MTN Roaming Packages in Nigeria: Codes, Airtel, Glo (2026)
MTN TravelPass runs from ₦5,000 for a day to ₦80,000 for 10GB; the code is *312*6#. Airtel uses *789#, Glo *312#. A 5GB travel eSIM for the UK is $12.
A gigabyte of roaming data on a Nigerian SIM costs ₦8,000 at best, in MTN’s two biggest bundles, and more than ₦30,000 if you browse abroad with no bundle at all. A travel eSIM for the same trip works out near $2.40 a gigabyte. For most trips the cheaper set-up is an eSIM for data, with your Nigerian line left in the phone for calls and texts.
Below is what MTN, Airtel, Glo and T2mobile publish for roaming, with the codes from their own websites, and three travel eSIM sellers priced for the UK, the UAE and the US.
Roaming bundles compared
| Network | Bundle | How to buy | Smallest | Most data | Lowest price per GB | Call minutes | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTN | TravelPass | *312*6#, the myMTN app or Zigi | ₦5,000: 250MB and 10 minutes for 1 day | ₦80,000: 10GB for 30 days | ₦8,000 | In the voice plans | 50+ countries, with the UK, UAE, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia |
| Airtel | Roam The World | *789# or the MyAirtel app | ₦4,500: 250MB, 10 minutes and 10 SMS for 1 day | ₦25,000: 3GB, 25 minutes and 30 SMS for 30 days | ₦8,333 | In every bundle | 70+ countries, with the UK, UAE, US, Canada and Saudi Arabia |
| Glo | Data Roaming Bundle | *312#, then option 5 | ₦2,500: 50MB for 3 days | ₦50,000: 6GB for 60 days | ₦8,333 | None, data only | 40 countries, on named networks only. The UK, UAE and US are in; Canada and Saudi Arabia are not |
| T2mobile | Not named | *6589# | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | “top 30 destinations”, not listed |
MTN and Glo say you can buy at home or after you land. Airtel says a bundle is activated when you arrive. Only MTN carries unused data forward, and only if you buy again within one to seven days of expiry, depending on the plan.
MTN TravelPass
| Plan | Price | Valid for | What you get | Per GB | Direct code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice and data | ₦5,000 | 1 day | 250MB, plus up to 10 minutes or 20 SMS | ₦20,480 | *312*533# |
| Data | ₦10,000 | 7 days | 1GB | ₦10,000 | *312*503# |
| Voice | ₦10,000 | 7 days | Up to 50 minutes or 100 SMS | No data | *312*501# |
| Voice and data | ₦20,000 | 14 days | 1GB, plus up to 75 minutes or 150 SMS | ₦20,000 | *312*502# |
| Voice and data | ₦40,000 | 30 days | 3GB, plus up to 100 minutes or 200 SMS | ₦13,333 | *312*536# |
| Data | ₦40,000 | 30 days | 5GB | ₦8,000 | *312*534# |
| Data | ₦80,000 | 30 days | 10GB | ₦8,000 | *312*535# |
The per-gigabyte figure is the whole price divided by the data, so on the mixed plans the minutes count as free. MTN words the allowance as minutes or texts, not both.
MTN’s roaming page gives no separate code for switching roaming on. You buy a pass with *312*6#, turn on data roaming in the phone’s settings, and one pass works in every TravelPass country. Prepaid and postpaid lines can both buy. Dial *310# or *312*6*7# for the balance.
The minutes cover calls to Nigeria and to numbers in the country you are in, and incoming calls from both. In most TravelPass countries, the UK and UAE among them, incoming calls may use no more than 20% of the minutes. That is 10 of the 50 minutes in the ₦10,000 voice plan. The US and Canada have no such cap. MTN also says calls in the US, Australia, the UK and parts of Europe need VoLTE, which its VoLTE page limits to listed phones.
When a pass runs out, MTN bills your airtime or postpaid credit at the rates further down. At ₦300, a minute from London is about fifteen times the ₦19.80 it costs at home on the default plan in our guide to the best MTN tariff plan for calls.
Airtel Roam The World
| Bundle | Price | What you get | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | ₦4,500 | 250MB, 10 minutes, 10 SMS | ₦18,432 |
| 10 days | ₦10,000 | 1GB, 15 minutes, 15 SMS | ₦10,000 |
| 30 days | ₦25,000 | 3GB, 25 minutes, 30 SMS | ₦8,333 |
Airtel’s roaming page says every prepaid and postpaid customer can buy one with *789# or in the MyAirtel app, and *789*4# shows what is left. The minutes cover calls to Nigeria, calls within the country you are in, and incoming calls. Airtel lists no other activation step, though for some destinations it says voice calls need VoLTE, mobile data and data roaming all switched on.
The 10-day bundle suits a short trip: MTN’s ₦10,000 buys the same gigabyte with no minutes. Airtel has nothing above 3GB, so a heavy user ends up stacking bundles, which it allows.
Check the country before you rely on airtime. Airtel’s rate table has the UK at ₦250 a minute to call home and ₦30 per MB. Germany is ₦1,500 and ₦150.
Glo data roaming bundles
| Price | Data | Valid for | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₦2,500 | 50MB | 3 days | ₦51,200 |
| ₦5,000 | 125MB | 7 days | ₦40,960 |
| ₦10,000 | 1GB | 10 days | ₦10,000 |
| ₦25,000 | 2.5GB | 30 days | ₦10,000 |
| ₦50,000 | 6GB | 60 days | ₦8,333 |
Dial *312# and choose option 5. Glo’s bundle page says roaming is switched on automatically for prepaid lines, and the bundle starts when you land and begin browsing. Postpaid customers apply first: Glo asks for 72 hours’ notice and a ₦50,000 roaming deposit. The bundles hold no minutes and do not renew.
The catch is the network. A bundle only works on the partner Glo names: Three in the UK, Etisalat in the UAE, T-Mobile or AT&T in the US. On any other network you pay airtime rates, and Glo’s rate tool shows how far apart those are. On Three, data is ₦33 per MB. On EE, it lists ₦40,500 per MB and ₦7,500 a minute to answer a call. Set network selection to manual and pick the named partner.
Skip the two small bundles. They work out at ₦50 and ₦40 per MB, more than Glo’s own ₦33 rate with no bundle on the same network.
T2mobile
T2mobile, the old 9mobile, publishes no roaming price list. The one mention on its website is a paragraph on the business page. It promises “affordable rates while roaming in top 30 destinations”, gives *6589# as the code to activate a roaming bundle, and says incoming calls are free in the UK, Germany and 20 other places. It names no bundle, price or country list. Ask T2 at [email protected] before you travel.
Roaming rates without a bundle
| Network and country | Call to Nigeria or locally, per minute | Receiving a call, per minute | SMS | Data per MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTN, UK | ₦300 | Not shown | ₦100 | ₦35.84 |
| MTN, UAE | ₦500 | Not shown | ₦100 | ₦35.84 |
| MTN, US | ₦300 | Not shown | ₦50 | ₦35.84 |
| Airtel, UK | ₦250 | Not shown | ₦250 | ₦30 |
| Airtel, UAE | ₦400 | Not shown | ₦250 | ₦40 |
| Airtel, US | ₦300 | Not shown | ₦250 | ₦30 |
| Glo, UK on Three | ₦290 | ₦550 | ₦80 | ₦33 |
| Glo, UAE on Etisalat | ₦490 | ₦400 | ₦60 | ₦33 |
| Glo, US on T-Mobile | ₦290 | ₦100 | ₦40 | ₦33 |
These come from each operator’s own rate table or tool. At ₦30 to ₦40 per MB, a gigabyte is ₦30,720 to ₦40,960, three to five times the price in a bundle. Only Glo prints a charge for answering a call, and its FAQ says plainly that incoming calls are billed. MTN and Airtel show no such column, so do not assume it is free.
Travel eSIMs
A travel eSIM is a data plan you buy online and download to the phone, usually by scanning a QR code. It sits beside your Nigerian SIM and uses a local network where you land. The phone has to support eSIM and must not be locked to one network. Apple’s guide to travelling with eSIM says you need an iPhone XS, XR or later, and that Settings, General, About should show “No SIM restrictions” beside Carrier Lock. On other phones, Airtel and Glo both say to dial *#06#: if an EID number appears, the phone has an eSIM.
| Seller | UK | UAE | US | Phone number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | 5GB for 7 days: $12 | 5GB for 7 days: $11 | 5GB for 7 days: $12.50 | Data only. UK and US versions with 50 local minutes and 50 texts cost $14 and $17 |
| Nomad | 5GB for 30 days: $12 | 5GB for 30 days: $11 | 5GB for 30 days: $10 | Data only. A UK plan with 100 minutes and 100 SMS is $13 |
| Holafly | Unlimited for 7 days: $27.50 | Unlimited for 7 days: $27.50, sold as Dubai | Unlimited for 7 days: $27.50 | Data only. Holafly says it has no local number |
All three price in US dollars and you pay by card on their sites. None offers a naira price, so you need a card that pays in foreign currency, and the naira cost depends on the rate your bank applies.
A data-only eSIM gives you no number. WhatsApp stays on your Nigerian number, Holafly notes. Texts sent to that number, bank codes included, can only arrive on the Nigerian SIM, so keep it switched on, with its data roaming off and the eSIM set as the data line.
eSIM from the Nigerian networks
| Network | How to get one | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| MTN | At an MTN store. Staff check the phone and give you a QR code to scan. An existing line moves over by SIM swap | Free |
| Airtel | At an Airtel service centre. A new customer buys and registers a physical SIM first, then upgrades it | No cost at present, Airtel says |
| Glo | At a Gloworld shop or Glo dealer, with your NIN | Free “for a limited period”, but you must buy a data plan of ₦1,500 or more on the spot. It comes with a 5GB bonus valid for 7 days |
| T2mobile | Its website says nothing about eSIM | Not published |
A Nigerian eSIM is your same line without the plastic. It roams at the same prices, so it does not replace a travel eSIM.
A week in the UK on 5GB
| Option | The sum | Cost | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo or Nomad eSIM, 5GB | $12 at ₦1,330 | About ₦15,960 | ₦3,192 |
| Holafly eSIM, unlimited | $27.50 at ₦1,330 | About ₦36,575 | Depends on use |
| MTN TravelPass | One 30-day 5GB plan | ₦40,000 | ₦8,000 |
| Airtel Roam The World | One 30-day bundle and two 10-day bundles: 5GB, 55 minutes, 60 SMS | ₦45,000 | ₦9,000 |
| Glo | One 60-day bundle of 6GB | ₦50,000 | ₦8,333 |
The dollar prices are converted at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate, about ₦1,330. Your bank’s card rate may differ, but the gap is wide: the $12 eSIM stays cheaper than MTN’s bundle until a dollar costs ₦3,333.
The eSIM has no calls in it. Add MTN’s ₦10,000 voice plan for 50 minutes on your own number and the total is about ₦25,960, still well under any 5GB roaming bundle. For the trip itself, our guide to applying for a UK visa from Nigeria has the fees and steps.
Which one to pick
- Your phone takes an eSIM and you have a dollar card: a 5GB eSIM from Airalo or Nomad, with the Nigerian SIM kept on for calls and texts.
- No eSIM, light use: Airtel’s ₦10,000 bundle, for the minutes MTN and Glo leave out at that price.
- No eSIM, several gigabytes: MTN’s 5GB TravelPass at ₦40,000, the lowest price per gigabyte of the three.
- People must reach you on your Nigerian number: MTN’s ₦10,000 voice plan, or an Airtel bundle. Mind MTN’s 20% limit on incoming minutes in the UK and UAE.
- You are on Glo: ₦10,000 or more, on the named network only. In Dubai that is Etisalat, and our page on the Dubai visa for Nigerians covers the paperwork.
- You will be away for months: a local SIM where you are going, and Keep My Number so the Nigerian line is not recycled. For a prepaid line MTN charges ₦3,500 a year (*365#) and Airtel ₦2,000 (*494#).
Quick answers
What is the MTN roaming code?
*312*6# opens the TravelPass menu, and each plan has a direct code, such as *312*534# for 5GB. MTN’s site gives no separate code to switch roaming on.
Which countries does MTN roaming cover?
TravelPass covers more than 50, including the UK, US, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, South Africa, China and India. For anywhere else, MTN’s rates tool gives the airtime prices.
What is the Airtel roaming code?
*789# buys a Roam The World bundle and *789*4# checks the balance.
Does Glo roaming work in the UK and Canada?
In the UK the data bundles work on Three only. Canada is not on the bundle list. There, Glo’s rate tool shows ₦290 to ₦300 a minute and ₦33 per MB on Bell, Rogers and Telus.
Can I buy an eSIM for Nigeria?
Yes, if you are visiting. Airalo sells 5GB for 30 days at $30 and Nomad at $25, both data only. A local SIM is far cheaper: Airtel’s ₦5,000 monthly plan is 13GB, as our comparison of data plans on all four networks shows.
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