MTN Nigeria USSD Codes: Data, Airtime, Share, Borrow and Support

Buying MTN data without choosing the wrong offer

Dial *312# from the MTN SIM that will use the bundle. The first screen is only an entry point: plan names and offers can differ by line. Open the relevant category, then read the allowance, price, validity period and renewal wording on the live screen. Do not rely on a screenshot of an old menu or assume that a plan available to another person must appear on your line.

Before confirming, decide whether the bundle is for this number, another MTN number or a shared-data task. MTN’s official data-gifting help identifies *321*2# and *312*8# as menu routes for gifting. A sender can also start a transfer with *312*recipient-number*amount#. Because a mistyped recipient may be difficult to recover, read the full number from the confirmation screen rather than from memory.

After purchase, wait for MTN’s confirmation message and use *323# to inspect the active balance. A successful bank debit or airtime deduction is not, by itself, proof that the bundle was credited. Keep the SMS and transaction reference if the allowance does not appear.

What MTN data balance can contain

The result may show more than one bucket—for example a main bundle, bonus allowance or gifted data—with different expiry dates. Record the bucket that is actually expiring if you are investigating unexpectedly fast depletion. If *323# times out, try once more after ending the session, then check the official myMTN app or contact 300. Repeatedly buying another bundle can make the original problem harder to trace.

For a dual-SIM phone, confirm that the outgoing call is assigned to MTN. A code can be correct and still open the wrong provider’s screen when the phone silently uses the other SIM.

Recharge, sharing and borrowed airtime are different tasks

Voucher recharge uses *311*PIN#. Sharing uses *321# and asks for a recipient or another authorisation step. Borrowing starts at *303# and is an eligibility-based service, not free airtime. Read any fee or repayment notice before accepting a borrowed amount.

Never enter an OTP, mobile-money PIN or banking password merely to load an MTN voucher. If a person sends a link and asks you to “validate” a recharge, stop. Start again from the phone dialler, myMTN or MTN’s own website.

Fix an MTN USSD session that closes or returns an error

1. Check that the MTN line has signal and can place a normal call.
2. End any previous USSD window before starting a new one.
3. Enter the complete code, including every star and the final hash.
4. On a dual-SIM device, manually choose the MTN SIM.
5. Restart the phone or toggle airplane mode if the line recently changed network coverage.
6. If money was deducted, do not repeat the purchase until you have checked the balance and confirmation messages.

An “ineligible” response on *303# is different from a network error: it means the borrow service is not currently offered to that line. Customer care may explain the account status, but no third party can guarantee eligibility.

When to use the app or customer care instead

The myMTN app is useful when you need a fuller view of balances, purchase history or plan details and have working data access. Call 300 when a purchase is missing, a subscription cannot be stopped, a SIM restriction persists or the same code fails across several attempts. For an identity or SIM-ownership problem, use an official MTN service centre and carry only the documents MTN requests.

Official sources reviewed

• Nigerian Communications Commission: harmonised short codes
• MTN Nigeria: data bundles help
• MTN Nigeria: data gifting help

Reviewed 31 July 2026. MTN’s live menu controls the offer, price and eligibility shown to a particular line.