Switching airtime suppliers without disrupting sales
Move one branch or team to the new supplier first. Check that they can buy the right products, trace a sale and match the report to the money spent. Give someone authority to pause the move. Keep the old account open until you’ve dealt with its outstanding orders, customer cases and balance.
Cutover readiness
| Area | Ready when |
|---|---|
| Products | Required products confirmed in writing |
| Funding | New account funded through approved process |
| Operations | Users trained and support route known |
| Records | Old and new references remain distinguishable |
| Exit | Balance and open cases have named owners |
By Freepaid · Published
Prepare before moving transactions
Set a cutover date only after product coverage, price, funding, user access and support have been checked. Identify which outlets or teams move first and how staff will know which channel is active. Tell each shift which supplier to use and from what time.
Export and preserve historical transaction reports. List pending orders and open cases with their original references. Confirm remaining-balance treatment and final invoice process with the old supplier. Document any timing constraints, but do not close the account while a transaction outcome remains unresolved.
Pilot and expand in stages
A retailer with four branches might move one branch for a week and keep the other three on the current supplier. Choose a period long enough to cover the trading and reporting checks your business needs. Record sales, failed or unclear orders, handling time and statement matches during the pilot. Maintain a daily owner for exceptions.
Move the next group only after the pilot passes pre-agreed checks. Those checks might include users completing the approved workflow, finance matching the transaction report to the order register, and support resolving a sample query. If a stop condition occurs, pause expansion and follow the documented rollback route. Before sending a replacement through the old supplier, check the original order on the new one.
Keep balances and references separate
Treat each supplier balance as a separate funding record. Do not combine them in a spreadsheet without preserving supplier name, account, transfer date and statement reference. Use distinguishable internal references for new orders so a later audit can identify which route handled them.
During transition, a customer may ask about a sale entered before cutover. Staff need to know which supplier to query. Keep the old support route available until open cases are closed and the agreed retention period has been followed. Record who can access historical reports after day-to-day access is removed.
Close the old account cleanly
- Reconcile funding, orders, statement and remaining balance.
- Resolve or assign every open transaction and customer case.
- Export reports and invoices into the approved record location.
- Obtain closure confirmation and follow agreed balance settlement terms.
- Remove user access and credentials, then verify deactivation.
- Record the close date, approver and any retained access exception.
Have procurement, finance and operations sign off the transition. Review the first full month on the new supplier and compare actual costs and exceptions with the business case. For business purchasing options, see Freepaid bulk airtime. Confirm current products and terms directly.