News

How to keep Your MTN, Glo, Airtel And 9mobile Phone Number Active While Abroad

Published

1 year ago

2023/01/04

Sim card recycling is a legal practice in Nigeria. When you’re inactive for a year or more, your network provider can be assigned your phone number to another person. This practice is approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

If you’re travelling abroad and you failed to retain your number, your bank account and other sensitive details assigned to your phone number can be subjected to fraudulent activities thereby implicating you or you become a victim of scams.

Sim card retention is a service provided by MTN, Airtel and 9 mobile. However, Airtel doesn’t provide such a service at the moment.

How long can an MTN SIM be inactive?

You can now keep your MTN phone number even if you leave the country or become inactive for longer than 180 days thanks to MTN Keep My Number (KMN). Every MTN Prepaid subscriber has access to the MTN KMN service.

This function ensures that your phone number is active for you no matter how long you will be abroad and prevents your MTN number from being cancelled or reissued.

How do I keep my MTN number active while abroad?

It costs N511, N819, and N1228 to subscribe for between 1-3 years respectively.

To subscribe to the MTN Keep My Number plan, follow the steps below

Recharge your MTN Line based on the number of years you want to subscribe.

For one year subscription, dial *365*1# or SMS “KMN1” to 36500.

For two year subscription, dial *365*2# or SMS “KMN2” to 36500.

For a three-year subscription, dial *365*3# or SMS “KMN3” to 36500.

How can I keep my 9mobile number?

Both new and current 9Mobile prepaid and postpaid subscribers can use this service.

Your SIM card number will be kept on file for one year for a fee of 500. To subscribe, simply text 1 to 539 or phone *539*1# after recharging up to that amount. After then, call *539# to check the outcome.

How do I keep my Glo number active while abroad?

The Glo ALWAYS ON plan ensures that you keep your SIM number even if you go a complete year without sending or receiving any texts, calls, or using the internet.

When you know you’ll be gone and without access to touchpoints for more than 90 days while travelling, you should sign up for ALWAYS ON.

Everyone who uses a prepaid plan from Glo has access to Glo ALWAYS ON. You only need to dial *777# and choose ALWAYS ON from the available options. To finish the procedure, adhere to the prompt.

The ALWAYS ON package costs a one-time charge of N500 that’ll be withdrawn from your primary account balance. Additionally, the plan duration lasts for 365 days. After that, you can renew the subscription if you’ll still be staying away for longer.

Note: Please be aware that linking your phone number to your NIN will not prevent the latter’s deactivation and reissue if it is inactive for an extended period of time.