Ecobank Transfer Code 2024

Ecobank is a big proponent of multiple banking channels, from being one of the first conventional Nigerian banks to have fully functioning mobile apps to unveiling its iconic Magic Banking USSD banking service ahead of competitors nearly a decade ago.

Ecobank Magic Banking is basically mobile banking on steroids. While you need a smartphone and an internet connection to access the Ecobank mobile app for mobile banking, Magic Banking cuts off those unnecessary requirements. With just a feature phone and a SIM card, you can access pretty much any Ecobank banking function through Magic Banking.

If that sounds too good to be true, consider sticking around till the end of this guide. In this post, you’ll learn what the Ecobank transfer code is, how to set it up for your account, and how to complete basic Magic Banking Transactions using the transfer code.

What’s the Ecobank transfer code?

If you opened a Ecobank account in the last decade, you’re likely only familiar with app and ATM-based transactions on your account. However, you may be unaware of Ecobank’s three-digit transfer code dubbed “Magic Banking.”

The appeal is clear: while you need a smartphone or a trip to the nearest ATM stand to use the app and ATM banking channels respectively, you don’t need any of that with the Ecobank transfer code. Simply get a phone, literally any kind of phone that uses a SIM card, insert the SIM card linked to your Ecobank account, and start banking.

The Ecobank code for Magic Banking is *326#, and it works on any smartphone capable of sending SMS. In the following sections, you’ll learn how to activate the code and the banking operations possible through Ecobank’s 326 transfer code.

How to activate Ecobank transfer code

The Ecobank transfer code requires an initial setup to verify your identity before you can start using it for transactions. There are generally two ways to activate your Ecobank transfer code for transactions: the prepaid card option and the cardless option.

The former only works for customers that already have a prepaid card from Ecobank. If you’re don’t have the card yet, applying for one for the sole purpose of activating your Ecobank transfer code is simply not worth it.

If you already have the prepaid card, however, here are the steps required to activate your Ecobank transfer code:

• Dial *326# on the phone number linked to your Ecobank account.
• Select “Accept” on the initial prompt informing you of the applicable charges.
• The resulting popup should bring up a list of USSD banking services. Select any of the services (apart from account opening).
• Ecobank will prompt you to activate your account. Choose to verify your account using the prepaid card option.
• Enter your card number and follow the resulting on-screen instructions to link your card.

However, if you don’t already have a prepaid card from Ecobank, the cardless verification method should work better for you. Here are the steps required to setup Ecobank Magic Banking via USSD without a prepaid card:

• Dial *326# and select any available Ecobank USSD banking service.
• Ecobank should prompt you to sign up to continue.
• On the next page, select the “Account with PIN” option to proceed with activating your Ecobanktransfer code without a prepaid card.
• Enter your 10-digit account number on your next page to commence the activation process.
• Input your Ecobank account PIN to verify your identity and complete the Ecobank transfer code setup.

If you entered the correct details, the activation process should be successful and you should be able to start accessing Ecobank USSD banking services.

How to transfer funds using the Ecobank transfer code

Once you’ve activated your Ecobank transfer code, you can start using it for different transactions, from transferring funds to buying airtime and even paying bills. If you’re reading this, you’re most likely setting up USSD banking to transfer funds from your Ecobank account, and I’ll show you exactly how to do just that.

Here are the steps required to transfer money to another bank using the Ecobank transfer code:

• Dial *326# to open the Ecobank Magic Banking service menu
• Accept any Terms and Conditions if there are any
• Select the “Transfers” option from the USSD banking menu (it’s the third option for now)
• Set up your USSD transfer code if you haven’t done that already
• Select the recipient’s bank and enter their account number
• Confirm their name and enter how much you’d like to send
• Authenticate the transfer using your PIN or the last few digits of your card number

At this point, you should’ve successfully transferred the funds from your Ecobank account to the recipient’s bank account. The entire process should take less than a minute, and you should attempt to complete it as quickly as possible.

Since the entire transaction is over USSD, it has a pretty short timeout, and if the transaction isn’t over before that timeout, you may be cut off automatically.

If you’re repeatedly experiencing timeouts, you can use the short codes *326*1*Account Number# and *326*2*Account Number# to send money to Ecobank and to other banks respectively.

What services are available through the Ecobank transfer code?

Nearly all the banking services available on the Ecobank app are also available through the Ecobank transfer code. Here are basic banking operations available to all Ecobank customers through Ecobank’s Magic Banking service:

• Account opening
• Funds transfer (Ecobank to Ecobank and Ecobank to other banks)
• Airtime and data topups
• Flight payments
• Balance check
• Cardless withdrawals
• OTP generation
• BVN retrieval
• PIN change/reset
• Taxes and levies

Note that this is not an exhaustive list. You can dial *326# on your device to view the full list of transactions available to all Ecobank customers.

Conclusion

Ecobank’s Magic Banking isn’t a novel idea in the Nigerian banking industry, but it’s an excellent example of a transfer code well done. Because USSD-based banking targets dumbphones without internet, you’d naturally expect them to lack plenty of features, but that’s not the case with the Ecobank transfer code. Armed with *326#, you can access nearly just as many services as the average Ecobank customer using the Android or iOS app!