How airtime resellers make money at the till
A shop earns the difference between what customers pay for airtime and what the supplier charges. Card fees and the time spent helping customers can eat into that difference. Close out one shift from receipts and supplier debits to see how much the sales actually contributed.
| Shift record | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Receipts for completed sales | What customers paid for fulfilled orders |
| Supplier report | What was charged for the same orders |
| Till and payment costs | What the shop spent to collect payment and issue receipts |
| Open cases | Which orders need investigation before the shift can be closed |
By Freepaid · Updated
Start with the written price terms
A supplier quote may express a discount from face value, a fee, a minimum purchase or another arrangement. Confirm the actual basis for your account, whether amounts include applicable taxes, how funding works, and whether any customer-facing charge is allowed. Do not add an extra charge simply because the margin seems small. Check the contract and applicable rules first.
Separate three figures in your records: face value delivered, amount paid to the supplier and amount collected from the customer. They may differ, but the reason for each difference should be documented. A quote described as “discounted” does not automatically equal net profit.
Close one shift before projecting a month
Imagine a shift with 40 confirmed sales at R50 and two orders whose outcomes remain open. Confirmed customer receipts total R2,000. If the supplier charges R49.50 for each of those 40 confirmed sales, the matching supplier cost is R1,980. That leaves R20 before any payment charges or staff time. If charges assigned to those sales total R6, the shift contributes R14 before shared costs. Use your actual supplier charges and till receipts when you run the numbers.
List the two open orders separately. If either appears as a debit on the supplier statement, record that debit once with the original reference and keep the case open until the outcome is verified. When the next shift takes over, it should know who is checking each reference and when to report back.
Repeat the close on an ordinary day and a busy day before using the result in a monthly estimate. If receipts show a healthy return but the shift spends most of its time following up missing results, estimate that handling time before increasing volume. Use the per-sale worksheet for markup and contribution calculations. SIMcloud guide to reseller economics and float
Count the costs that sit behind each sale
Include transaction charges, payment processing costs, staff time, cash handling, support and corrections. Some costs vary by order. Others are fixed or shared with the rest of the shop. State the allocation method for shared costs so the comparison is transparent. For example, divide measured counter staff time between product categories only if time records support the split.
Track completed sales separately from pending orders, failures and reversals. Reconcile each exception against the original supplier reference. Do not count the same order twice because it appeared in two status reports. A daily log should include date, outlet, cashier, value, cost basis, customer receipt, supplier reference and status.
Measure whether it earns its counter space
Review the product by outlet and period. Compare completed sales, contribution, float tied up, staff minutes and support exceptions. A busy till can still be a poor earner if the same sale keeps coming back as a support case. If customers also ask for another prepaid product, check what staff would have to learn to sell and support it.
Before expanding, use actual data from a defined period. Ask your accountant about the appropriate accounting and tax treatment. Review Freepaid point-of-sale airtime for relevant business options and confirm current commercial terms.