Why Failed Airtime Top-Ups in Nigeria Will Now Be Refunded in 30 Seconds

The policy targets one of the most entrenched pain points in Nigeria’s digital economy. For years, subscribers have complained about being debited during airtime or data purchases that fail due to network congestion, system outages, or breakdowns between banks and telecom operators. Resolution has often taken days or weeks or never happened at all.

A Joint Fix to a Cross-Industry Problem

Unlike previous attempts that placed responsibility on one side of the ecosystem, the new framework treats failed top-ups as a shared failure between telecoms and financial institutions.

The policy was developed after months of engagement involving mobile network operators, deposit money banks, value-added service providers, and switching companies. Regulators found that delays were not always caused by one actor but by unclear ownership across the transaction chain.

By aligning telecom and banking oversight, the CBN and NCC are closing loopholes that previously allowed responsibility to be passed around while consumers waited.

What the New Rules Require

At the centre of the framework is an enforceable service level agreement that defines who does what when a transaction fails.

Under the new rules:

• Any failed airtime or data transaction where a customer is debited must be refunded within 30 seconds
  
  

• Transactions that remain pending may take up to 24 hours to resolve
  
  

• Every purchase must trigger an SMS confirming success or failure
  
  

The framework also covers common real-world issues such as recharges sent to ported numbers, incorrect selections, or airtime sent to the wrong line.

For consumers, the implication is simple: silence, delays, and unresolved tickets should no longer be acceptable outcomes.

Real-Time Monitoring, Not After-the-Fact Complaints

To enforce compliance, regulators are launching a Central Monitoring Dashboard jointly managed by the NCC and the CBN. The system will track transaction failures in real time, identify where breakdowns occur, and flag breaches of refund timelines.

This marks a shift away from reactive consumer complaint handling toward continuous supervision. Operators will no longer be able to rely on low complaint follow-through or customer fatigue to escape accountability.