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Airtime API

Airtime API for Nigeria

Send and resell airtime on MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile via one REST API and a prepaid wallet. Amounts in kobo, idempotent calls, instant top-ups, automatic refunds.

Send airtime to any Nigerian network programmatically. Unlike data, airtime is bought by amount — you pass the network, the phone number and the value in kobo, and Plustive tops up the line.

Because airtime is a free-amount product, you can resell flexible denominations and apply your own margin. Volume tiers mean your effective cost falls — and your airtime discount deepens — as you grow.

Every top-up draws down a prepaid wallet you fund once, so there is no card charge per transaction and your spend is capped by your funded balance.

The API call

One authenticated POST /api/v1/airtime request, idempotent on your clientReference, with all money in integer kobo:

curl -X POST https://api.plustiveimpact.com/api/v1/airtime \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_live_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "network": "mtn", "amount": 50000, "phone": "08030000000", "clientReference": "air_5521" }'
  # amount 50000 = ₦500.00

→ { "reference": "PLS-7TQ1A2", "status": "Success" }

What you get

  • Airtime on MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile from one endpoint and wallet.
  • Amount is integer kobo (₦500 = 50000) — no floating-point rounding.
  • Idempotent on clientReference; failed or unconfirmed top-ups auto-refund.
  • Volume-based pricing with deeper airtime discounts as you scale.
FAQ

Airtime API for Nigeria — FAQ

How do I send airtime via API in Nigeria?

POST to /api/v1/airtime with the network (mtn, glo, airtel or 9mobile), the recipient phone number, the amount in kobo, and a unique clientReference. Plustive debits your prepaid wallet and tops up the line, returning the transaction reference and status.

Is the airtime amount in naira or kobo?

In kobo. All money in the Plustive API is integer kobo (100 kobo = ₦1), so ₦500 of airtime is sent as 50000. This keeps every value exact and avoids rounding errors.

What happens if an airtime top-up fails?

The debit is held and the transaction settles or refunds automatically, usually within about a minute, returning the amount to your wallet to the kobo. You always learn the terminal state from the response, by querying the transaction, or via a webhook.

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