Where to buy prepaid electricity from Eskom online with your credit card [Solved]

Here’s an updated posting offering alternatives to PayCity that has now stopped selling prepaid electricity.

My previous article “Buying electricity via mobile cell phone or online” listed many ways of purchasing prepaid electricity online and with a credit card. 
Most online sites offer the service for free and you still get your free units per month.
I was looking for a service where I could purchase electricity (for no extra charge) using my credit card.
I wanted to be able to use my PC or my cell phone's browser or use SMS to purchase.

Using my credit card is much more convenient (no more queuing for cash, and for purchasing the electricity), and so it's safer too! [those ATMs are becoming dangerous]

Additionally, if I run out of electricity in the middle of the night then I can purchase more by sending an SMS from home.
Oh, and the cherry on the top is that the bill comes at the end of the month along with "reward points" and even cash back discount.

Here is an updated list of sites that I’ve found that cater for City of Cape Town electricity:
My preferred choice, after analysing all the options that I could find is Powertime.  Their offering seems the most complete, with apps for most mobile devices as well as a nifty web site with add-ons like virtual meter and a graphical analysis of your electricity usage, and lots of energy saving tips.
A couple of emails to their support email address relating to credit card fees were answered quickly and with the requested information (and more).
Powertime’s web site warns that purchasing using your credit card could attract a fee “… between 0% and 5% VAT inclusive of the transaction value”.  An email query later, and I found out that this service fee depends on whether the municipality reimburses credit card costs or not.  It turns out that there is no service fee for Cape Town meters.  To be sure, send them an email with your meter number and they will confirm the service fee.  
Note that the purchase of electricity in Cape Town has to be done via SMS due to restrictions set by the municipality.
You can setup SMS vending on the Powertime website in: “Electricity” –> “Buy Electricity” –> “Set up SMS vending” section.
(EFTs are all free of charge. )

The service is available 24/7 via the following channels:

• Powertime Web site www.powertime.co.za or mobi site m.powertime.co.za,
• iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Powertime applications which can be downloaded from Apple App store on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/app/powertime/id345272537?mt=8 or search for Powertime),
• Android Powertime app, which can be downloaded from Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.methys.powertime or
  the Samsung Android app store: http://www.samsungapps.com/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?productId=G00002564713
• BlackBerry Powertime  application on the RIM App store: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/11271
• Nokia Powertime application which can be downloaded from the Nokia app store: http://store.ovi.com/content/105666

On these channels, you can use Visa, Diners and Master Card credit cards or the PayGenius wallet, which can be recharged by EFT or credit card. You can also use Debit cards as well on the Powertime Web site.
Twitter: @powertime_za and Facebook
You can also pay your other municipality bills and cellular airtime too.
You can even make some money by referring your friends to Powertime – Login, then follow the “Refer a friend”  link to send your friend an email.  When they spend their first R350 on electricity, then you will get R30 in your PayGenius wallet :)

Here is some more info on Powertime: 
https://moneysmart.co.za/community/2012/06/save-electricity-and-save-money-with-powertime
http://ventureburn.com/2013/03/the-city-of-cape-town-cant-keep-a-good-startup-down-powertime-is-back


Another company that offers purchasing prepaid electricity online and using SMS is ItronEnergy.


FNB mobile: dial *120*321# from your cell phone and navigate thru the menus.

https://new.easypay.co.za/bmeter.aspx

www.ibuy.co.za you can save your setting so that you can easily buy from your phone (no fees, as far as I can see):


Other options:
EFT only - no credit card: PrePaid24.co.za
MyPrePaid.co.za
PrePaidElectricityMeters.co.za
PrePaid24Galore.co.za
PrepaidXtreme.co.za
PrePaid24Online.co.za


http://www.cellpower.co.za/consumer
 
No credit card purchases, but EFTs are processed under 5 minutes (24/7). Also offers airtime.

Free SMS to MTN and 8ta in GMail: just enter a phone number and click Enter

Free SMS in Gmail - Send free SMSs directly from Gmail - just enter a phone number and click Enter.  SMS replies come right to your Gmail inbox.

See which mobile operators are supported.

Learn more




http://support.google.com/chat//bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=164876&rd=1 

Buying electricity via mobile cell phone or online [Solved]

There’s only one thing that I hate doing more than putting petrol in my car – that’s buying electricity… the pain of drawing cash, then going to the local cafe or garage to get that electricity token is sooo painful!  But that was until I found other ways of buying electricity without even getting into my car :)
 
You still get your free units per month and there are no extra costs.

Most of these sites allow you to purchase using your credit card.

After registering I can now purchase electricity (for no extra charge) using my credit card. I can use my PC or my cell phone's browser or use SMS to purchase.
Using my credit card is much more convenient (no more queuing for cash, and for purchasing the electricity), and so it's safer too! [those ATMs are becoming dangerous]
Additionally, if I run out of electricity in the middle of the night then I can purchase more by sending an SMS from home.
Oh, and the cherry on the top is that the bill comes at the end of the month along with "reward points" and even cash back discount.


Here is a list of sites that I’ve found that cater for City of Cape Town electricity:
FNB mobile: dial *120*321# from your cell phone and navigate thru the menus.
 

https://new.easypay.co.za/bmeter.aspx    

www.energy.co.za     (not accepting new registrations)


www.paycity.co.za    
(Via SMS: SMS "secret code cvv amount" to 41658 to buy electricity)

www.powertime.co.za [currently offline for Cape Town electricity purchases] register meter number and pay by credit card.


http://www.cellpower.co.za/consumer   No credit card purchases, but EFTs are processed under 5 minutes (24/7). Also offers airtime.

www.ibuy.co.za you can save your setting so that you can easily buy from your phone
 


http://www.prepaid24.com/index.php?comp=content2&page=electricity
  There’s even a lucky draw and you could win your electricity for free (PowerWinna)



Outside Cape Town: 
http://www.prepaidelectricitymeters.co.za/# 
http://www.prepaidmobionline.co.za/municipalities.html

Send free "messages" to BlackBerry phones – it works!

Send ‘Blackberry Pin Messages’ using The Internet: If you know someone’s BBM number then you can send messages to their phone for free by connecting to this web page:  http://www.web2pin.com/web2pinfree.aspx and filling in the details: your name, your reply address, their BBM number, subject and message.

It takes about 20 seconds for the message to go through.  All you need to know is their BBM PIN number.

It does not come through on BBM, but appears on their phone in an e-mail-like format.  It is called a ‘PIN message’. 

The "From Name" appears at the top of the sent message.

The sent message looks something like this:
Reply to: 'From Name' at ‘Reply Addr’
Then your message appears…

The message also has an advertisement for the Web2Pin.com web site ie: “A free service of Web2Pin.com  http://www.web2pin.com”

So, if you don’t have a BlackBerry phone and you can’t install WhatsApp, then you can still use your phone’s Internet browser and send a BBM message to your BB friends for free :) :)

Other related posts:
WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian phones is now available
What’s the cheapest cell phone to run WhatsApp on?
Calculator: How much data does WhatsApp use and what are the costs?

WhatsApp for Nokia Symbian phones is now available

Yes, the always-on chat app “WhatsApp Messenger” has just been (beta) released for Nokia phones (14 July 2010).  You can use it to chat (as in type messages, like Skype or GTalk) to other friends that have also installed it on their phones.  The program has had a great uptake from iPhone and Blackberry phone users… and now Nokia users can do the same. 
So, as long as you have the program installed on your phone you will be able to chat to others – just create a contact using their cell phone number.  This means no more SMSs locally and internationally.  All this for free – well, almost – WhatsApp costs $1.99 per year – BUT, this beta version is free for 90 days. 

Nokia phone requirements: Nokia S60 3rd or 5th edition Smartphone (those are phones that run Symbian operating system; N73 or newer phones) – if you don’t know what Symbian is, then your phone probably isn’t compatible.
See here for a list of Nokia cell phones and their Symbian versions: http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/s60history.htm

Download the .sis file to your PC from here [796KB]: WhatsApp for Nokia phones then use Nokia’s PC Suite to install it onto your phone… else navigate to this URL using your phone’s browser: http://www.whatsapp.com/nokia/WhatsApp_2_0_0.sis.  Here’s their download page for more info.

It takes a while when installing... since it checks all your contacts cell numbers and checks if your contacts are already using WhatsApp... then you can connect with them.

I must warn you though that it keeps the Internet connection on your phone open all the time... but it doesn't send/receive data all the time... only once every 3 or so minutes (unless you are busy in a chat “conversation”). 
The beauty about this is that people can send you messages even when the program isn’t open – they appear like an SMS since the open Internet connection checks for messages every 3 or so minutes.  I have tested it and my battery life isn’t adversely affected.

Once it’s installed, it will ask you for your cell number so that others can find you by using your cell number.  No need to login or anything, it knows who you are.

Remember, it doesn’t connect to the Blackberry BB messenger service – BB users will also need to install the WhatsApp program and subscribe to the service, then use it to chat to their iPhone and Nokia friends.

Will it work on my wife’s phone? Well, to see if it’s compatible do a Google search with the phone’s model number eg: “Nokia E66” +specification
Pick one of the results and then search for “Symbian” in the page – if there’s a line like this: “Symbian OS 9.2, Series 60 v3.1 UI” then it IS compatible.  You need to look for “Series 60” v3 or v5.

What does it cost to send messages: It’s cheap… charged at data rates.  In South Africa, the unbundled data rates is about R2.00 per MB.  That’s 200c per million characters, which is 1c per 500 characters!  So, it’s as close to free as can be! 
You gotta be dumb to continue using SMSs are say R1 per local SMS for only 180 characters! (and R2 for international SMSs)

Currently Nokia users can only send text - transfer of images is only available to iPhone and Blackberry users – iPhone can also transfer audio and location.

Remember to change your status (using the Options menu) to "Available" - it looks more tech savvy than "Hey there! I'm using WhatsApp!"

“Always-on” means that there is always a “service” running on the phone – even when you’ve exited the messaging interface.  This service periodically checks the WhatsApp server for any messages for you  -if it finds one when the messaging interface is exited, then it pops up a notification on your phone like an incoming SMS.  Open up the “SMS” and it will open the WhatsApp messaging interface – all ready to read and reply.

I’ve always wondered why MXit and NimBuzz never really took off compared to Blackberry messenger (and probably now WhatsApp) – I think it’s the ‘Always on’ feature…


BTW: to all my loyal readers that have read the whole article: when I installed the beta version it said that it was licensed until July 2011 – whooppeeee 1 year free license for using the beta version.  Let me know if you also got a year.

Update on 28July2010: WhatsApp has been updated: version 2.0.0 has been updated to 2.0.6. Download from here: http://www.whatsapp.com/nokia/

Update on 01Sept2010: WhatsApp for Android beta is now available - use your Android browser to download from here: http://www.whatsapp.com/android/

Minimum requirements: Android OS 2.2 or above, Unlimited internet data plan

Nokia 6110 giving ‘out of memory’ problems

My pet hate about my Nokia 6110 Navigator is the amount of memory (RAM) that it has.  I often need to run more applications at the same time eg: Navigator for where I’ve got to go, Internet browser, and GMail to see where I’ve got to go.  Opening these apps at the same time is impossible (I get an error “Memory full. Close some applications and try again!”), and I’ve got to close one of them to get to the other.

I really wish Nokia had packed more RAM into this phone :(

Another memory problem that I managed to solve (sort of), was a problem with the on-board 40MB phone memory (the C drive).  It also has a microSD memory card (the E drive) that I have upgraded to 4GB… but I’m referring to the on-board phone memory.  Here are some tips to ensure that the on-board phone memory doesn’t get full again: 
1) Install all applications on the microSD card (E drive) – I have uninstalled most of the apps that I had installed on the C drive and reinstalled them on the E drive.
2) Messaging: move all messages to E drive: It got to a point that I could not receive SMSs and I had to continuously delete SMSs and then turn off my phone to force Vodacom to send me the new SMSs.  Now that was a real pain!  So, this post by Vaibhav Sharma helped me to figure out how to move the SMSs from C drive to E drive (microSD card):
Change your default ‘Messaging’ memory to the microSD card (E drive).  To do this, go to ‘Messaging’, then Options>Settings>Other>’Memory In Use’.  {Now that must be the most well-hidden menu option in the entire Universe!}  Select the option to copy all messages to the E drive and then ‘yes’ to delete the messages from the C drive.  Now, all old messages and future new messages will be stored on the microSD card (E drive) and the phone’s memory will be left for Nokia’s native applications.

Send 5 free SMSs per day to any cellular network in South Africa

I just stumbled upon this free service that allows you to send 5 free SMSs (text messages) per day to any of the cellular networks in South Africa: Vodacom, MTN, CellC.  All you need to do is register (for free) and you also get a free email box and free fax-to-email service (free for the receiver, but the sender pays:  see here for more info: Don’t be fooled by this false advertising: “FREE fax to e-mail service”)


So, getting to the point: Register here for your free email account: http://www.webmail.co.za/default.aspx?link=profile_register

Then click on the “Send free SMS” banner advert or click here: http://www.webmail.co.za/default.aspx?link=freesms


  
While you are there – check out the fantastic competitions page!  Stand a chance to win all sorts of prizes for free: cars, holidays, TVs, furniture, laptops, iPhones, shopping vouchers, airline tickets, PS3, cars, and more at JustPlay:

To send free SMSs to International (and South African) cell phones: Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay less than 1c for the GPRS costs)

VoipBuster over SkypeOut: the verdict? Read this for hands on tips on saving on your phone bill

I’ve now proven to myself that SkypeOut has been beaten by price hands down! Further to the HTT calculator comparing rates of SkypeOut to FreeCall, the voice quality and reliability of the VoipBuster service has me so impressed that I’m searching for more hardware so that I can call using a cordless phone.

Oh, the 3 reasons why I eventually decided to go with VoipBuster over FreeCall: 1) VoipBuster offers 120 free call days (others offered 60 days); 2) I could purchase airtime using my credit card; 3) Airtime purchase could be done directly with VoipBuster so there were no middle-man charges.


Download (for your PC) and register for free to create your VoipBuster account [3.5MB]:  Download VoipBuster here.
You can even make some free trial calls (limited to 1 minute each) without even purchasing any credit.
Purchase credits here: Purchase VoipBuster credits

I have even set up my Symbian cell phone to call using the VoipBuster SIP settings.  I was surprised however that the Nokia 6110 Navigator allows you to enter the SIP settings but doesn’t come with the Internet Phone application to actually use the SIP connection!  WTF!

So, NimBuzz to the rescue – which allows you create a SIP connection and call your contacts using this SIP connection (that’s VOIP over your data 3G connection).  This way, you can make a long distance call using your mobile phone’s data package…. and with Vodacom’s free bandwidth offer until end Aug 2009, you could really call for free!

BTW: if you aren’t using NimBuzz, then you’d better rush over to their web site and see how this amazing free program allows you to see all your Instant Messaging services in one place.  As on Aug 2009 v2.0.3.1535:  these are the communities supported by NimBuzz: AIM, Facebook, Gadu Gadu, Giovani, GoogleTalk, Hyves, ICQ, Jabber, MySpace, Orkut, schulerVZ, Skype, studiVZ/meinVZ, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger MSN), Yahoo Messenger.

Nimbuzz Mobile lets you call, chat, message, and send files, for free.  It combines all your buddies from Skype, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AIM, Google Talk and more.  One login, one contact list, all accounts.  There are other Instant Message aggregators out there, but none (that I know of) that include Skype as well.
If that wasn’t enough… you can even download the PC version of NimBuzz that allows you to login on your PC (and save your cell phone’s battery and data bandwidth).
Oh, wait, there’s more: if you’re at an Internet Cafe, or a friend’s PC and you don’t want to download and install anything, then there’s a Web NimBuzz version – just use your browser to log on to NimBuzz.com from anywhere. It’s free.
For those of you that have web sites or blogs, then add the NimBuzz widget and stay in touch with your visitors.

NimBuzz default SIP settings offered (as on Aug 2009 v2.0.3.1535):  A1, MWeb, Vyke, SipGate, Gizmo5, Tpad, TerraSip, Global TeleLinks, Skytel Srbija, XeloQ, ApnaTelelink, Adepto Telecom, VoIP HIT, Voiceglobe, and ‘Other’ (that’s what I use for VoipBuster) by entering the following settings:
    SIP port: 5060
    Registrar: sip.voipbuster.com
    Proxy server: sip.voipbuster.com
    Outbound proxy server: leave empty
    Account name: your VoipBuster username
    Password: your VoipBuster password
    Display name/number: your VoipBuster username or voipnumber
    Stunserver (option): stun.voipbuster.com

Fring also does SIP calls and connects to FaceBook, Twitter, Skype, Google Talk, MSN messenger, ICQ, Yahoo, AIM, orkut, Yandex, WeFi, Last.fm.

Ooops, off at a tangent – sorry.  Let’s get back to VoipBuster… So, I’ve established that using VoipBuster allows calls at a much lower rate than SkypeOut and at very good quality.  For the first 120 days after purchasing credit (minimum of €10 Euro) calls to a lot of countries are free (you only pay for the data bandwidth used).
After the 120 free days period is over (or if you overuse the free service ie: more than 300 minutes per week of free calls, measured over the last 7 days and per unique IP address), then the VoipBuster normal rates apply.  The good news is that even these charged “normal rates” are much lower than Skypeout’s rates – so it’s a win-win situation!  For example: calls to USA on SkypeOut are 19.6c per minute, and on VoipBuster are 11.1c per minute (South African cents).
After the 120 free days, then purchase more credit for more free days or pay the normal rate.  Some people opt to buy more credit to get more free days to use on landline calls to free destinations and conserve their credit to use on cellular calls or calls to non-free destinations.

 

Here’s more details on some clever features from VoipBuster:
SIP setup for some popular SIP devices, VOIPin: get your own regular fixed telephone phone number - for only 1 Euro (not available in South Africa yet), certified VoipBuster devices (and I’m now searching for one of those cordless phones that can support Telkom and SIP), Phone-to-phone (callback service which enables you to make your VoipBuster call on your home or mobile phone), PC-to-PC free calls, VoipBuster mobile (download the app to your mobile phone), VoipSMS client for your Windows mobile phone, send cheap SMS (ZAR 33c per SMS to South Africa), Symbian contact import tool (to import your cell phone’s contacts into VoipBuster for easy dialling)

Come to think of it… the VoipBuster rate to call a South African cell phone is ZAR 88.7c per minute, compare this to the Telkom rate of R1.89 (peak) and R1.03 (off peak) per minute – it’s actually cheaper to use VoipBuster (even if you take the approx. 1MB per minute (ZAR 7c) ADSL data charges into account).

More detail on SIP calling using a wireless phone – the idea is to try and make calling over VoipBuster as convenient as using the DECT cordless Telkom phone.  I have successfully connected the cell phone’s bluetooth headset to my laptop and set up the VoipBuster program to use the bluetooth audio device.  But, the range is limited to about 5m… so, I decided to move my laptop with me, and use the laptop’s wireless LAN to provide mobility.  A more convenient solution would be to use a DECT phone and switch between Telkom and SIP connection – being able to browse through the VoipBuster list of contacts would also be a nice bonus!  So, I’m looking for one of the devices listed under ‘SIP Wireless phones” or “USB Bluetooth phones” or “USB wireless phones” here (or maybe even those ADSL routers or FRITZ!Box Fon).  Sure, there are devices costing over ZAR1,000 but I’m looking for a solution costing less than ZAR600.
Most South African households already have a DECT cordless phone, so, it would be nice to be able to use a similar phone to call your VoipBuster contacts.
Some suppliers are importing the Sedna SE-W3D VOiP/PSTN USB Wireless Handset, with LCD, built in soundcard, Keypad, speaker Phone, rechargeable, up to 50m range, no ext. power required for about R620.00… but, that’s a Skype phone – I need one that’s configurable to use SIP settings.

 

So, in other words, I agree with VoipBuster’s slogan:  “If you like Skype, you will love VoipBuster!”

Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE from your mobile phone! Site updated....

Mjoy is an unbelievable service and I use it daily!



Granted, MXit is (very) gr8, but for those that aren't 'hard-wired' (logged in) to MXit all day, SMS is more accessible (but, until Mjoy, more expensive).



I see the site has just been upgraded and I couldn't find the login button on the new site (I could only see a 'Join' button) on the http://www.mjoy.com/ page. :eek:



I managed to find a (temporary, I hope) workaround.... by entering my Country and Cell number, then clicking on the "Join" button,
then an SMS was sent to my cell phone.
I followed the link on my cell phone and the system complained that the cell number was already registered - I clicked 'No' to keep the exiting user,
and then I was taken to the 'Change password' screen.
I entered the old password (twice) and I was then taken to the Mjoy main menu (and I could send SMSs again).



BUT, I logged out again, and then the Login button was still missing.... do I need to go thru the "Join" process again??




{For the record: today there are 83,254 users from 141 countries - 125 new members joined today.}

See here for the orginal HTT MJoy post: Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay less than 1c for the GPRS costs)

Update: Mar2009: see comments below which include statement from Mjoy indicating that their service is primarily for mobile - so PC users cannot use their browser to login.

I have heard of colleagues using Firefox to login successfully though.... must be an Add on, because virgin installations of Firefox are blocked from logging into Mjoy.

Here's a dump of add ons from a PC with Firefox that does allow logging into Mjoy:

Application: Firefox 3.0.7 (2009021910)
Operating System: WINNT (x86-msvc)
- Better Gmail 2 0.7.3.2
- BugMeNot 2.1
- Context Search 0.4.3
- DownloadHelper 4.2
- Enrique B. and John S. 0.6.1
- Extended Statusbar 1.5.3
- Extension List Dumper 1.14.1
- Fast Dial 2.22b
- Free Download Manager plugin 1.3.4
- HandyTechTipper Toolbar 2.0.0.58
- IE Tab 1.5.20090207
- ImgLikeOpera 0.6.17
- Java Console 6.0.11
- Java Quick Starter 1.0
- keyconfig 20080929
- Linkification 1.3.5
- PageZoom 0.4.0
- PC Sync 2 Synchronisation Extension (Nokia) 1.0.0.685
- RetailMeNot 2.2
- Rewind/Fastforward Buttons 2.1.2008062002
- Secure Login 0.9.3
- Session Manager 0.6.4.4
- StumbleUpon 3.28
- Tab Mix Plus 0.3.7.3
- Tree Style Tab 0.7.2009031701
- User Agent Switcher 0.6.11
- View Cookies 1.7
- Web Developer 1.1.6
- wmlbrowser 0.7.18
- Xinha Here! 0.14

Items listed in bold are probably the enabler(s) - if you manage to isolate the add on, then please comment and assist others in using their PCs to send free SMSs.

{For the record: today (21Mar'09) there are 113,404 users from 145 countries - 952 new members joined today.}

Update: 06Apr2009: Seems like all good things come to an end... Mjoy have now restricted the SMS sending of messages to max 5 per day. I got this error message when sending an SMS:
"Sorry, you can currently only send 5 messages per day. To help increase the daily amount of messages, please click on advertisement when using this service."

They still need to modify their message on their registration page which still says;
"Send unlimited FREE Text Messages to any mobile phone in the world. Enter your phone number below and we will send you a message with a link to our service."

{For the record: today (21Mar'09) there are 127351 users from all parts of the world - 483 new members joined today.}

Send SMSs anywhere in the world for FREE! (OK, you pay <1c for the GPRS costs)

Powered by advertising, now you can send a text message to any cell phone in the world for free.

Mobile web portal mjoy.com is offering a groundbreaking new service: from now on, any cellphone user can send messages to any phone in the world, unlimited, to all countries and completely free of charge.

I couldn't figure out the details of what was involved by reading their web site, so I decided to try it out, and sure enough I could send free SMSs to cell phones for free! The delivery was almost immediate as well - so, so far, I'm pretty impressed.

Oh, 1 more thing - the text messages have no character limit!

The process was simple. Here's what I had to do:

1) Once you've set up your cell phone for GPRS use (here are some instructions: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/in-this-day-and-age-im-amazed-by-low.html) open your cell phone's Internet browser and connect to http://www.mjoy.com

2) Click on "Join" and fill in your details: Country, cell number

3) Mjoy will then send an SMS to your cell phone with a URL that you need to follow to activate your account

4) Open the SMS, and click on the URL - your browser should open and you'll be taken to Step 3 of the registration process: Choose a nickname and password, then click on "Send me the link".

5) You should then get a "Registration successful" message, then click on the "Login" button, then "Home" button

6) Bookmark this page for future use

7) To send SMSs, click on the "Free Text" button, then on "New Message" and fill in the destination cell number and message, then click "Send"

The recipient will receive your text message along with an advert like "I am texting for FREE with http://mjoy.com"

(Seems like if you are registered on mjoy, then you don't actually receive the text message - you receive a message pointing you to your InBox on the mjoy.com web site: "New mjoy message - open the link http://mjoy.com/m/t/abcdef............")

For other ways to send free SMSs see here:

Did you know that you can send FREE SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/03/did-you-know-that-you-can-send-free.html

Send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa; and 5 SMSs every 4 hours to Zim - and it works!: http://handytechtips.blogspot.com/2008/04/send-1-free-sms-every-2-hours-to-any.html

Send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa; and 5 SMSs every 4 hours to Zim - and it works!

Further to my posting "Did you know that you can send 20x free SMSs to Vodacom cell phones?", here is a site that allows you to send 1 free SMS every 2 hours to any network in South Africa: http://www.onlinesms.co.za/

For sending free SMSs to Zim:

Register for free here: http://www.smszim.com/register.asp

Activate your account (an email will be sent to you)

Send SMS here: http://www.smszim.com/sms.asp

Then you can send 5 SMSs every 4 hours.

Here are more South African free SMS sending sites:
Mahala SMS: (no registration required) send 2 FREE SMS's everyday!
BlueWorld: Register first, then send free SMSs (I haven't tried this one yet).

Program your UPS to send an SMS when Eskom power is shed (No additional hardware needed: email-to-SMS service)

When Eskom power is lost your UPS can sense this and can perform various operations. The obvious action in your UPS's notification script is to email the IT support team and then to perform a graceful shut-down when the battery power reaches a preset level.
Taking the email action one step further, why not send an SMS to the IT support staff as well? No additional hardware is needed (ie. no cell phone connected to your UPS or PC).... using an 'email-to-SMS' service this can easily be done.
We have successfully used the WinSMS service and we were satisfied with the low cost per SMS and the reliability of SMS delivery: WinSMS

To make use of the E-mail2SMS gateway: configure your UPS notification script to send emails to the cell phones using the format:
To field: 082xxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za, or 083xxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za, or 084xxxxx@e-mail2sms.co.za etc......
Subject field: #username,password#
Message body: Your SMS message (limited to 160 chars).....

The sender will receive a confirmation e-mail confirming that the message was accepted by the gateway.

Pricing here:
WinSMS Pricing
Cost is per SMS: from 38c+VAT (down to 25c+VAT for really high volumes)....

No subscription fees, no contract, no hidden costs, just the cost of the SMS.... online free registration includes 10 Free SMS credits
Pay by credit card, EFT, or debit order.
Register now: WinSMS

SMSs can also be sent [after registering] using the WebClient, or the Desktop Client software or the FTP gateway (for bulk SMSs).
SMSs can also be scheduled to send at some time in the future.
It's also much cheaper to send SMSs using these methods than sending from my cell phone.

SkypeOut: save money on long distance calls to real telephones... and get 20% discount when you purchase SkypeOut credit

Do you have an Internet connection, speakers and mic? Do you want to save money on international phone calls?
If the answers to all these questions are "YES", then you can benefit from “Free Internet Telephony that just works”.
All you need to do is install the Skype program (Download Skype), register a nickname (don’t give any personal information like home telephone number) then search for people already registered then click to speak or text – it’s that simple.
Go to Skype if you need more information.

Skype-to-Skype: calls are free (you pay for the Internet bandwidth, but nothing for the actual call). To anywhere in the world and at anytime, day, night, morning or weekends.
See here for more info: Skype more info.

Here's more info on the SkypeOut feature:
Using SkypeOut means that I can call a “normal” phone over the Internet by using my PC (and mic and speakers). The phone rings in the normal way and is answered as "usual". I pay the SkypeOut rate which is 2 Euro cents per minute! (about 25 SA cents).
The voice quality is great (just make sure that you're not downloading email or surfing at the same time).... and I'm using a standard 56k modem (no iSDN, nor ADSL) but if you have a faster connection then great (then try using the video too).
Tip: add echo123 to your contacts and test speech quality on the Skype robot before making the “real” call.

The registration process is simple and fast: you can purchase 10 or 25 Euros on a credit card. Your credits then get activated within 15 minutes, then you dial the number on the Skype screen and then the phone rings on the other end of the world - wonderful!!!

To get your 20% discount: register on fatwallet.co.za using this link: Register on FatWallet then purchase your SkypeOut credit using this link: Purchase SkypeOut credit
If you are not interested in getting the 20% discount then go to Skype directly here: Purchase SkypeOut credit

It’s just 1.7 euro cents per minute to the 30 most popular destinations, but there’s a big list of rates: (SkypeOut rates (in ZAR)) to destinations everywhere in the world.
Compare those SkypeOut rates with the Telkom rates: Telkom's International rates

Here's an added bonus: calls to 'toll free' numbers all over the world are free too!
Note: a connection fee of 4 Euro cents (about 50 SA cents) is charged per SkypeOut call.
SkypeOut is the great, wallet-friendly way to call phones and mobiles directly from Skype.

From Skype:
"
The most important fact about our rates is that you really don’t have to pay them. Help your friends, family and business contacts to use Skype and stop paying for talking to them. However, if you insist on calling regular phone numbers, feel free to do so. You can find out all about the rates for doing soon this and the following pages.
It does not matter where you’re calling from, only where you’re calling to. Sitting in London and calling your friend next door costs the same as sitting in Beijing and calling your friend in London.
"

Notes:
Sometimes Telkom is cheaper (to small countries, and for local SA calls, some mobile calls).
SkypeOut calls to mobile phones are more expensive (but usually cheaper than Telkom rates)


You can even send SMSs using your SkypeOut credits:
How much does it cost?
Just like sending texts from your mobile, you pay per SMS message you send from Skype, but they are usually much cheaper. The cost of each text depends on where in the world you’re sending it to (but not where you’re sending it from, however). It’s 7.8 Euro cents (that's about R1) to most places, but there’s a big list of rates to destinations worldwide: Skype's SMS rates

See here for more info: More info on Skype's SMS

Communicate with your Skype contacts using your cell phone: use Fring or NimBuzz.