Local business online

Reselling airtime, data and electricity

Q: What about tax and legal rules?

Register for income tax with SARS once you earn; keep records of every payment received.

Sell prepaid airtime, data and electricity to your community from your phone through vending platforms.

Some evidenceLast checked 24 Oct 2026

To startR100 to R2 000
First randabout 7 days
WhereIn person
Effort Easy to start

See how this fits you, freeAbout 6 minutes, no sign-up.

Is this for you?

Best for

People with steady foot traffic or a busy community network (spaza, salon, taxi rank, residence).

In South Africa: Works wherever people buy prepaid airtime and electricity, from a phone or a small device.

What you need

A phone is enough to start
Works on everyday data
No camera needed
No cold selling
At least 5 hours a week · age 18+

The money

What it can earn

Pocket money
A top-up
A second income
Can become a full income

This is usually pocket money: helpful, but rarely enough to live on by itself.

What people charge

No reliable SA figure yet

You earn a commission rather than setting a price. VodaPay publishes 3.5% on Vodacom airtime and data and 1.2% on electricity; Flash and Kazang rates vary and are not published.

Costs to plan for

Start-up: R100 to R2 000
Every month: Data and airtime.
Payment fees: Customers pay cash/EFT.
Margin: Low: about 1% to 3.5% per sale on VodaPay's published rates (electricity 1.2%, airtime and data 3.25% to 3.5%). Flash and Kazang do not publish their rates.

How it is paid: Commission per sale. Our viability score for it: 60 out of 100 (how we score).

How to start

1
Test it cheaply Before you spend
- Ask 20 neighbours where they buy airtime now
- Success signal: R1,000+ weekly sales volume
2
First week Days 1 to 7
- Register with a vending platform
- Start with a R200–R500 float
- Tell your neighbours and regulars that you sell airtime, data and electricity
3
First month Days 8 to 30
- Track volume vs commission
- Keep a daily sales record
4
By three months Days 31 to 90
- Combine with another service
- Sell next to something you already sell so customers come anyway

Immediate once you have float and customers. First income usually takes 1 to 21 days. A day-by-day version for your situation is in the full plan.

Step-by-step guide

Selling airtime, data and electricity: from your first float to your first commission

23 short lessons with scripts, templates and rand prices to copy. R149 once-off, and the first lesson is free.

See what is inside

Customers and demand

Who pays

Neighbours and passers-by.

Convenient prepaid top-ups.

Is there demand?

Vending platforms such as Flash and Kazang let you sell prepaid airtime, data and electricity from an app or a machine and pay you a commission per sale. Vodacom publishes its VodaPay rates: 3.5% on Vodacom airtime and data, 3.25% on other networks and 1.2% on prepaid electricity. At those rates a R50 airtime sale earns R1.75, so volume is everything.

Flash Business app or Flash machineKazang app or deviceVodaPay card machine (published commission rates)

Getting customers

Location and community.

Word of mouth and referralsIn-person networking

Risks and rules

Watch out for

Very thin margins
Cash handling safety

Competition: High; supermarkets and banking apps sell the same.

Room to grow: Low.

Legal and tax in South Africa

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to start reselling airtime, data and electricity in South Africa?

Our research puts start-up costs at about R100 to R2 000. Recurring costs: Data and airtime.

How long until the first income?

Typically about 7 days, and between 1 and 21 days. Immediate once you have float and customers.

Can I do it with only a phone?

Yes, a smartphone is enough to start, although a laptop helps as you grow.

What about tax and legal rules?

Sources (4)

Vodacom Business: earn more with your VodaPay card machine (first-hand, checked 24 Oct 2026)
Flash: how it works (Flash Business app and machine) (first-hand, checked 26 Oct 2026)
Kazang: how do I make money? (first-hand, checked 24 Oct 2026)
SARS: how do I register for tax (first-hand, checked 26 Oct 2026)

Free tools for this

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