Corporate Merchant. Wholesale rates for operators trading in volume.
Our boldest pricing tier, built for the builders, resellers and volume operators who outgrew standard Corporate. Rates sit 30% to 60% below standard Corporate, by service. Access is through the API, activation is free and instant, and the rate structure is published - no custom deal to negotiate.
Where the tiers sit
The exact rate on every service is shown in your dashboard, and you do not need to activate the tier to look. Open the pricing section.
Who this tier is built for
Operators in the ecosystem had been quietly outgrowing Corporate pricing for months - some asking about custom deals, some looking at going direct. This is the published answer to that.
Volume pushers
Operators moving large, steady daily or weekly volume who have simply outgrown standard Corporate rates and were heading for a custom deal.
Platforms and aggregators
Anyone running their own site, app or reseller platform on top of our API, where the rate you buy at decides the margin you can offer your own users.
Fintechs touching telecoms
Products that bolt airtime, data or bill payment onto an existing wallet or banking flow and need wholesale input pricing to make the unit economics work.
Campaign-driven organisations
Affiliates, institutions and programmes that push high volume in short windows - periodic campaigns to companies and schools rather than a flat daily load.
How the merchant balance works
Six rules. Read them before you activate, not after - rule four changes how your API behaves.
Before you switch, read this. Activating moves your API orders onto the merchant balance. Your API will not process orders until you fund that balance with a single deposit or transfer of ₦100,000 or more. Website and app orders keep using your main wallet as normal. If you are running live traffic, fund first, then switch.
- 1Merchant pricing applies to your merchant balance, not your main wallet. It is a separate bucket, funded on purpose.
- 2The bucket only opens with a single funding of ₦100,000 or more. Smaller deposits stay in your ordinary wallet at your ordinary Corporate rates - they do not accumulate into the bucket.
- 3Merchant rates are available through the API only. Orders you place on the website or the app are paid from your main wallet, at your normal rates, exactly as before.
- 4Your API draws on the merchant balance with no fallback. If that balance is empty, API orders fail rather than quietly billing your main wallet. That is the trade for the rate.
- 5The commitment is ₦500,000 across any rolling 30 days. It is a moving window, not a calendar month.
- 6Leaving is not a penalty. Step out of the tier and any remaining merchant balance returns to your main wallet.
How to activate
All setup happens on the website dashboard. There is no application to submit and nobody to wait for.
Verify your account
Complete KYC verification if you have not. API access is only ever granted to verified accounts, and verification is free.
Be on Corporate
Corporate Merchant sits on top of Corporate, so a Corporate account is the prerequisite. The business path to Corporate is free.
Activate on the website
Open the Corporate Merchant section in your dashboard and activate. No form, no fee and no approval queue - it is on immediately.
Fund the bucket
Move or deposit ₦100,000 or more in a single funding. Your merchant rates then apply to API orders straight away.
At volume, funding fees stop being small. Yours stay at ₦0.
Percentage-based funding fees cost the most to the accounts that move the most. Transfers into your Bigisub permanent account carry no funding charge at any size, so what it costs you to put money in never climbs with your volume.
- No funding charge at any amount - ₦10,000 or ₦1,000,000
- Fund as often as operations require, with no per-transfer fee
- Permanent account number issued free to verified accounts
Deposit received
Your Bigisub permanent account
The same at ₦1,000 or ₦1,000,000. Transfers into your permanent account are never charged a funding fee.
On other platforms, funding ₦500,000 at a 1.5% fee
₦7,500 taken
On Bigisub, funding the same ₦500,000
₦0 taken
Illustrative, to show how a percentage-based funding fee scales with the amount - a fee that is forgettable on a small top-up is not forgettable at reseller volume. Funding fees differ by platform. Applies to transfers into your Bigisub permanent account number, which is issued free once your account is verified. Verification is free.
Reseller, Corporate, Corporate Merchant
What actually differs between the three tiers. Rate positions are shown as bands - your exact per-service rate lives in your dashboard.
| Feature | Reseller | Corporate | Corporate Merchant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate position | Standard | 15-40% below standard | A further 30-60% below Corporate |
| Where the rate applies | Everywhere | Everywhere | API orders only |
| Pays from | Main wallet | Main wallet | Funded merchant balance |
| Minimum to open | None | None | ₦100,000 single funding |
| Rolling 30-day commitment | None | None | ₦500,000 |
| Cost to activate | Free | ₦10,000 or free business path | Free, instant |
| Rate negotiation needed | No | No | No - published tier |
| Funding fees | ₦0 | ₦0 | ₦0 |
| IP whitelisting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Separate merchant ledger | No | No | Yes |
What you run it on
The same production infrastructure that serves the Bigisub web and mobile apps - over 70 endpoints, a 99.9% uptime SLA and 8-second average delivery.
Every service, one API
Airtime on all networks, data bundles, cable TV, electricity across all DisCos, result checker e-PINs, betting wallet funding and bulk SMS. Clear JSON responses with status, reference and balance on every call.
IP whitelisting
Whitelist your server addresses in the API dashboard and only those servers can use your key. Even if the key leaks, no unauthorised traffic can spend it. About two minutes to configure, and worth doing on day one.
Its own ledger
The merchant balance keeps a ledger separate from your wallet history, so API spend reconciles on its own without you unpicking it from website and app activity.
Webhooks and sandbox
Test every endpoint against the sandbox before you go live, then use webhook callbacks for asynchronous transaction status so your system stays in sync without polling.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is Corporate Merchant?+
It is Bigisub's top pricing tier, built for operators trading in volume through the API. Rates sit 30% to 60% below standard Corporate rates, depending on the service. It is a published tier with a fixed rate structure, so there is no back-and-forth negotiation to get it.
Do I have to be on Corporate first?+
Yes. Corporate Merchant sits on top of Corporate, so your account has to be Corporate before you can take it. If you are on a Reseller account, complete the Corporate upgrade first - the business verification path to Corporate is free.
What does it cost to activate?+
Nothing. Activation is free and instant from your dashboard, with no form, no fee and no approval queue. The only money involved is funding your merchant balance, and that money is yours to spend on orders.
Why is it API-only?+
The rate is built around predictable, automated volume, which is what API traffic is. Orders you place through the website or the app continue to come out of your main wallet at your normal Corporate rates - nothing about your existing day-to-day changes.
What happens if my merchant balance runs out?+
API orders fail until you fund it again. There is deliberately no fallback to your main wallet, so a low balance is visible rather than silently expensive. Keep the balance topped up the same way you would keep any float topped up.
Why does it need ₦100,000 in a single funding?+
The merchant balance only opens on a single deposit or transfer of ₦100,000 or more. Several smaller deposits do not add up into it - they stay in your ordinary wallet at your ordinary rates. This is the one rule worth reading twice before you activate.
Is the ₦500,000 a calendar month target?+
No. It is ₦500,000 across any rolling 30-day window, so the window moves with you rather than resetting on the first of the month.
Can I see the exact rates before I commit?+
Yes. The pricing section in your dashboard shows what your account pays on every service. You do not have to activate the tier to look.
What can I do with the API?+
Airtime across all Nigerian networks, data bundles, cable TV, electricity for all DisCos, result checker e-PINs, betting wallet funding and bulk SMS - over 70 endpoints, with webhooks for asynchronous status updates and a sandbox to test against first.
How do I protect my API key?+
Whitelist your server IP addresses in the API section of your dashboard. Once set, only requests from your approved servers can use your key, so a leaked key cannot be used from anywhere else. It takes about two minutes to configure.
Can I leave the tier later?+
Yes, and it is not punitive. When you step out, any remaining merchant balance is returned to your main wallet and your API goes back to drawing on your main wallet at your Corporate rates.
Run the numbers on your next batch
If you are pushing serious volume through the API, this is the tier your account belongs in. Activation is free and immediate, and your new pricing applies to API orders as soon as the merchant balance is funded.
Where to go next
Whether you are getting to Corporate first, wiring up the API, or just checking the numbers.
Upgrade to Corporate
15% to 40% off every service, plus Marketing Hub and priority support. The business path is free.
See CorporateAPI documentation
Over 70 endpoints with request and response examples, webhooks and a sandbox to test against.
Read the docsThe VTU API
Automate airtime, data, bills and e-PINs from your own app or site. 99.9% uptime, 8-second delivery.
See the APIOwn a VTU website
A white-label platform under your own brand and pricing, running on Bigisub infrastructure.
See how it worksSee every price
Live rates for data, airtime, cable, electricity, exam PINs and bulk SMS, all on one page.
Check pricesCreate a free account
Takes a couple of minutes. Verification is free and gives you a permanent account number you can fund with no charge.
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