Choose your actual provider and the task you want to complete. This directory lists documented USSD commands and official fallbacks for Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom. It covers balances, buying bundles, your own number, advances, transfers, subscription help and PUK assistance.
Run a code on the correct SIM. A code that opens a menu is not permission to buy, transfer, borrow or change an account. Read the final screen and any fee before confirming. The date beside each instruction records a document check; no handset testing is claimed.
Checked 1 November 2026. Some references are older operator documents, identified in the notes. Where a direct command could not be confirmed, the table gives an official app or support route. This is more useful than a plausible-looking string that might perform the wrong action.
Find a network code by task
All documented instructions appear below. Filtering stays in this browser.
| Network and task | Code or official route | Before using it | Source check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom: Airtime/data balance | *136# | Read the returned balances and their wallet labels. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: Bundles and account menu | *135# | Select the intended bundle; purchases spend airtime or another payment method. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: Own mobile number | *135*501# | Documented in the operator’s tablet-SIM guide; use the intended SIM. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: Airtime/data advance | *135*082# | Eligibility, fees and repayment apply; review the offered amount before accepting. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: Airtime transfer | VodaPay / My Vodacom | Use the documented transfer route. Check recipient, amount and applicable restrictions. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: Recurring bundle subscriptions | *135*997# | The source documents recurring data-bundle management. Ask support separately about third-party content charges and refund disputes. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Vodacom: PUK / registration assistance | Official account or support | Use My Vodacom for PUK and the provider’s RICA support for registration. No universal RICA-status code is asserted here. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: Airtime balance | *136# | Documented in the May 2023 operator catalogue; use the app if the command has changed. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: Buy bundles | *136*2# | Menu offers depend on the service. Review validity, allowance and payment before accepting. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: Own mobile number | *123*888# | Older documented command: May 2023 catalogue, printed page 37; not live-tested. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: XtraTime | *136*2# or *151# | Choose XtraTime. An advance plus service fee is recovered under the offered terms. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: Me2U transfer | *136*3# | Check recipient and service eligibility. Some profiles need provider activation. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: Review billed subscriptions | MTN App or official support | Request the active service list and cancellation route. A current direct cancellation string was not confirmed in the reviewed sources. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| MTN: PUK / registration assistance | Official account or 135 | Ask support to authenticate the account; do not guess PUK digits or treat a network result as RICA proof. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Balance / account menu | *147# | Use the current menu labels; this is a general self-service route. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Buy bundles | *147# | Follow the current bundle menu and confirm allowance, validity and price. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Own mobile number | Linked app/account or support | No direct own-number command verified. A trusted-phone call or existing account record can help. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Emergency Recharge | *147# | Choose Emergency Recharge. Check fees, recovery and any Auto TopUp enrolment. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Airtime Share | *147*333*recipient*amount# | Replace recipient and amount; verify them before confirmation. Eligible Cell C services only. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: Billed-service assistance | Cell C app or 135 | Ask for subscription details, cancellation and a separate billing dispute where needed. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Cell C: PUK assistance | *147# or official account | The FAQ documents a PUK menu; follow current labels rather than a fixed sequence of option numbers. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Airtime and data balance | *188# | Read each wallet and expiry separately; the app provides account detail. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Buy bundles / self-service | *180# | The menu can include Buy with Card; only approve a purchase you intended. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Own mobile number | *1# | Result includes MSISDN and IMSI. The MSISDN is the mobile number. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Emergency Top Up | *180# | Select Emergency Top Up. Eligibility, denomination and repayment depend on the account. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Data transfer | *180# | Use the sending Telkom line and follow current data-transfer terms; not a promise of cross-network airtime transfer. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: Review billed services | MyTelkom App / official support | Request the content-service list, cancellation confirmation and any billing dispute reference. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
| Telkom: PUK / registration assistance | Official account or support | Use provider verification. The registration article links the official Self RICA route. | Operator source Document checked 1 November 2026 |
Open the detailed network guide
- Vodacom codes and account tasks
- MTN codes, XtraTime and Me2U
- Cell C menus, Emergency Recharge and Airtime Share
- Telkom menus, own-number check and Emergency Top Up
Read the correct airtime and data wallet
A cash balance, promotional airtime, an app-specific bundle and Anytime data are different wallets. Read the label and expiry as well as the amount. A phone can show unused promotional data while the application you are using consumes a different allowance.
If your balance seems to fall unexpectedly, compare the provider's usage detail with the product you bought. Check whether an advance is being recovered, an out-of-bundle session is charged or a subscription is active. Buying another bundle before identifying the wallet can repeat the same misunderstanding.
For prices from SIMcloud's current catalogue, use the dynamic data-price comparison. The provider's USSD menu can contain personalised products that differ from a reseller catalogue. Compare the actual allowance, validity and eligibility instead of only the headline rand amount.
Borrowing airtime or data
An advance is repayable. The available denomination, service fee and recovery method depend on the operator's current offer and your account. A future recharge can be reduced by the repayment. That does not automatically mean the recharge was short-loaded.
Use the documented advance menu, read the total repayment and decide whether the offer meets the immediate need. Distinguish a one-off advance from an automatic facility. If an Auto TopUp or similar option is displayed, check what triggers another advance and how to stop it. Keep the confirmation or reference.
Sending airtime or data to someone else
Confirm the complete recipient number and current provider before transferring. Same-network transfer services are not a universal way to send airtime across providers. Some allowances cannot be shared, and the recipient may receive different validity conditions from your own wallet.
For a number you control, use the own-number guide. For a supported mobile network check, use SIMcloud's lookup instructions. A host-network result does not guarantee that a virtual operator supports the host's retail transfer menu.
A transfer and a new recharge are different transactions. In a transfer, value moves under the operator's sharing rules. In a recharge, you buy the selected product for a recipient. Check the confirmation screen so that you know which action you are performing.
Stop billed subscriptions without confusing other settings
First obtain the active service name, charge and billing provider. Use a verified subscription-management route and save cancellation confirmation. Then ask separately for a billing investigation if you dispute earlier charges. Cancellation does not establish a refund and blocking a sender does not establish cancellation.
Marketing permissions, content subscriptions, roaming, caller-ID settings and mobile data are separate controls. A code that disables one is not a substitute for another. Where no current direct cancellation command is documented in the table, request the provider's active-service list through its official account or support channel.
Use the SMS and unwanted-billing reporting guide when the issue needs escalation. Do not enter a sequence from a forwarded message merely because it promises to “stop all deductions”.
PUK and RICA are account-verification tasks
Do not guess a PUK. Ask the provider to authenticate the account and retrieve the correct information for the affected SIM. A device identifier, SIM serial and mobile number are different fields; supply the one the verified support process requests.
The RICA guide explains how to check your own registration details through official channels. A working USSD menu or a network result does not certify whose identity is registered. This directory has no public RICA-status or owner-name search.
If a code does not work
- Confirm the selected SIM and the current retail provider.
- Check mobile signal and whether the line is enabled. Wi-Fi connectivity alone is insufficient.
- Re-enter the complete documented command, including star and hash characters.
- Record the error and check whether your service is prepaid, contract, roaming, virtual-operator or data-only.
- Use the linked operator account or support route if the command remains unavailable.
Do not convert an error into a series of guessed codes. Some strings change call forwarding, tariffs or account settings. The source table deliberately uses menu routes where direct strings or fixed option numbers were not confirmed.
USSD questions
Do USSD menus use mobile data?
They use the mobile network's signalling service rather than an ordinary web page. A follow-on web or payment journey can need connectivity, and the action selected can incur a charge. Check the provider's terms.
Can I use the host network's code on a virtual operator?
Use your retail provider's instructions. A roaming or host-network association does not establish menu compatibility or transfer eligibility.
Are these codes live-tested?
No. They were checked against the operator documents linked beside them on the stated date. Older sources and unconfirmed direct commands are explicitly labelled.
Why does the table sometimes give support instead of a code?
A direct command was not confirmed for that task, or it needs account verification. The official fallback avoids presenting an unverified shortcut as a working instruction.