Yesterday we broke down all you might need to know about Okoa Jahazi, a credit airtime purchase service by Safricom. Today we take a look at Kopa Credit, a similar offered by Airtel Kenya.

Airtel subscribers who find themselves stranded and unable to purchase airtime have the option accessing airtime on credit, using Kopa Credo, and paying later.

The qualification criteria for benefiting from this service are as follows:

• You need to be a Airtel subscriber for 2 months in addition to which you have to be a loyal and consistent subscriber who regularly tops up their phone.
• You need to have paid back airtime that had been acquired on credit.
• If you failed to pay back the entire amount you borrowed after 72 hours you will be barred from service until the full amount has been repaid and this will adversely affect your credit rating which is important for qualifying for higher amounts in the future.

If you meet the above qualifications, you will qualify for the service regardless of the amount you have in your main account.

That aside, Kopa credo lets you borrow airtime ranging from KES 5 to KES 500.

Deductions on your main account will be made 72 hours after the credit loan was advanced.

Pros and Cons

Airtime acquired through Kopa Credo can be used to for data, SMS and calls across all network and internationally.

The service comes in handy during those tight desperate times when you urgently need airtime but are unable to purchase some. You can also access the service 24/7 unless there’s a problem with Airtel systems. Kopa Credo can be used to make calls and send SMSes across networks. Unlike other airtime credit services, Kopa Credo lets you borrow from as low as KES 5 to a maximum of KES 500. Also, 72 hours may appear as a short time to many for paying back the loan.

UPDATE: 19/09/2012: Article edited to reflect the recent scrapping of the 10% service charge