How to transfer & share data on MTN

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You’re at the right spot if you want to know how to transfer and share data on MTN.

Airtime credits represent the amount of money you paid your carrier to enjoy their services, including using data, making phone calls, and sending texts. And practically every service provider has features allowing users to share or transfer airtime credits.

MTN is no different. The largest African mobile network operator lets account holders transfer and share their credits with family and friends.

In particular, there are two features that make transferring and sharing airtime on MTN possible. These are MTN Share and MTN Data Gifting. With MTN Share (formerly known as Share ‘N’ Sell), you can transfer airtime from your MTN account to another person’s MTN account.

All new and existing customers – prepaid and postpaid – can use MTN Share for free or at no additional cost. As for MTN Data Gifting, the feature lets you transfer data from your data balance (must be active) to your family and friends’ devices.

Further, MTN allows customers to buy data for people and request data from other MTN account holders. For example, you could purchase and send data bundles to someone’s smartphone, tablet, or router.

How do I buy and transfer Airtime on MTN?

If you don’t want to share airtime on MTN per se, you can buy and transfer airtime to your recipient. And you can do that with just a few taps in the BOSS Revolution app or via the website. BOSS Revolution customers can send airtime from the US to any MTN number in Nigeria, Cameroon, or Ghana. Plus, there are no charges or fees to send airtime, unlike with many other companies.

Buying and sending Airtime from the BOSS Revolution website

Here’s how to buy and transfer airtime with ease.

1. Create your account

If you already have an account, you can visit the website and select “International Mobile Top Up” from the “Services” dropdown menu to get started.

Otherwise, click "Log In / Join Us" to create your account. Enter your US phone number to receive the confirmation code via text or SMS (Short Message Service). Note that having an account also comes with various perks, such as getting the best deals and easily tracking special promotions.

2. Add your recipient’s information

Once you create your account, you can add and confirm the recipient’s information. You’ll need their phone number and the carrier’s name.

BOSS Revolution will automatically detect the country and carrier after you enter their number. But if it doesn't, you can manually enter everything. BOSS revolution supports 150 mobile carriers across 90 countries.

3. Select the amount to send (top-up)

You can send a top-up or bundle/plan to your recipient. Or you could repeat a previous transaction if you've sent airtime before.

Note that BOSS Revolution’s system automatically calculates the equivalent in the recipient’s currency when you enter the amount (e.g., NGN, XAF, etc.). This is useful for making sure you’re sending an appropriate amount and informing the recipient of what’s coming.

4. Send airtime

Enter your billing method when prompted. BOSS Revolution accepts debit and credit cards. Then hit “Send Top-up," and you're all done.

Buying and sending from the BOSS Revolution mobile app

The process is similar to the steps required if using the website.

1. Download the app to create your account

The BOSS Revolution app is free; you can get it on Android or iOS. Open the app once the download is complete, and follow the instructions to create your account.

2. Enter your recipient’s mobile number

As noted earlier, BOSS Revolution will automatically identify your recipient's country through their phone number.

3. Select the recipient’s mobile carrier

A list will generate with available mobile carriers. Choose the one that your recipient uses.

4. Enter the amount

Specify how much you want to send or repeat a previous transaction. When ready, hit “Send” or “Send Top Up," and all done.

How do I send MTN prepaid data plans

Buying and sending MTN prepaid data plans is simple. You can purchase and send the MTN data plan through a recharge service. Similar to how you’d buy and transfer airtime on MTN.

For example, BOSS Revolution customers only have to enter the recipient’s phone number and select their carrier. The system will then reveal all available data and call plans (bundles) for that region. From there, you can purchase the prepaid data plan/bundle preferred.

How to transfer Airtime from MTN to MTN?

First, you need to change your default PIN (which is 0000) to transfer MTN airtime between two customers. And while doing so isn’t mandatory, you should. It will help prevent potentially illegal activities or unauthorized airtime transfers.

You can do either of the following to change your default PIN.

Send your Default PIN New PIN New PIN to 777 via text message. So, for example, someone may text ‘0000 5555 5555’ to 777.
Dial *777*Default PIN*New PIN*New PIN# on your phone. Someone may dial *777*0000*5555*5555#, for example.

You’ll receive a confirmation via SMS confirming that your PIN change was successful. This typically arrives immediately after changing your PIN using any of the options above.

How to transfer Airtime using SMS

Transfer MTN airtime by sending Transfer Recipient’s Number Amount PIN to 777 via a text message. So, for example, you can send ‘Transfer 01234567891 1700 5555’ to 777.

You should receive a text message confirming you want to transfer the airtime. Reply with ‘YES’ to 777, and your airtime transfer is complete.

How to transfer Airtime using USSD

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) is a mobile communications system used to send text messages, similar to SMS.

Transfer MTN airtime by dialing *777*Recipient’s Number*Amount*PIN#. So, for example, one could dial *777*01234567891*1700*1234#. Once done, you’ll get a message confirming that the transfer was successful.

How to transfer data from your existing balance

MTN lets account holders transfer from their existing data balance to friends and family. Just dial *131*7*1# and follow the prompt. You can also do it by texting Transfer Phone Number Data Amount to 131. For example, you may text “Transfer 01234567891 1700” to 131.

The maximum data you can transfer is 1GB per day.

Important notes about MTN-to-MTN transfers

Please keep the following in mind when transferring airtime from MTN to MTN.

Account holders can only transfer amounts in Naira, not in kobo. (e.g., NGN1500.00, not NGN1500.95).
The max transfer allowed is between NGN50.00 to NGN5,000.00 in a single transaction.
The total you can transfer from one phone every day is NGN100,000.00, be it to one or several MTN accounts. However, there’s no limit to the number of transactions you can conduct daily.
Your transaction won't go through if you have an MTN prepaid account and it doesn’t have enough airtime to cover the amount you want to transfer. In such cases, you’ll receive an error message.

Postpaid customers of MTN can only transfer airtime when their account balance is positive.

How do I track MTN promotions available for my country?

You may be able to use your recharge service to track and view promotions for your country. For example, BOSS Revolution will show all available promotions for each country, as noted earlier.

You must enter the recipient's phone number, select their carrier from the list, and hit "save." Then you'll see all the data plans and promotions. For instance, you’d see the following if using BOSS Revolution to send airtime to Cameroon.

Wrapping up

Everyone needs data to access the Internet through their phone. And sometimes, the people you care about most will run out, making it harder to stay connected.
Thankfully, MTN and partners like BOSS Revolution make it easy to transfer airtime or share data. Plus, the entire process is easy and safe. Lastly, the instructions here may vary for prepaid and postpaid MTN users, though they should be similar.

Sources: all third party information obtained from applicable website as of January 2, 2023

This article is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to address every aspect of the matters discussed herein. The information in this article is not intended as specific personal advice. The information in this article does not constitute legal, tax, regulatory or other professional advice from IDT Payment Services, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively, “IDT”), and should not be taken or used as such by any individual. IDT makes no representation, warranty or guaranty, whether express or implied, that the content in this article is current, accurate, or complete. You should obtain professional or other substantive advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the information in this article.