For mtn users

How to stop borrowing airtime on MTN, and stop needing to

By Samuel Anwakang, Co-founder of Delight•Updated

On MTN, an airtime or data loan comes through XtraTime when you dial *303# or use the MyMTN app, and it's taken back, with its fee, from your next recharge. To stop, let one recharge clear the loan, stop requesting new ones, and top up your line on a schedule before it runs out.

The general reason airtime borrowing becomes a habit, and the setup that ends it, is on how to stop borrowing airtime and data every month. This page covers what's specific to MTN in 2026.

How XtraTime works on MTN

  • You request the loan. MTN restored its airtime and data borrowing service, XtraTime, on *303#, and it can also be used in the MyMTN app. MTN's older 606 code was phased out.[1]
  • The fee comes off first. Reports in July 2026 said every XtraTime loan attracts a 15% service fee deducted upfront: borrow ₦100, get ₦85, and ₦100 is recovered on your next recharge.[1]
  • Repayment is automatic. The loan comes off your next recharge, before you can use it.
  • How much you can borrow depends on your line. In June 2026, MTN's own message to some subscribers offered "up to N1,295".[2]

What happened to XtraTime in 2026

The service wasn't always there this year, which is why so many people searched for how it works now:

  1. Mid-April 2026: MTN suspended XtraTime after new FCCPC lending regulations classed airtime and data advances as consumer credit.[1]
  2. 22 May 2026: the FCCPC paused enforcement of those rules, and Airtel and Glo brought their services back first.[1]
  3. June 2026: MTN told subscribers by SMS: "Airtime loan is back!"[2]
Because the rules have changed more than once, check MTN's current messages or app if anything here doesn't match what you see.

What borrowing really costs you

An illustration, using the 15% fee reported in 2026.

One loanFour loans a month
Borrowed₦500₦2,000
Credited to you₦425₦1,700
Taken back from your recharges₦500₦2,000
Fees paid₦75₦300
₦300 a month is money you paid only for the timing. And each repayment comes off a recharge, so the next gap comes sooner.

How to stop borrowing on MTN

  1. Let one recharge clear the loan. Recharge a little more than you owe, so the loan is repaid and something is left for you.
  2. Stop requesting new loans. On MTN, a loan comes when you dial *303# or borrow in the MyMTN app.
  3. If your line seems to borrow on its own, call MTN on 300 and ask them to check your loan history.[3]
  4. Remove the gap. Borrowing happens when the line runs out before you've topped it up. Fund your line before it's empty, on a schedule.

Set it up in Delight

  1. Create a Data & Airtime budget with what your MTN line really costs in a month. Count last month's recharges, including the ones that repaid loans.
  2. Let payday fund it. Check that Auto-fund is enabled on the budget and place it near the top under Funding priority.
  3. Automate the top-up. Open Automate, choose Airtime & bills, pick MTN and your number, set the amount and a schedule, such as every Monday or monthly on your payday.
  4. Make the first top-up big enough to clear any loan. Whatever you owe comes off that recharge first.
  5. Add family lines if you pay for them. One automation can top up several numbers.
  6. Pay nothing extra. Airtime and data bought through Delight have no charge. About 30 minutes before each scheduled top-up, Delight tells you if the budget won't cover it.

Or set it up in one message

Send this to Delight AI in the app. It asks for your amounts, shows every step and waits for your approval.

Help me stop running out of airtime and data. Create a Data & Airtime budget and set up an automation to top up my line every month. Ask me my network, my phone number, the amounts and the date.

Delight AI is off until you turn it on in Settings › Customize › Delight AI. Anything that sends money out asks for your transaction PIN.

Free to download. No subscription.

What Delight can’t do

  • Delight can't switch anything off on your MTN line. Only MTN can change how XtraTime works on your number.
  • Delight doesn't lend airtime or data. It holds money you set aside and tops up your line on the schedule you choose.
  • A scheduled top-up needs money in its budget. If the budget is empty or locked, the payment won't go through. Delight tells you about 30 minutes before, so you can add money.

If your line borrows without you asking

  • Call MTN on 300 and ask them to check your line's loan history. Keep screenshots of any loan messages you didn't expect.[3]
  • The FCCPC's 2025 lending regulations say automatic or pre-authorised lending is prohibited.[4] The commission paused enforcement of those rules for airtime lending in May 2026, and how they apply to networks has been argued in court.[1][5]
  • You can report a consumer complaint to the FCCPC through File a Complaint at fccpc.gov.ng.

Questions people ask

How do I stop borrowing airtime on MTN?
Let your next recharge repay what you owe, then stop requesting new loans. On MTN, loans come when you dial *303# or borrow in the MyMTN app. The lasting fix is to top up your line on a schedule, before it's empty, so there's no gap that needs a loan.
How do I stop auto borrowing on MTN?
From what MTN has told subscribers, an XtraTime loan is something you request with *303# or in the MyMTN app. If your line seems to borrow without you asking, call MTN on 300, ask them to check your loan history, and keep screenshots of the messages.
How do I pay back an MTN airtime loan?
You don't need to do anything extra. The loan is taken back automatically from your next recharge. Recharge a little more than the loan, so something is left for you to use.
What is the MTN code to borrow airtime now?
MTN restored XtraTime in 2026 on *303#; its older 606 code was phased out. Rules and codes can change, so check MTN's own messages or the MyMTN app if a code doesn't work.
How much does it cost to borrow airtime on MTN?
Reports in July 2026 said every XtraTime loan carries a 15% service fee taken upfront. Borrow ₦100 and ₦85 is credited, but the full ₦100 comes off your next recharge.

Read next

Sources

  1. [1]Innovation Village (2026). MTN Nigeria Restores Airtime and Data Borrowing Services, Confirms *303# Activation Code. Innovation Village, 8 July 2026.
  2. [2]Tribune Online (2026). Relief as MTN restores Xtratime service. Tribune Online, 18 June 2026.
  3. [3]MTN Nigeria (2026). MTN Nigeria website: Contact Us. mtn.ng, page read 27 September 2026.
  4. [4]Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) (2025). Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025. FCCPC regulation made under s.163 FCCP Act 2018.Made 21 July 2025.
  5. [5]ThisDay (2026). Airtime Lending Faces Defining Court Test As Judge Rules on N400bn Market Monday. ThisDay, 19 July 2026.

Plan the money. Fund the plan. Spend from the plan.

In Delight, each purpose is a budget that holds its own money, and every payment comes from the budget it serves.