Airtel Smart Value Tariff Plan vs SmartTALK in Nigeria
Airtel no longer lists Smart Value or its *314# code. Its flat-rate plan is now SmartTALK: 25k/sec to all networks, no access fee. Dial *414# to move.
Smart Value was Airtel’s plan with no conditions: every call to every network cost the same from the first second, with no daily fee. It is gone from the voice plans page on Airtel Nigeria’s website, which lists SmartTALK and SmartLife. SmartTALK is built the way Smart Value was, and it costs more.
| Smart Value in 2018 | SmartTALK, on Airtel’s website now | |
|---|---|---|
| Calls to all networks | 15k/sec | 25k/sec |
| Cost of a minute | ₦9 | ₦15 |
| What ₦100 buys | 11 min 6 sec | 6 min 40 sec |
| Daily or access fee | None | None |
| A text to a Nigerian number | ₦4 | ₦6 |
| Migration code | *314# | *414# |
The price is two-thirds higher, which is ₦6 more on every minute.
Moving to SmartTALK with *414#
First see what the line is on now: dial *121#, choose “Manage my account”, then “My tariff plan”. Airtel’s website does not say what became of lines that were on Smart Value, so your own phone is the only place to find out. If it still shows Smart Value, ask Airtel on 300 what rate the line pays before you migrate anywhere, because Airtel’s site gives no code for going back.
Then dial *414# and choose SmartTALK from the menu. Airtel’s SmartTALK page also shows a direct code, *414*1#. Airtel’s current plan pages do not mention a migration fee at all. In 2018 the first migration in a month was free and the next cost ₦100.
Airtel says a new customer only has to buy, register and activate a SIM. Its SmartLife page says the same thing about SmartLife, so check which plan a new line has landed on.
What a recharge buys on SmartTALK
Calls to any Nigerian network are 25 kobo a second. Airtel says there are no access fees and no hidden charges.
| Airtime | Talk time on SmartTALK |
|---|---|
| ₦100 | 6 min 40 sec |
| ₦200 | 13 min 20 sec |
| ₦500 | 33 min 20 sec |
| ₦1,000 | 1 hr 6 min 40 sec |
Data with no bundle is ₦4.60 per MB, and that empties a recharge quickly: 100MB that way is ₦460, while Airtel’s ₦100 daily plan gives 110MB. You can switch pay-as-you-go browsing off by dialling *400*1#.
Smart Value’s cheap calls abroad
Smart Value had a cheap rate for calls to the USA, Canada, China, India and UK landlines. SmartTALK has nothing like it. Calls and texts abroad are charged at Airtel’s standard international rates, which depend on the country, and Airtel has a rate lookup on its international calling page.
SmartTALK’s bonus on a new line
New Airtel customers on SmartTALK get a bonus on every recharge of ₦100 to ₦5,000. For the first 90 days it is 400%, split as 100% for calls and 300% for data. For the next 90 days it is 300%, for data only. After 180 days it stops. Airtel says existing SmartTALK customers are not eligible.
Those percentages shrink once you see the rates. Bonus calls are charged at ₦50 a minute and bonus data at ₦20 per MB. So a ₦1,000 recharge in the first 90 days comes with ₦1,000 of call bonus, which is 20 minutes, and ₦3,000 of data bonus, which is 150MB. The ₦1,000 you paid for is still charged at the normal rate.
Dial *310# for your airtime balance and *310*1# for a breakdown of your bonuses. Bonus airtime cannot be shared with another line.
Is SmartTALK the cheapest way to call?
It has the lower rate of Airtel’s two tariff plans, but it is not the cheapest minute Airtel sells. TalkMore bundles work out at ₦10 a minute: ₦100 buys 10 minutes for a day, ₦500 buys 50 minutes for a week and ₦1,500 buys 150 minutes for 30 days. Dial *234*1# to buy one. Bundle minutes expire, so a bundle only wins if you use more than two-thirds of it in time.
SmartLife charges 33 kobo a second and gives back 3 free minutes for every 6 you pay for. Whether that beats SmartTALK depends on how many of the free minutes you use, and we work through the sums on our page about the old Smart Premier plan. To compare all of Airtel’s current call plans and bundles, read the best Airtel tariff plan for calls.
