Instant top up! How to buy airtime or credit directly from your bank account

More than hundreds of recharge card are being sold every day in many parts of Nigeria. Topping up your call credit – MTN, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat – is entirely an easy thing to do, however, with the introduction of a new technology called virtual-top up, recharging just got a lot easier. Have you ever considered recharging from your bank account?

It is less time consuming when compared to purchasing a recharge PIN from a roadside vendor; with the VTU technology, you can simply dial a shortcode on your phone to get it credited. This is possible only when bank customers have linked their account to their mobile numbers.

How it works: Banks and their recharge codes

Different banks in Nigeria have different recharge/USSD codes that work for all network, we’ll be taking a look at most of them;

1. 1. 1. Eco bank                                 *326*amount#
      2. Guaranty Trust Bank               *737*amount#
      3. Zenith Bank                             *966*amount #
      4. First Bank                                *894*amount#
      5. FCMB                                      *389*amount#
      6. Access bank dial                     *901*amount#.
      7. United Bank of Africa (UBA)    *919*amount#
      8. Unity Bank                               *322*215*amount#
      9. Keystone Bank                        *322*082*amount#
      10.  Heritage Bank                        *322*030*amount#
      11.  Union Bank                            *826*amount#
      12.  Stanbic IBTC                         *909*amount#

   To perform any of these transactions, customers must ensure their mobile number corresponds with the one in their bank account. In other words, the mobile number to which you linked your bank account must be the same that is used to top-up your call credit.