Starting today, Thursday, May 1, 2025, banks in Nigeria will begin charging more money for every text message (SMS) alert sent to customers. The new fee is now N6 per SMS, which is an increase from the previous N4.
This change comes after the Federal Government allowed telecommunication companies to raise their prices, and now banks are passing that cost on to their customers.
Many banks have already informed their customers about the change through emails and messages. For example, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) sent an email with the title *“Increase in SMS Transaction Alert fee.” The message explained that the new price will help cover the higher costs charged by telecom companies.
The bank also reminded customers that SMS alerts are important because they help people keep track of money coming in or going out of their accounts.
GTBank added that anyone who doesn’t want to receive SMS alerts can change their settings online by filling out a form on the bank’s website. They also noted that SMS sent to international phone numbers will cost even more.
This means that from now on, every time your bank sends you a text about your account activity, it will cost N6. So, if you get 10 alerts in a day, that’s N60 taken from your account for SMS.
What does this mean for young people like you? If your parents or guardians have bank accounts, they might start paying more for the text messages they receive from their banks. It’s a small amount per message, but it can add up if they get many alerts.
