₦airaland Forum

Hello, Fellow Nairalanders, I hope you're all having a good day than I am.
We need to talk about what is currently happening with Smartcash PSB, the digital banking subsidiary owned by telecom giant Airtel Nigeria.
If you have money inside this app, or if you’ve been planning to use them for their much-advertised features, please read this thread carefully and secure your funds if you still can.
There is an ongoing, quiet crisis hitting Smartcash PSB users, and the complaints rocking the comment sections on their official social media handles (especially X/Twitter @smartcashpsb) are becoming too frequent and alarming to ignore.

My Personal Experience: How My ₦30,000 Vanished and They Ghosted Me.
Let me share my own firsthand nightmare with this platform. I had an active account with a total balance of ₦30,000 sitting safely inside it. Out of nowhere, following their recent "system upgrades," my account simply vanished. I was abruptly logged out, and every attempt to log back in or reset my credentials has been completely blocked. It is as if my account never existed in their database.
To make matters worse, I’ve tried reaching out to them via their so-called support on X. I sent multiple DMs detailing how my money disappeared, but they don't even acknowledge or reply to my messages. It’s total radio silence while they hold onto my ₦30,000. I can't even reach them through their help line +2349125939939 because all I get is a recorded message of "we're experiencing technical difficulties..."

The 10% Cashback Bait: Now Completely Broken
One of the biggest features Smartcash used to drag millions of Nigerians away from OPay and PalmPay was their highly publicized 10% Cashback promo on Airtel airtime and data recharges. It was a sweet deal on paper ...spend money and get instant percentages back into your wallet.
However, users are now crying out that this feature has been completely inoperable for a long duration. Not only are people not receiving their promised cashbacks, but the transactions frequently trigger errors, leaving users with failed recharges and trapped bonuses that can no longer be redeemed. They used the 10% cashback to lure people in, and now the system has been abandoned.

The Core Issues: What Customers Like Myself Are Facing
From the massive outcries rocking their recent social media posts, the operational failures of Smartcash PSB fall into three scary categories:

1. Forced Deactivations and "Vanishing" Funds
The bank has been sending out emails to certain users claiming they need to deactivate their wallets due to "upgrade issues." They explicitly assure customers that their balances are safe. However, multiple users have reported that after their wallets are deactivated for this "upgrade," the money is debited, and the bank fails to re-onboard them.

2. Constant Biometric Locks & Inaccessible Support
Following recent app updates, the application is abruptly logging users out. When trying to log back in, the app rejects previously registered biometrics. To make matters worse, when users try to reset their details via customer service, they are being told their bio-data (like Date of Birth) is incorrect even though the customer set it up themselves.

3. Hidden/Ghost Transactions and App Bugs
Many business owners and casual users complain that when transfers are made, money leaves the account immediately (debit alert received), but the transaction completely vanishes from the app's history. Users are left stranded at POS points or merchant shops with no receipts to prove they actually sent money. To make matters worse, sending money from other banks to smartcash PSB will be tagged successful but nowhere to be found within the recipient's account.

Current Outcries From Stranded Customers
A quick scroll through the comments on their recent X posts shows a pattern of absolute panic. Here is what real users are saying right now in their comments section:

App Lockout:"I updated the app and it doesn't accept my biometrics anymore. It locked my account. Customer service is telling me my date of birth is incorrect so I can't unlock it or get my money out!"

Missing Transaction Proof:"Sometimes when I send money and the person hasn't seen the alert, I check my transaction history to generate a receipt, but I can't see it! Even though I got the debit alert immediately. I almost got beaten up at a shop because of this issue."

The Silent Treatment:"You people will not reply DMs, your customer care number (939) is not connecting, and you have locked my money inside the app. Is this how you want to run a bank?"

Why This is Dangerous
Unlike regular commercial banks with prominent, dedicated brick-and-mortar branches on every street corner, Smartcash is a Payment Service Bank (PSB). While backed by Airtel, trying to resolve core banking issues at a standard telecom customer care center has proven to be a nightmare for many, as the telecom staff often lack the banking infrastructure to fix backend wallet glitches.
They lured millions of Nigerians in with promises of zero transaction fees and 10% cashback, but what use is a free transfer if you wake up one day and cannot access your capital?

Over to You, Nairalanders:
Are you currently using Smartcash PSB?
Have you experienced these random logouts, missing funds, or frozen wallets?
If you had issues and successfully got your money out, please share how you did it so others can learn.🙏🏾

Let's push this thread to the front page so Airtel and Smartcash PSB management can address this systematically before it turns into a full-blown financial disaster for unsuspecting Nigerians!
Mods, please help 🙏🏾 raise awareness on this matter by pushing this to the front page. Thank you.


#SmartcashPSB #AirtelNigeria #DigitalBanking #NairaCrisis

[give them like 6 days,they will be back.This glitch and network disruptions is what many nigerians from the south east has been passing through with EEDC.

Bmaster:
[give them like 6 days,they will be back.This glitch and network disruptions is what many nigerians from the south east has been passing through with EEDC.

This is serious. This is my first experience with this so I wasn't familiar with their game.

Glitch is a usual thing now in Nigeria banking system, don't panic, they will sort things out.

Just tried mine now and it's locked.

I was told to dia a number or 939

With this well crafted and detailed epistle, you have erased any doubts that this is a smear campaign against Smartcash.

The question, who's bankrolling you?

Modified

My apology to those who might have been offended by my comment.

Airtel is having some technical issues, it is expected that any affiliates of airtel will as well.

It's not out of the ordinary for businesses to have technical failures, even your commercial banks do as well.

My apology once again.

Thank God I nor dey use them. Even the Momo PSB of MTN sef, na small small Money I dey put inside in case if something like this happen! Airtel network these day's is seriously worse than anything! I nor dey even use their network too often sef. Na MTN I dey use pass.

Everything is fallen apart in Nigeria... Even to browse internet now na wahala

may LONG THROAT nor FINISH some people.Weda nah smart deals,smartcash whatever SCAM name dey use to entice una,SPEAK to yo legs and RUN.Even OPAY,I dey fear to deposit large some into the account. The moment I transfer 300k there,same week I don spend am leaving like 20k there.

I just tried mine too and it's locked. The last time I had issue with these guys, it took days before they fixed it after so many tweets. Customer service is 0

I haven't had any issues with Smartcash tho. It's been seamless from my end.

Try reaching out to them via private messaging or emails..

I used smartcash like almost daily. I do not experience all this. I get my cash back and all.

If it's not a regular bank it's not the same thing as a regular bank.

If them dey tell una, una no dey gree hear!

I didn't expect better from Airtel...I mean it's Airtel, their terrible services will extend to everything they start.

Opay should just start a telecommunication service please

I think is is actually real o...

Tenses:
With this well crafted and detailed epistle, you have erased any doubts that this is a smear campaign against Smartcash.

The question, who's bankrolling you?

From what you have written it's clear to me that you are a staff of Airtel

Are you guys getting something special from using all these apps? In fact, I tried Moniepoint and ended up deleting it after a month. I find OPay very convenient for us. It’s the best and most used mobile money app. Whenever I buy things here, 99% of the accounts provided are OPay accounts. I don’t think I need any other app apart from my bank app and the OPay app.

Mine is working perfectly well.

No issues at all.

Tenses:
With this well crafted and detailed epistle, you have erased any doubts that this is a smear campaign against Smartcash.

The question, who's bankrolling you?

You're so insensitive. Someone has detailed his personal experience about his money being trapped in an app and all you could do is allege that someone is bankrolling him for a smear campaign against Smartcash! Smh

MaziObinnaokija:
may LONG THROAT nor FINISH some people.Weda nah smart deals,smartcash whatever SCAM name dey use to entice una,SPEAK to yo legs and RUN.Even OPAY,I dey fear to deposit large some into the account. The moment I transfer 300k there,same week I don spend am leaving like 20k there.

While I'm not holding brief for any of them, you see Opay is one of the best apps I've enjoyed using (I dare say it's the best). Their network is 99.9%. In about 4 years of using Opay, I've only experienced issues once and it was promptly resolved when I sent a mail to their support.

This is my own personal experience and opinion tho.

Never had an issue with smartcash.
After reading this I decided to carry out some transactions and it was all smooth as before.

Apart from our collective psyche and value system as a group of people, a lot of establishments needs to be disbanded as soon as possible so that we can start from ground zero.

That I'm no fan of Airtel PSB doesn't mean that I'm safe from the prowling and prying eyes of others lurking and waiting in the corner trying to run their own heist too. Too many anyhowness is killing the system.

Same thing i faced yesterday. Couldn't withdraw money or buy airtime or bundle. I hope they restore order

There is a reason I got no interest or account with any Financial service provider whose building isn't close to Me. All the Likes of oPay, moniPoint, etc, Me never for once had any interest having anything to do with them. Call me oldSchool and I say Hi

Tenses:
With this well crafted and detailed epistle, you have erased any doubts that this is a smear campaign against Smartcash.

The question, who's bankrolling you?

Although they've bad system.
You buy prepaid meter, you won't see token until you mail them (Try n see)

You can't access customer service on the app. Their interface is very 4 centuries ago

bassdow:
There is a reason I got no interest or account with any Financial service provider whose building isn't close to Me. All the Likes of oPay, moniPoint, etc, Me never for once had any interest having anything to do with them. Call me oldSchool and I say Hi

smartCash PSB wey never even Popular don begin get complains.
Goodluck to their customers and GoodLuck to Us wey no dey follow the Crowd

On top this Tinubu induced psychosis sufferings?
They should kukuma kill all of us at once

No wonder I have not been able to make transfer into my account with them since yesterday

Mine is working just fine

unite4real:
Never had an issue with smartcash.
After reading this I decided to carry out some transactions and it was all smooth as before.

Me self shock because mine is working fine, it only asked me to reset my pin

Oisagbai78:
Thank God I nor dey use them. Even the Momo PSB of MTN sef, na small small Money I dey put inside in case if something like this happen! Airtel network these day's is seriously worse than anything! I nor dey even use their network too often sef. Na MTN I dey use pass.

yes their app is slow but momo has saved more lives than Jesus ever did.