How to set up a backup airtime supplier
Set up your backup supplier before you need it. Check the products, available balance, staff access and reports. During an outage, check any order already sent to the primary supplier before placing it again. A slow response can still turn into a successful recharge.
Failover decision table
| Event | First action | Backup decision |
|---|---|---|
| Primary confirms success | Record and reconcile | Do not resend |
| Primary reports pending | Check original reference | Hold until resolved under agreed process |
| Confirmed failure | Retain evidence | Authorized owner may use backup |
| Primary unavailable | Verify incident and open orders | Follow approved continuity rule |
By Freepaid ยท Published
Define what the backup must cover
List the products, denominations, delivery channels and outlets that need continuity. Confirm that the backup supplier can provide the required items for your account, with written pricing, funding and support terms. Do not assume two suppliers offer identical products or that one can substitute for another without changing the recipient experience.
Keep the backup account available but controlled. Name the people who may access it, the approver for a failover and the maximum spend they may authorise. Separate credentials and funding records from the primary supplier. Review access when staff roles change.
Write the failover rule
Specify the events that trigger a review, such as a confirmed interruption, and those that require investigation only. Identify who verifies the incident, who checks pending primary orders, who authorises backup orders and how the decision is logged. Include the data that must be preserved: original internal reference, primary supplier reference, order time, status evidence and decision owner.
Say an R50 recharge is still pending. If you send another R50 through the backup and both orders complete, the recipient gets R100. Check the original reference first. If failure is confirmed, an authorised operator can preserve that evidence and create a new backup order with a distinct reference under the written procedure.
Reconcile both suppliers
Keep separate ledgers for funding, orders and balances at each supplier, then consolidate only after matching each item to its status. A failover register should record why the backup was used, who approved it, the primary outcome and any later adjustment. This makes it possible to identify a late success at the primary supplier and address duplicate delivery or spend.
Do not treat a platform outage message alone as proof that every in-flight order failed. Check each original order according to the supplier's documented status process. If an outcome remains uncertain, hold that recipient's replacement and escalate it.
Rehearse an outage
Run a tabletop exercise with fictional transactions before depending on the backup. Walk through a confirmed primary success, a pending result, a confirmed failure and an unavailable primary channel. Check whether staff can find the support route and fill the record without creating live transactions. If a real test is needed, obtain the normal approval and use a bounded, controlled case.
Review the plan after any incident, product change or account change. For business supply options, see Freepaid bulk airtime. Confirm current availability and commercial terms directly.