How to Buy Data on MTN: *312# Codes and 7 Reasons It Fails

You dialled the MTN data code and got "insufficient balance", an error, or nothing at all. Here's how to buy data on MTN when that happens: dial *312# again or try *904#, then pick a plan from the menu.

Two other routes work. You can text a plan's keyword to 312. Keyword 114, for example, buys a daily plan, and every other keyword sits on MTN's data page, ready to copy. Or open the myMTN app. It carries the menu plans plus a few that USSD never shows. The causes below run from the most common to the rarest, and the last section tells you who to call when nothing works.

Buying MTN data with airtime: your balance must cover it all

Low airtime is the reason most purchases fail.

On *312# and by SMS, MTN takes the whole price from your airtime in one go and won't part-pay, so even a naira short gets you "insufficient balance" instead of data.

Say ₦500 sits on your line. A daily plan at ₦350 goes through fine. The two-day plan at ₦750 gets refused, because your balance can't stretch that far. Prices are as at 10 October 2026.

Top up, then dial again. If you'd rather leave airtime out of it, you can buy MTN data with your card instead of airtime on AidaPay, for your own line or anyone else's.

The MTN data code you copied is out of date

Lots of the codes still doing the rounds on WhatsApp are dead. A stale one usually answers "invalid MMI" or "unknown application", and now and then it opens a menu that has nothing to do with data.

Stick to what works today. For USSD, that's the two codes at the top of this page. For SMS, it's a plan keyword sent to 312.

Keep a list of every current MTN USSD code on your phone, so the next time your cousin forwards a "secret data code" in the family group, you can check it in seconds.

The plan only exists in the app

No amount of scrolling will find some plans on *312#. The 20GB weekly plan is one of them, because MTN sells it only on digital channels. It costs ₦5,000.

Postpaid lines hit a different wall: MTN keeps the 15GB weekly plan for prepaid customers only, so a postpaid line can't buy it on any channel.

To get the app, text myMTN to 5018 and wait for the download link. Sign in with your number, then buy. If storage on your phone is tight, the myMTN website does the same job.

How to buy data on MTN for another number without it bouncing

Your sister needs data, and your transfer keeps failing. Usually you've picked the wrong route. MTN runs two services that look almost the same, and each one draws on a different balance, which is why the one you choose decides whether your airtime or your data goes down.

To buy her a fresh bundle with your airtime, dial *312*bundle activation code*her number#. The menu way is *321*2#, then the second option on the list that opens. Because MTN charges your airtime here and leaves your data alone, pick this route when your own data is running thin.

Sending part of your own data is called data gifting. Dial *312*her number*amount# to send it. The menu way is *321*2#, then the first option on the list. MoMo special bundles won't help with either route, since they only ever load on your own line.

A transfer fails when any of these is true:

• The amount isn't one of MTN's set sizes.
• You've already sent today's 5GB limit.
• Less than 100MB would be left on your line afterwards.
• Her number has a typo, so type all eleven digits.

MTN has barred your line over your NIN

Back in early 2024, the NCC directed networks to bar SIMs without a verified National Identification Number. Some people had linked their NIN and still lost service, because the NIN record didn't match the details they gave when they first registered the SIM, and that alone barred the line.

Spotting this cause is easy. Everything stops at once, so calls, USSD codes and airtime purchases fail right alongside data.

Take your NIN slip or ID to an MTN service centre and ask the staff to validate it.

MTN itself is down, as it was on 8 October

That day, an MTN outage knocked out calls, data and FibreX broadband for about eight hours. Lagos and the FCT were hit, along with parts of Oyo, Rivers and Delta.

Try a quick test. Ask a friend on MTN nearby to dial *312#. If your friend gets the same timeout you got, the fault sits with the network and not your phone, so put the phone down and wait instead of redialling over and over. Once service returns, restart the phone if things still feel stuck.

It said successful, but the data isn't there

Check first. Dial *323# to see your MTN data balance (here are the data balance codes for each network if you also carry another SIM).

If the balance is empty, go back to the confirmation SMS and read the number on it slowly, because one wrong digit sends your data to a stranger.

Social and YouTube bundles trip people up too. Those plans only cover the named apps, which is why your browser can insist you have no data while WhatsApp or YouTube keeps working just fine. An older bundle may also be running first. Or auto-renewal may have bought a plan you never picked, and you can manage it by dialling *312*1*12#.

None of that worked: who to contact

Call MTN on 300, or message MTN on WhatsApp through the link on mtn.ng. Write down the complaint ticket number they give you, because the NCC will ask for it before it takes up your case.

If MTN's answer doesn't fix it, your next stop is the NCC's toll-free consumer line, 622, where you quote the ticket number and explain, step by step, what went wrong with your purchase.

Bought through AidaPay? Open the transaction in History, copy its reference, and send it through Settings > Support in the app.

Frequently asked questions

Published 10 October 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.