months.

So, what happens in the event that 12 months have elapsed? Does it mean your contract will stop running? Well, what actually happens is that your contract will continue running, but on a month to month basis. This will continue till you have either renewed or cancelled the contract.

Anyway, that’s how to cancel a contract with MTN. If you have further questions, leave them below or join the SA Broadband Forum. The forum has moderators from different networks in South Africa, and they will be able to fully answer your questions.