Debited but Not Received? Pending vs Failed, CBN Refund Times

Your bank or wallet shows the debit, but the data, airtime, token or PIN never arrived. Most times the order is still pending with the network or DisCo, and it completes or refunds by itself within 24 hours. Check the receipt status first, then your bank, and only then the CBN.

When money is debited but not received, one word on the receipt decides your next move: Pending, Failed or Successful. Each word needs a different fix. Rules and timelines here are as at 30 October 2026.

It says Pending: the network or DisCo hasn't replied yet

Pending means your money has left, but the network, DisCo or TV company hasn't confirmed delivery. Network downtime causes most of these. Once the other side finally answers, many pending orders clear without you lifting a finger.

1. Don't buy again straight away. A second order can also go through, and then you've paid twice.
2. Open the transaction in your History and tap requery for a fresh status.
3. Check the line, meter or decoder yourself. For data, use the data balance codes for each network. For electricity, watch for the DisCo's SMS.
4. Wait up to 24 hours before you complain.

The CBN and NCC have drafted joint rules for failed airtime and data purchases. A pending order gets one full day to settle. A clear failure would have to refund within 30 seconds, but the rules are still a draft as at 30 October 2026, so treat both times as targets you can't enforce yet.

Transaction failed but debited? The refund should already be moving

Failed or Reversed means the purchase didn't go through, even though your money left. AidaPay refunds a failed purchase to your wallet automatically. Refresh your History and look for a credit of exactly the same amount. No credit? Go to Settings, then Support, where you can chat, raise a complaint ticket, call or email, and paste the transaction reference or hash into your message so support finds it fast.

Successful, but nothing arrived: check the number, meter or IUC

Successful means the value went somewhere. Maybe not where you expected.

Usually it's a typo. Hold the receipt beside the line, meter or smartcard you meant to pay for and compare them digit by digit, because one swapped digit sends your money to a stranger.

Electricity tokens sit on the receipt in your History and arrive by SMS too. Type the token into the meter by hand. If the meter rejects it, follow the steps on what to do when an electricity token will not load. For data, dial your network's balance code and read every line of the reply, since some plans hide in a separate balance. TV needs the decoder switched on while you use your provider's self-service option to refresh the signal.

Exam PINs never come later by SMS. Your PIN and serial number are already on the receipt.

A wrong number is tougher. The CBN-NCC draft proposes refunds for some airtime and data sent to the wrong number, yet nobody guarantees that refund today, so contact support quickly with your reference ready.

Your bank debited you but the wallet stayed empty

You got the bank alert, but your app balance didn't move. Don't send the money again. Most transfers land within moments and the one-time account screen updates by itself, so keep it open a little while before you ring your bank.

A one-time account accepts exactly the amount shown, in one transfer, before its timer runs out. Send a different amount, or send it late, and the partner bank returns the money to the account it came from. The app never holds it.

1. Find the session ID on your bank's transfer receipt.
2. Tap Chat with support on the account screen and share that receipt.
3. If the partner bank sent the money back but it hasn't reached you, call your bank with the session ID.

Card payment debited but not received: how long your bank has

The CBN set fixed reversal times for failed card and ATM transactions, in force since 8 June 2020. Cards come first. Your bank must refund a failed or disputed POS or web card payment within 48 hours.

ATMs depend on whose machine swallowed the cash. Your own bank's ATM should reverse a failed withdrawal instantly, or within 24 hours if staff do it by hand. Another bank's ATM gets 48 hours.

Complain to your bank in writing, by email or through its app, and ask for a complaint tracking number. Note the date as well, because you'll need both if you escalate.

None of it worked: take your bank to the CBN

If your bank ignores you or hasn't fixed the problem after about two weeks, write to the Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Nigeria. Email cpd@cbn.gov.ng, or drop a letter at the CBN head office in Abuja or any CBN branch near you. Keep a copy of everything.

Put in your name, address, phone number and email, plus the bank's name and your account details. Never your PIN or password. Then add the transaction date, what happened, the amount you're claiming and proof that you complained to the bank first. Attach the bank alert, the app receipt with its reference, hash and session ID, and dated screenshots of every support chat.

Sometimes the money side is fine and the network simply won't deliver the airtime or data. That's a telecom complaint. Get a complaint ticket number from your network first, and if they still don't resolve it, call the NCC toll-free on 622 with that number.

Anything about the app itself starts at our help and FAQs page. Keep every reference number for a payment debited but not received until the money is back in your hands.

Frequently asked questions

Published 30 October 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.