Guaranty Trust Bank has announced a change in its billing method for USSD transactions. Effective Wednesday, June 18, 2025, the N6.98 service fee will be deducted directly from customers’ airtime balance, rather than from their bank accounts.

The move aligns with the new industry-wide billing model being adopted by several Nigerian banks.

Dear Customer, please be informed that effective 18 June 2025, the N6.98 USSD fee will be deducted from your airtime balance, no longer from your bank account. Thank you,” the message read.

This development is part of a broader industry realignment mandated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, aimed at resolving ongoing disputes between telecom operators and banks over unpaid USSD service charges.

It was earlier reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission had directed Deposit Money Banks to begin deducting USSD transaction charges directly from users’ mobile airtime.

In the past, banks billed customers through their bank accounts while telecom operators bore the cost of USSD usage—an arrangement that led to prolonged disputes between the two sectors.

Telecom operators, however, protested that banks were profiting from USSD services while consistently delaying or defaulting on payments for the underlying infrastructure. This standoff resulted in mounting debts, estimated to have reached ₦250 billion by 2024.

To address the imbalance, the Nigerian Communications Commission introduced an End-User Billing model, directing banks to settle outstanding debts and transition to airtime-based billing only after clearing their historical obligations.

Under the new model, users will receive a prompt at the start of each USSD session, with the N6.98 fee deducted from their airtime only after confirmation—provided there is sufficient balance.