{"id":119402,"date":"2025-06-03T19:59:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=119402"},"modified":"2025-06-03T19:59:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:59:26","slug":"banks-to-charge-ussd-fees-from-airtime-effective-june-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/banks-to-charge-ussd-fees-from-airtime-effective-june-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Banks to Charge USSD Fees from Airtime, Effective June 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Daniel Adaji<\/div>\n
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Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria will no longer deduct charges for the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) banking services from customers\u2019 bank accounts from June 3, 2025.<\/div>\n
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These, fees will be billed directly from users\u2019 mobile airtime balances, in line with a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).<\/div>\n
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This change, communicated by banks including United Bank for Africa (UBA), is part of the NCC\u2019s End-User Billing (EUB) model, which mandates that customers be charged by their mobile network operators rather than by financial institutions.<\/div>\n
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\u201cCharges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account. These charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC\u2019s End-User Billing (EUB) model,\u201d UBA stated in a message to customers on Tuesday.<\/div>\n
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Under the new model, each USSD session will attract a fee of N6.98 per 120 seconds. Customers will also receive a prompt before each session and must give consent before any airtime deduction.<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service,\u201d the bank stated.<\/div>\n
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Customers who prefer not to use USSD banking under this new billing arrangement have the option to stop using the service.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel,\u201d UBA said.<\/div>\n
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Banks are encouraging users to explore alternative digital platforms for their transactions.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAlternative digital banking options, such as our mobile app and internet banking platform, remain available for your convenience,\u201d the bank noted.<\/div>\n
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The NCC introduced the EUB framework to address long-standing disagreements between banks and telecom operators over who should bear the cost of USSD services. This policy places the billing responsibility on telecom providers while ensuring customers are notified and give consent before charges are applied.<\/div>\n
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UBA assured customers that it \u201cremains committed to delivering secure, accessible, and customer-friendly banking services.\u201d<\/div>\n
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