The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed banks to implement a new billing method for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transactions, effective June 3, 2025.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) notified customers that charges for USSD services will now be deducted from mobile airtime instead of bank accounts. “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account,” the bank stated.
“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.”
UBA noted that each USSD session would cost ₦6.98 per 120 seconds. Customers will receive a prompt to give consent before any deduction. The bank advised users uncomfortable with the change to explore alternatives like its mobile app or internet banking.