how to replace a safaricom line today – 3 simple options

This article is about how to replace a Safaricom line today in 3 simple ways. Have you lost your Safaricom card or simply need a new one and are wondering how to renew it? This is the most complete guide on how to replace a Safaricom line, what you need to replace Safaricom line and how to replace the line without original PIN. This article will also tell you how to activate MPESA on your new safaricom line. By the end of this guide, you should be able to conveniently replace your Safaricom line without any problems.

What is Safaricom Line Replacement?

This is simply the process where you transfer all the data from your old Safaricom card to a new one. These details include your airtime balance, data bundle balance, and M-PESA balance. It is not yet clear whether it will be possible to transfer your contacts from an old Safaricom line to a new one.

There are several reasons that could force you to replace your Safaricom line. These include:

• Lost SIM card
• Stolen SIM card
• Damaged SIM card
• Switch to a 4G network

What you will need to replace your Safaricom line

To replace your Safaricom line you will need the following:

• A new SIM card: This costs Ksh 50 (at the time of writing this)
• Your old Safaricom number
• Your old original PIN
• A previous active MPESA account
• Your identification number

how to replace a safaricom line in 3 ways

There are 3 easy ways to replace a Safaricom line. These are:

• DIY – Do it yourself
• Using Customer Support
• Through online support

How to replace a Safaricom line yourself

Safaricom has made it very easy for customers to replace their SIM cards themselves. There is no need to visit Safaricom accredited agents or their call centers.

To replace a Safaricom line yourself, follow these steps:

• Purchase a new replacement SIM card from your nearest Safaricom reseller. Insert the new SIM card into your phone
• Dial 1801* followed by your phone number, followed by the PIN you used on your old SIM card, followed by your IMSI and then #.

Remember to put a star after each entry. That is 1801Phone numberOriginal PIN*IMSI#.

The IMSI is the serial number found on the bottom of your new SIM card, under the barcode. This is usually a 20-digit serial number.

For example, if your phone number is 0722 002100 and your original PIN is 1234, with the serial number xxxxxx… You would dial *1801 0722 0021001234 xxxxxx # and then press the call feature .

Keep in mind that changing a Safaricom line yourself takes some time and you may need to be patient. If you ask a Safaricom M-PESA agent to make the exchange for you, they will use the same procedure as described above.

If you need your line to start working immediately, you will need to use Safaricom customer service to help you change your Safaricom line.

How to change your Safaricom line using customer support

If you find the process of replacing a Safaricom line to be tedious or complicated, please feel free to contact their customer service and they will be happy to do it for you.

This will also ensure that your new Safaricom card starts working immediately.

To renew your Safaricom line via customer service;

Follow the procedure below:

• Purchase a replacement Safaricom card
• Call Safaricom Customer Care on 100 or 234.
• Call using a different number. You do not need to insert the new card into your phone until the replacement is complete.
• You will be asked a series of questions which are mainly intended to demonstrate whether you are the owner of the Safaricom line being replaced or not.

If you used someone’s ID to sign up, this will be a problem. For example, if you are a man and you have registered with a woman, customer service may ask you to speak specifically to the holder of the identification number registered with the SIM you want to exchange.

To prove your identity, you will be asked to provide information about:

• your old Safaricom card, such as your full name and ID number,
• your latest top-up amount,
• your M-PESA balance, and
• your most recent MPESA transaction.
• You will also be asked to provide your phone number (to replace the card), your old original PIN and your serial number.

If the process is successful, i.e. you can prove your identity, your new Safaricom line should be able to start working immediately. This is different to when you replace your Safaricom line yourself and you may have to wait a while for it to be active.

How to replace a Safaricom line online

The final option is to change your Safaricom line online. This does not mean that there is a dedicated platform where you can go and complete the process yourself.

Replacing a Safaricom line online simply means contacting customer support via social media, primarily Twitter. You can also use Facebook but from experience you will get a quicker response on Twitter.

To change your Safaricom line online, log in to your Twitter account and search for Safaricom Care. Its Twitter account is @Safaricom_Care. Follow this account and send them a direct message asking if they would like to replace your Safaricom line.

A customer service staff will contact you to start the process. They will most likely ask you for your phone number and then one of the customer service assistants will call you and ask you for the details we have already discussed above.

How to replace a Safaricom line without original PIN

This is a scenario that many people find themselves in when looking to replace their Safaricom lines. Let’s say you want to change your Safaricom card but have completely forgotten the original PIN. What do you do for a living? In this case it will still be possible to replace the line, but you will have to prove your identity and ownership by providing the information we have already talked about previously.

To replace your Safaricom line without PIN follow the procedure described below:

Purchase a replacement card for Ksh 50
Write your phone number and serial number on the card.
Call customer service on 100 or 234.

Remember that you must have the identification document registered with the number to be able to speak to customer service. If not, you will need to find the owner of the ID.

If you don’t have another Safaricom line to call customer service, you can borrow or use other networks like Telkom or Airtel.

If you use other networks you will have to call 722 002100 instead of 100/234. In this case normal telephone rates will apply.

Tell the customer support assistant that you want to replace your Safaricom line but don’t remember your original ID.

You will be asked a series of questions to confirm your identity and ownership of the line.
If you successfully confirm your identity and ownership, you will be asked to provide the serial number of your new SIM card.

This is a 20-digit number under the barcode.

After the call, insert the new card into your phone and restart it. Wait for the network to update and you are good to go.

How to activate MPESA on your new Safaricom line

Replacing a Safaricom line is only half the job. However, you must activate M-PESA before you can start using it. After renewing your M-PESA line it will not activate automatically and you will have to do it manually.

First, confirm that the new SIM uses your old number by calling another number on a different phone.

To activate M-PESA on your new Safaricom line follow these simple steps:

• Open the SIM toolkit on your phone
• Select “Enable” or “Wezesha” depending on the language you are using.
  Enter your startup key. This is the M-PESA PIN you were using on the previous line.
• Enter the new PIN and then confirm it.
• You can continue to use your old PIN by entering it here.
• Enter the identification number and the date of birth.
• For the date of birth, use the format DDDMMYYYY. This is the date, month and year. For example, if you were born on April 3, 1992, enter 03041992.
• Your M-PESA account will be active again after a few minutes.

In the meantime, you will receive an SMS with your M-PESA balance and your secret word.

Conclusion

Replacing a lost Safaricom card isn’t rocket science. You can easily do the job yourself or take the help of a customer service assistant. Please note that you no longer need to go to an agent to replace your card. Now you can replace your Safaricom line yourself from the comfort of your home. There are several ways to do this yourself or with the help of Safaricom customer service. We’ll look at the different ways you can replace your Safaricom line shortly, but first we need to understand what exactly a Safaricom board replacement is.Follow the above methods carefully to understand how to change your Safaricom line without any problem.