# General Business Category > Technology Forum >  How to check remaining prepaid data on MTN?

## Neville Bailey

I have a prepaid MTN simcard in my mobile router, which I use for my laptop, phone and tablet when I am on the road.

How can I check how much of my prepaid data bundle is left?

I don't want to have to take the simcard out of my mobile router and stick it into a phone to check - too much hassle. I can access my mobile router on my browser and there is an SMS utility there, so I am sure there must be a number that I can SMS with a message in it, and then get an SMS reply with the details?

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## rozzer

Hi Neville

I use MTN prepaid and when i click the MTN online dialogue box appears, there i can connect and check my remaing amount
by clicking on self service and check balance

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## wynn

or dial *141#  will tell you airtime, sms bundle and how many gig of data available.

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## Neville Bailey

> or dial *141#  will tell you airtime, sms bundle and how many gig of data available.


That's the problem - I don't want to take the simcard out of my mobile router and put it into a phone so that I can dial *141#.

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wynn (27-Nov-14)

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## rozzer

Where do you want to view the details, is it on your pc or what?

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## Neville Bailey

> Where do you want to view the details, is it on your pc or what?


Yes, on my PC. I can open a browser page on my PC for my mobile router, and there is an SMS utility in it.

I have attached a screenshot.

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## Justloadit

Hi Neville,

Did some googling. Some one says this works, not sure as I do not have MTN.

Here's a new way of checking airtime balance and access expiry date on the MTN network:

Send 8 in a text message to 131.

You'll then receive a text message reply with the information.

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## Neville Bailey

I've tried that and the SMS goes through successfully but then I get a reply SMS stating that the SMS report failed...

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## Justloadit

Maybe give MTN a call then

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## rozzer

I have a different MTN utility Screen as i am using a modem and i have the facility to see my data usage
and check how much airtime i have used and remaining.
I also have a keypad and if i struggle i can dial *141*1# and select Internet and it will call and give balance.
try that!!

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## KousZA

Hi Neville,

Did you ever find a solution to your problem?

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## Neville Bailey

> Hi Neville,
> 
> Did you ever find a solution to your problem?


Unfortunately not yet.

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## handmadeza

I had exactly the same problem and finally found a solution.  One would think that in today's world of technology where its extremely easy to buy data direct online, from anywhere in the world (Prepaid24.co.za for example) and have it immediately loaded directly to the SIMM, wherever the SIMM may be located, one would assume it should be possible to login to an account to see what the current usage is, but astoundingly this appears not be an available option.   

In our situation my family has a Huawei 3G router installed at a holiday home some 200Km away (as Murphy would have it I am closest).  There are no adsl landlines available and MTN Edge is the best we get. Asking a non tech savvy guest to extract a SIMM card from a Huawei router, insert it into a phone and then go through the USSD steps just to work out whether you actually have data or not would be absurdly funny, if it weren't horribly true.

The solution I found is to use Afrihost. You can provide them with your MTN SIMM card details and then from there use the Client Zone to track the data.  You will obviously need to buy your data from Afrihost to be able to track it, but their rates are pretty good.  You will also need (VERY IMPORTANT) to buy some airtime (say R10.00) at least once every 89 days (90 days of inactivity and MTN expires the SIMM).  

Hope this helps :-)

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Neville Bailey (18-Oct-16)

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## Justloadit

> You will also need (VERY IMPORTANT) to buy some airtime (say R10.00) at least once every 89 days (90 days of inactivity and MTN expires the SIMM).  
> Hope this helps :-)


Please check this out, my experience has been that the R10 vouchers expire on 20 days from date of enabling, on all the networks. Purchasing a R29 or R30 depending on the network, gives you a 89 day window before expiring. Ensure that the SIM is used at least once every 89 days to maintain the SIM. Keeping a SIM number alive has infrastructure allocated to it, and the R10 a month is like the line rental if you want to call it that. This information is not mentioned to users, but it is active.

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## handmadeza

Thank you for this. Very good to know. My info was from the local MTN store, which I must assume is incorrect.

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## Gaynor

There is an MTN app you can download for smartphones which shows it. It took me a long time to discover this.

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## benza2

In case someone still wants a solution to the questions up to 2016 on how to get data available from MTN for prepaid SIM in router :
If you are within WiFi reach of the router:
1) Use a smartphone to connect via WiFi to the router
2) Install an app to be able to send USSD code  - I use "emDial" (free app) on a Windows Lumia phone
3) Use emDial (or equivalent) to send USSD code  - for MTN    *141*1# , wait for MTN response  and then reply with "2" to get list of data types and expiry dates.
Hope it helps!

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## Houses4Rent

How come purchased data/airtime can expire? is it going off or something like that? I never solved that miracle.

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