How to Get Free Data in Nigeria

Where legitimate free data comes from

1. Your own network

MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile all run offers from time to time: bonus data when you recharge or buy certain plans, welcome offers, loyalty rewards and seasonal promotions. The details change often, so the only reliable place to find current ones is the network itself: its official app, website or verified social media accounts.

These are genuine, but they are usually tied to spending: a bonus on top of something you buy, rather than data for nothing.

2. Apps that reward you with data

Some apps give you data as a reward for using them, watching ads or inviting friends. The app pays for the data and has it sent to your number. Done properly, this is legitimate, but the amounts are modest and there are always conditions, such as a minimum balance before you can redeem, or a limit per day or week. Check that the app is on the official App Store or Google Play and explains its rules up front.

3. Free Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi at work, school, church, cafés and malls costs you nothing from your bundle. Treat public Wi-Fi with care: avoid logging into banking apps on it, and don't enter passwords on a page that pops up asking for them.

What isn't really free data

• Borrowed data. Borrowing through your network (the shared borrow code is *303#) is a loan. It is taken back, with a fee, from your next recharge.
• "Cheats" and tricks. VPN settings or codes that claim to unlock unlimited browsing usually break your network's terms, can stop working at any moment, and some expose your phone to risk.
• Giveaway posts. Messages offering big bundles in a celebrity's or a network's name, if you share them or enter your number. The NCC has publicly warned about several of these.

Legitimate Ways to Get Free Data in Nigeria has a checklist for telling a real offer from a fake one.

How Dataly's data rewards work

Dataly is a data usage monitor. It is not a mobile network and doesn't sell data. In the iPhone and Android apps, users in Nigeria can also earn data rewards, which Dataly pays for and sends to their line. Here is exactly how it works:

• Earning. You build up a balance by inviting friends who install Dataly and enter your code, by watching short optional ads for a daily reward, and by keeping a daily streak going.
• Limits. There is a daily cap on ad rewards and a weekly cap on referral rewards. The app shows your progress against each.
• Redeeming. Once your balance reaches the minimum shown in the app, you choose a supported network and enter a Nigerian phone number. The app tells you when your request is being processed and when the data has been sent.
• What it never asks for. No payment, no PIN, no bank details. Your phone number is only used to send the reward.

Make the data you have go further

The most reliable "free data" is the data you stop wasting. Lowering video quality and stopping updates on mobile data can make a bundle last noticeably longer. See How to Save Mobile Data, or the network guides for MTN and Glo.