After EcoCash announced their new DStv payment feature via EcoCash RAND wallet quite a few Techzim readers were left confused as to what this really means and whether to be excited or indifferent about it.
So in brief this is what Techzim thinks about it:
- If you do not have access to RANDS in CASH this new development means nothing to you.
- The normal way (what most are now used to) of paying DSTV via EcoCash USD/Bond Note wallet will probably never come back.
- To those without access to RANDS in CASH you will have to use alternative methods of paying your DSTv
To those who do have access to RANDS in CASH (you can only cash-in with RANDS into your EcoCash Rand wallet) your probably wondering if this is worthwhile/cheaper method of payment. So Techzim decided to do a quick comparison of the EcoCash method Vs paying through your Bank Vs using a local accredited agent or paying it in South Africa.
Please Note: paying your DStv in South Africa is illegal, but since a lot of Zimbabweans are doing it Techzim found it necessary to include it in the comparison.
When you pay through your bank you get charged an extra $1 as transaction fee whereas when you pay through an accredited DStv agent your charged $2 transaction fee.
Most agents allow you to swipe now so its simply visiting their stores with your DStv account number and swiping for the bouquet you need, activation is instant in most cases. Depending on your Bank, you may need additional information when making the payment either via online banking, through the app or USSD code. Instant activation differs from bank-to-bank.
In the table below we compared the pricing for each possible scenario, please note this does not mean these are the ONLY DStv payment options available. Also, for argument and comparative sake we converted the USD into RANDS at both the official rate and the unofficial (Roadport) rate. At the time of publishing the official rate stood at USD1 : R13.5229 but the rate fluctuates throughout the day, the unofficial rate according to a source at Roadport stood at USD1 : R14.10.
| DSTv Package | EcoCash Rand Wallet | Bank Payment (+$1 transaction fee) | Agent Payment (+$2 transaction fee) | South Africa Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSTv Premium | R1044 | USD 73 Official: R986.96 RoadPort: R1029.30 | USD 74 Official: R1000.48 Roadport: R1043.40 | R759 |
| DSTv Compact Plus | R681.50 | USD 48 Official: R648.96 RoadPort: R676.8 | USD 49 Official: R662.48 Roadport: R690.90 | R459 |
| DSTv Compact | R406 | USD 29 Official: R392.08 Roadport: 408.90 | USD 30 Official: R405.60 Roadport: R423.00 | R345 |
| DSTv Family Bouquet | R246.50 | USD 18 Official: R243.36 Roadport: R253.8 | USD 19 Official R256.88 Roadport: R267.90 | R219 |
| DSTv Access | R159.50 | USD 12 Official: R162.24 Roadport: R169.20 | USD 13 Official: R175.76 Roadport: R183.30 | R99 |
Please share how you plan to pay your DStv in the comment section below
7 comments
i will be paying in south africa using an ecocash vcn or i will be pairing a secondary ecocash debit card to be used to pay physically in south africa. the difference is ridiculous… it becomes worse when you consider a 24month price lock contract with dstv that comes with a free decoder as well.
you cant pay in south Africa using Zimbabwe visa or ecocash vcn
Why not? You rock up at Shoprite with or without your other shopping, tell them you want to pay DSTV, give them your account number, they tell you how much to pay, you give them your Zim visa card, they put into the machine. Which part doesn’t work?
“Paying your DStv in South Africa is illegal..”. It is not illegal for the subscriber in any way. Which laws is one breaking specificially? Having a service provider discourage you from doing something by claiming it is illegal or prosecutable does not make it illegal.
International copyright laws
Go to http://eazy.dstv.com/en/zw/pay first cash in your bondnotes request ecocash VCN and pay your dstv with ecocash MasterCard but the fee depends on the bouquet selected for compact $1.5 hameno amwe
can i pay my SA account using the ecocash Rand Wallet?