Commercial banks across Nigeria have notified customers of an increase in the SMS transaction alert fee from ₦4 to ₦6, effective Thursday, May 1, 2025. The hike comes in response to recently approved telecom tariff adjustments by the federal government.
In messages sent to customers early Wednesday, banks cited increased SMS delivery costs from telecom providers as the reason for the upward review. Some notices read: “Dear Valued Customer. Please be informed that effective Thursday, May 1, 2025, the SMS transaction alert fee will increase from ₦4 to ₦6 per message…”
The increment applies to domestic SMS alerts, while messages sent to international phone numbers may attract even higher charges.
This comes amid broader changes in Nigeria’s telecom pricing structure, recently greenlit by the federal government, which telecom companies say are necessary to cope with inflation and operational expenses.
