Safaricom PLC has announced significant changes to its widely-used reverse call service, a feature that has become indispensable to many of its subscribers since its introduction in 2019.
The telecommunications giant has confirmed that while the reverse call service will remain available, it will now be limited to two free calls per day.
Responding to many of its concerned users on X, Safaricom clarified that customers who make more than two reverse calls in a single day will be charged from the third call onward.
“The reverse call service is still available. Please note that the initiator of the reverse call will only be billed on the third reverse call request of the day when the sponsor accepts the request,” the company explained.
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This change means that while the first two reverse calls remain free of charge, the third and subsequent calls will incur normal call rates, provided the receiver accepts the call.
“After the third request, the initiator will not incur any additional costs while using the service for the rest of the day,” added the company.
The reverse call service allows Safaricom customers to make calls even without airtime, with the cost of the call being borne by the receiver.
All Safaricom subscribers are eligible to use this service. To initiate a reverse call, customers need to dial # followed by the number they wish to call (e.g., #07123456789).
When the receiver answers the call, an announcement prompts them to either accept or decline the call.
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They can press 1 to accept or 2 to decline. If they accept, the call will be charged at the normal rate.
If they don’t accept or decline, the call is disconnected ensuring that neither party is charged in such cases.
Since its inception, the reverse call service has gained significant traction among Safaricom users.
According to a 2023 report by the service provider, the number of customers engaging daily with the reverse call service has seen substantial growth.
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The volume of reverse calls nearly doubled from 73 million to 130 million between April 2021 and October 2023.
