MTN Zone Tariff Plan in Nigeria: Code and What to Use Now

Zone was the MTN plan that priced MTN-to-MTN calls by where you were and what time it was, from as little as 1 kobo a second. It was already off MTN Nigeria’s published list of tariff plans by October 2019, and it has no page on MTN’s website today. The code people still look for, *135*1#, appears on none of MTN’s tariff or help pages.

Nothing MTN sells now works the way Zone did. Each current plan charges the same rate to every Nigerian network, and the cheapest minutes come from small voice bundles that work on any plan. The rates and codes here are the ones on MTN’s own website.

MTN tariff plans and call rates at a glance

An SMS to any Nigerian network costs ₦6 on all four. Changing plan is free the first time in a month. After that MTN charges ₦102 to move to MTN X or mPulse and ₦150 to move to BetaGist.

What MTN Zone was

MTN’s own page for the plan, which the Internet Archive still holds, describes a prepaid plan with discounted MTN-to-MTN calls that depended on the area you were in and the time of day. The discount changed from one cell site to the next, and your phone showed the going rate on screen if cell broadcast was switched on.

The other draw was Happy Hour. Between 12am and 4am, calls were free as long as there was ₦100 on the line at midnight. To join the plan you dialled *135*1# or sent 135 by text to 131.

None of the plans MTN lists today gives free midnight calls or a discount that depends on where you are. MTN numbers cost the same to call as any other network.

MTN no longer publishes *135*1#, and we found nothing from MTN that says what the code does now, so do not count on it. If your line has been on Zone since those days, check which plan it is on today (the steps are near the end of this page). MTN’s BetaGist FAQ covers customers on two other older plans, BetaTalk and YafunYafun, being moved to BetaGist. It does not mention Zone.

SuperSaver Plus, another MTN plan from the same years, has gone the same way. We cover it in MTN Super Saver code: what to use now.

BetaGist: the default plan

Every new MTN SIM starts on BetaGist. Calls to any Nigerian network are 33 kobo a second, which is ₦19.80 a minute, and there is no access fee.

The part worth knowing is the minutes it gives back. For every 6 minutes of local calls you pay for from your main balance in a week, MTN returns 3 minutes, valid for two days. The week runs from Monday to Sunday and the count starts again each Monday.

If you use the returned minutes in time, you have paid ₦118.80 for 9 minutes of talk. That works out at ₦13.20 a minute, or 22 kobo a second.

To move to BetaGist, text BG to 312 or dial *123*2*1#. Dial *310*5# to see the minutes you have been given back.

MTN X: 25k/sec with a daily fee

MTN X sits where Pulse used to be: the old Pulse address on MTN’s site now opens the MTN X page. You pay a ₦10 access fee a day, and calls to all networks are then 25 kobo a second, or ₦15 a minute. If there is not ₦10 on the line for the fee, calls are charged at 30 kobo a second.

Against BetaGist’s plain rate, MTN X saves ₦4.80 a minute, so the fee is covered after a little over two minutes of calls in a day. Against BetaGist with its returned minutes, MTN X loses: ₦15 a minute plus the fee is more than ₦13.20.

The reason to choose MTN X is data. MTN lists a ₦750 weekly bundle of 1.2GB with an hour of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and a ₦300 bundle of 1GB for streaming apps. Bundles earn points that you can swap for more data. To move, text MTNX to 312 or dial *406*1#.

The MTN night plan code

The nearest thing left to Zone’s midnight offer is on MTN X, and it is data, not calls. The Nightlife bundle is 500MB for ₦75, usable from 11pm to 6am. Text NT2 to 312 or dial *406# to buy it. You can buy it up to four times in a day, and whatever is left is wiped at 6am. Buying it from another plan moves your line to MTN X with no migration charge.

XtraValue: calls and data in one bundle

XtraValue works differently. You buy a bundle, and calls made from it cost ₦10.80 a minute (18 kobo a second). Once the bundle is used up, calls are 30 kobo a second.

Two of the bundles lean towards calls. XtraTalk 500 costs ₦500 and gives 37 minutes, 250MB and 5 SMS for 7 days. XtraTalk 1500 costs ₦1,500 and gives 117 minutes, 580MB and 10 SMS for 30 days. Text V500 or V1500 to 312 to buy one. MTN says buying a bundle moves your line to XtraValue, and you pay only for the bundle.

mPulse: for ages 9 to 15

mPulse has the lowest plain call rate of the prepaid plans, 20 kobo a second (₦12 a minute). MTN describes it as a plan for customers aged 9 to 15, built around education data bundles and a parent’s line linked to the child’s. To move a child’s line, text mPulse to 344 or dial *344*1#.

Cheaper minutes on any plan

You do not have to change plan to pay less per minute. MTN’s sachet bundles are blocks of minutes for calls within Nigeria, open to every prepaid and postpaid customer.

Dial *887# to buy one from your airtime, and *310*15# to see the minutes left. Unused minutes are cleared when the bundle expires unless you buy the same bundle again in time, so pick the size you will finish.

GistPlus needs a second look before you use it. Load a ₦1,000 card with *888*PIN# and it becomes ₦4,000 in a bonus account that lasts 14 days. The offer is for lines that have been on MTN for more than 30 days. Calls from that account are billed at 75 kobo a second, which is ₦45 a minute. So the ₦4,000 buys about 88 minutes, where ₦1,000 at BetaGist’s plain rate buys 50. Useful, but it is not four times the talk.

Which to pick

• You call most days: BetaGist. Six paid minutes in a week is all it takes to start getting minutes back, and there is no daily fee.
• You care more about data than calls: MTN X, for its streaming and night bundles.
• You want one payment to cover a month of calls and data: XtraTalk 1500 on XtraValue.
• You have one long call to make: a ₦100 sachet bundle. Ten minutes costs ₦100, where BetaGist’s plain rate would charge ₦198.
• You stayed on Zone for the free calls after midnight: nothing on MTN’s list replaces them.

How to check your MTN tariff plan

MTN’s help pages point to the app and the website for seeing your plan, and to a USSD code for changing it.

• The myMTN NG app. Tap your airtime or data balance on the home screen. Your current plan is named at the top of the next page. Tap it for the Change Plan option.
• The myMTN website, mymtn.com.ng. Sign in with your number and the one-time code MTN sends you, click your name at the top right and choose My Plan.
• *123*2#. This opens the menu MTN uses for moving from one plan to another.

Quick answers

What is the MTN Zone migration code?

It was *135*1#, or 135 sent by text to 131. MTN no longer lists the plan or the code.

Is MTN Zone still available?

It is not among the tariff plans on MTN Nigeria’s website, and it was already missing from that list in October 2019.

What is the best MTN tariff plan for calls?

BetaGist for most people: 33 kobo a second, with 3 minutes back for every 6 you pay for in a week. For a single long call, a sachet bundle is cheaper at about ₦10 a minute.

What is the MTN night plan code?

Text NT2 to 312 or dial *406#. It buys 500MB for ₦75, usable from 11pm to 6am. It is a data bundle on MTN X, not a call offer.

How do I check my MTN tariff plan?

Open the myMTN NG app and tap your airtime or data balance. The plan is named at the top of that page.