Pick n Pay has launched its own mobile service, PnP Mobile, which will make use of MTN’s mobile network infrastructure to offer customers prepaid, SIM-based access to services including airtime and data.

The retailer said that it will offer a tiered rewards system for Smart Shopper customers whereby they can earn up to 2.5GB in free data rewards each month. Boxer Superstores is also expected to launch a SIM card soon.

“Smart Shoppers will earn data rewards in addition to loyalty points when shopping at any Pick n Pay store countrywide. This will include Express, Clothing, and Liquor stores,” Pick n Pay said.

“For every R10 spent in-store, customers will instantly earn 5 MB in data. To qualify for this reward, customers will need to link their Smart Shopper card and top up their PnP Mobile SIM card with at least R50 over a 30-day period.”

Pick n Pay said that customers will be able to register their new SIM card without any paperwork and within minutes through Pick n Pay’s new paperless RICA facility, expected to launch in 500 selected stores later this year.

“We believe expanding our services to enter the mobile market will benefit millions of our customers,” said Richard van Rensburg, chief technology and services officer at Pick n Pay.

“Our pricing will be simple, transparent and competitive with other providers plus we’ll be offering substantial free data rewards just by shopping in our stores,” he said.

How it works

Instant data rewards will be determined by customers’ PnP Mobile spend, and will range from 250 MB up to 2.5 GB each month, depending on their tier.

For example, if a customer topped up their PnP Mobile SIM card with R100 and spent R1,000 on groceries, they would earn 500MB in data rewards. The free data rewards are in addition to the data or airtime customers would have purchased with their R100 mobile spend.

Data rewards will be instantly loaded onto a customer’s SIM card after each shop.

Pick n Pay said that customers will continue to earn Smart Shopper points for every shop – along with other benefits – from swiping their Smart Shopper card. These include instant savings and personalised discounts.

“We recently launched our mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) services and we are delighted to partner with Pick n Pay to offer customers more value and services.

“Customers harnessing MVNO services, such as PnP Mobile, benefit from broader and more affordable service offerings and can manage their activity in one place – essentially integrating their virtual lives,” said Quintus De Beer, executive for Managed Network Services at MTN SA.

PnP Mobile will join Pick n Pay’s growing list of value-added and financial service offerings, including the ability to do their banking at till points.

PnP Mobile Rates

Smart Shopper Instant Rewards