The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have introduced a new consumer refund framework that guarantees subscribers an automatic refund within 30 seconds for failed airtime and data transactions.
In a statement, the NCC said the framework was jointly developed to address cases where customers are debited without receiving value. It applies whether the failure occurs at a bank, mobile network operator, or another licensed service provider.
Under the framework, pending transactions must be resolved within 24 hours, after which a full refund becomes mandatory. The policy also assigns clear refund responsibility through an enforceable Service Level Agreement binding all participating institutions.
The Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, said the regulators would jointly operate a Central Monitoring Dashboard to track transaction failures, refunds, and service breaches in real time.
She noted that failed top-ups rank among the top consumer complaints and said the framework would take effect on March 1, 2026, following final approvals and technical integration. According to the NCC, operators and banks have already refunded over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions.
The framework also mandates SMS notifications for all airtime and data transactions and standardises the handling of erroneous and misdirected recharges.
