Starting from 1 September 2018, prepaid mobile users have had their reloads reduced in value by 6%, in accordance to the re-implementation of SST. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, though, has instead assured users that they will receive the full amount that they paid for.
According to reports, Lim has stated during an SST briefing in Kota Kinabalu that he will be meeting with telco representatives next week to sort this matter out.
“This is a technical issue which needs to be ironed out. We will find out why this is still happening,” Lim said.
He is also quoted as saying, in pretty certain terms, that “prepaid card buyers who purchase RM10 vouchers will get RM10 of mobile credit.” The minister added “the 6% SST should not be passed on to customers.”
Various telcos are offering various forms of rebates to make up for the differences in the value they get versus what they paid for. For example, Maxis is offering Hotlink and Ookyo users free call time minutes depending on the amount reloaded, but these free minutes must be used within 48 hours of reloading before they disappear.
Celcom’s XPAX users will get credit equal to the amount deducted for SST, but the reimbursed amount will only last for 24 hours if left unused. It’s much the same story with U Mobile, but the bonus credit you get is 10% of what you reloaded, instead of the 6% deducted.
If you’re a user of Yes 4G, then you’ll get extra data depending on your credit purchase.
While Digi did say on its FAQ page that your reloads will be affected by SST, it did not mention if the telco will reimburse you in any way like the others are doing.
(Source: New Straits Times, The Star, Maxis, U Mobile, Celcom, Digi, Yes via Amanz)
