How to Load Airtel Card: *311*PIN# Says Invalid PIN? Fix It

You scratched a ₦200 Airtel card, dialled *311* and the PIN, and the reply said "invalid PIN". Did you just waste the money?

Probably not. Here's how to load Airtel card airtime: dial *311*PIN# from the Airtel SIM, with no spaces. Most "invalid PIN" replies come from one misread or skipped digit rather than a dead card, so retype the long PIN under the scratch panel in blocks of four and try again. An "already used" reply is a different story, because then the card itself is faulty and goes back to the seller.

Each follow-up question gets its own short section below.

How to load Airtel card airtime: the *311*PIN# keystrokes

Work from the phone that holds the Airtel SIM. Keep the card in your hand until the confirmation message arrives.

1. Open the dialler and pick the Airtel SIM if your phone has two.
2. Type *311*
3. Type the PIN, reading it off the card four digits at a time.
4. Type # and press call.
5. Wait for the confirmation message.
6. Dial *310# to see your new airtime balance.

Leave out spaces, dashes and the serial number. Between the star and the hash, only the PIN goes in.

Is the new recharge code *311* or *126*?

Use *311*. Back in 2023, the NCC gave every network the same short codes for the same jobs, and 311 became the recharge code on all of them, Airtel included.

From that same set you get *310# for your balance, *312# for data plans and 300 for customer care. Before the switch, Airtel had its own code to load an Airtel card, *126*PIN#. Some lines may still respond to it. Rely on *311* anyway, since that's the one every network now shares. For everything else, the full list of Airtel USSD codes keeps the others in one place.

Why does my Airtel recharge PIN keep saying invalid?

Count first. An Airtel card PIN has 16 digits, and one missing digit is enough for the network to reject the whole PIN.

Next, look hard at the numbers that trick tired eyes, because a zero can pass for an eight or a six, and a one often looks like a seven when the light in the shop is poor. Coins and keys cause their own trouble. Scratch too hard and half a digit comes off with the silver, which turns a ₦200 card into a small guessing game. Use the edge of a fingernail next time and go gently.

Two more slips catch people all the time. Some type the serial number printed near the barcode instead of the PIN, while others dial from the wrong SIM on a dual-SIM phone or try to load another network's card onto Airtel.

Match the reply on your screen to a row below.

What if it says the card has already been used?

Don't throw the card away.

Keep it with the receipt, if you got one, and take both back to the shop, kiosk or roadside seller who sold it to you. Ask for a replacement card. If the seller won't help, call Airtel customer care on 300 or 111, give them the serial number, and get a complaint ticket number before you end the call. Still no fix from Airtel? Take the complaint to the NCC on its toll-free line, 622, with that ticket number, your phone number and the card details.

Nobody promises a refund here. What you can fairly ask for is a check on the card's status, plus a replacement if the network finds a fault.

Will too many wrong tries block my Airtel line?

Airtel has published no rule that wrong recharge PINs lock your line, and no official limit on tries. After two failed attempts, though, stop and check every digit under good light before you dial again.

Your SIM PIN is a separate thing entirely: the short code your phone asks for when it switches on. Get that one wrong several times and the SIM locks until you enter a PUK, which is a separate unblocking key. Don't guess the PUK. Call Airtel on 111 or walk into an Airtel shop with your ID for the unblock steps.

Can I recharge someone else's line or a MiFi?

A recharge PIN loads onto whichever SIM dials it. So for a MiFi or router, move its SIM into a phone, load the card, then put the SIM back where it came from. Some devices also have a USSD option on their dashboard page, and you can dial *311*PIN# from there instead.

For a relative's line, text them the PIN and let them dial it from their own phone. Before you bin the card, ask them to confirm the new balance with *310#.

Can I top up Airtel without scratching a card?

Yes. The MyAirtel app and your bank's USSD menu both top up airtime with no card to scratch and no PIN to misread, and the airtime goes straight to whichever number you type in, even if it isn't your own line. That makes it the easier way to top up a parent's line in another town.

On AidaPay you can buy Airtel airtime from ₦50 up to ₦10,000 in one purchase, and we pay 0.9% back. A ₦1,000 top-up returns ₦9 to you. Prices as at 1 November 2026. Because it works for any Airtel number, you can buy Airtel airtime without a scratch card for your own line or someone else's.

If the airtime is really meant for data, dial *312# once it lands and pick a plan. Still holding a card that won't load? Retype it once more in blocks of four, then take it back to the seller.

Frequently asked questions

Published 1 November 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.