US EditionUSSD Fee to Be Paid with Airtime as Telcos, Banks Consider New Billing Plan
- Effective June 3, 2025, Nigerian banks were instructed by the communications regulator to stop charging USSD transaction fees directly from customers' bank accounts and instead bill these fees through customers' mobile airtime balances.
- This directive comes after an extended disagreement involving mobile network providers and banks concerning unpaid USSD service fees, with the total outstanding amount reaching ₦250 billion by the end of 2024.
- Under the revised billing system, a fee of N6.98 will be charged for every USSD banking interaction lasting up to two minutes, with costs billed through your mobile network provider and deducted only after you approve via a consent prompt.
- The NCC adopted the End-User Billing model to resolve recurring payment conflicts, while consumer groups urged transparent communication and protections for low-income users reliant on USSD access.
- This change aims to ensure uninterrupted USSD services and improve financial inclusion, but it may increase costs for low-income customers who previously accessed USSD free via bank charges.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Airtel Money customers to get 50% of bank-to-wallet transaction fees back as airtime
Airtel Money Kenya has announced a new offer under the Rudishiwa transaction fee campaign series, extending the offer to all Bank to Airtel money Wallet transfers. In this new offer, customers will receive 50% of their Bank-to-wallet transaction fees back as airtime, which can be used to buy data with no expiry. This is in addition […] The post Airtel Money customers to get 50% of bank-to-wallet transaction fees back as airtime appeared first on…
NCC Directs Banks to Deduct USSD Charges From User’s Mobile Airtime
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated commercial banks to shift Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transaction charges from bank account deductions to direct billing from users’ mobile airtime, effective June 3, 2025. Under the new structure, each USSD session will incur an N6.98 charge per 120 seconds, deducted by mobile network operators (MNOs) from […] The post NCC Directs Banks to Deduct USSD Charges From User…
Customers to Pay Banks’ USSD Fees Through Airtime – NCC
From June 3, 2025, Nigerian bank customers will begin paying for USSD transactions through deductions from their airtime balance instead of their bank accounts. This directive, issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), marks a major shift in how digital banking services are billed and is intended to resolve the long-standing dispute between banks and [...]
NCC New Rule: Bank Customers to Pay USSD Charges Using Airtime
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated that Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) will now deduct charges for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transactions directly from users’ mobile airtime. Previously, these charges were deducted from customers’ bank accounts. However, an email from United Bank for Africa (UBA) to its customers on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, confirmed that this practice has changed. UBA stated that the new di…
USSD fees to be deducted from airtime – NCC - Business Hallmark
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to begin deducting charges for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transactions directly from customers’ mobile airtime, rather than their bank accounts. This development was communicated to customers via an email from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, confirming the […] The post USSD fees to be deducted from airtime – NCC fi…
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