📱 What Is MTN Airtime Advance?

MTN Airtime Advance is a credit service that lets prepaid MTN users borrow airtime when their balance is too low to make calls, buy data, or use USSD services. It’s like an instant loan of airtime that gets deducted from your next recharge.

✅ Who Qualifies for MTN Airtime Advance?

To qualify, you must:

• Be an active MTN prepaid customer.
• Have recharged regularly (MTN monitors your recharge and usage history).
• Have a SIM older than 60 days.
• Have no outstanding airtime advance balance.

If you meet these requirements, you’re good to go.

💡 How to Get an MTN Airtime Advance

You can request airtime using one of the following methods:

📲 USSD Method:

Dial *136*2# on your MTN line. This is the MTN Airtime advance number.

Choose “Airtime Advance”.

Select the amount you’d like to borrow (e.g., R5, R10, R20).

Confirm the request.

📱 MTN App (if installed):

Open the MTN App.

Go to "Airtime & Bundles".

Select Airtime Advance.

Choose the desired amount and tap confirm.

💰 How Much Can You Borrow?

MTN offers the following advance options (subject to your airtime purchase history):

• R5
• R10
• R15
• R20
• R30
• R50

Your maximum advance limit depends on how often and how much airtime you recharge.

⚠️ MTN Airtime Advance Service Fees

Every time you use this service, MTN charges a service fee of around 10–20% of the borrowed amount. Here’s an example:

If you borrow R10, you'll be charged a R1.50 service fee, meaning you owe MTN R11.50.*

*Fees may vary slightly based on promotions or pricing changes.

🔁 When and How Do You Repay the Advance?

MTN automatically deducts the total borrowed amount + service fee the next time you recharge.

For example, if you borrow R20 and load R29 the next day, MTN deducts R23 (if there's a R3 service fee) and you’ll be left with R6.

🧾 My Experience Using MTN Airtime Advance

I don’t usually borrow airtime, but I decided to try the MTN Airtime Advance to test how quickly it works. Because I primarily use Vodacom, for the purpose of testing this, I went ahead and bought several other SIM cards about 3 months back, including an MTN SIM card. After waiting the cooldown period (about 60 days) and dialing *136*2#, I selected R10, and it was credited instantly — literally within 5 seconds. The next time I recharged R20, MTN deducted the R11.50 I owed. It’s helpful in emergencies, but I’d avoid it unless absolutely necessary because of the fee.

🧠 FAQs: MTN Airtime Advance

Q: Can I borrow MTN data instead of airtime?
A: Yes. MTN offers Data Advance via the same USSD code: *136*2#.

Q: What happens if I don’t repay the airtime advance?
A: You won’t be able to use the service again until you repay. Future recharges will be auto-deducted.

Q: Is the airtime advance amount fixed?
A: No, it depends on your recharge and usage history. The longer and more frequently you recharge, the higher your eligible advance may be.

🎁 How to Earn Airtime for Free

If you’re regularly borrowing airtime, why not earn it instead — for free?

With Points Castle, you can:

• Complete quick surveys
• Play engaging games
• Refer friends and earn bonuses
• Redeem points for MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, and pretty much any other airtime provider in South Africa

✅ No borrowing. No fees. Just rewards.