What is VTU and how does Bigisub.ng work?

VTU (Virtual Top-Up) is a digital business model where you buy and sell airtime, data bundles, and bill payment services online. Bigisub.ng is a Nigerian VTU platform serving individuals, resellers and businesses nationwide. Simply register free, fund your wallet, and start buying or reselling data, airtime, cable subscriptions, electricity bills, and more with automated delivery.

How do I start a data reselling business with Bigisub?

Registration on Bigisub.ng is free. Fund your wallet from ₦500, buy data bundles at reseller prices, and sell them on at your own rate. Bigisub takes no commission on the margin you set. The Pay For Me feature also lets a customer fund your wallet directly for their order, so you can fulfil a sale without paying in first. Delivery is automated and support is available 24/7.

What services does Bigisub.ng offer?

Bigisub.ng offers comprehensive digital services including: VTU data bundles (MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9mobile), airtime recharge, cable TV subscriptions (DSTV, GOTV, Startimes), electricity bill payments, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB result checker pins, social media growth services, bulk SMS, and enterprise API integration.

How long does it take to receive data after purchase?

Data delivery on Bigisub.ng is instant with an average delivery time of 8 seconds. Our platform runs automated delivery 24/7. If you experience any delay, our customer support team is available round-the-clock to assist you.

Is there an API for developers to integrate Bigisub services?

Yes, Bigisub.ng provides a well-documented RESTful API for developers and businesses. Integrate VTU services, bill payments, and all our services into your platform with just a few lines of code. Every purchase returns its final status in the response, you can requery any transaction on demand, and a live console lets you test every endpoint with your own token before you write code. Visit our API documentation at bigisub.ng to get started.

Developer API Platform

Build Africa's Next Fintech Startup with One API

The Bigisub VTU API gives you instant access to airtime topup, data bundles, cable TV subscriptions, electricity bills, betting wallet funding, and bulk SMS - all from a single RESTful integration. 70+ endpoints. 8-second delivery. 99.9% uptime.

Part of our commitment to empowering African developers and building self-sufficient startups across the continent. Whether you're building a VTU app, a fintech super-app, or adding bill payments to your existing platform - Bigisub's infrastructure handles the complexity so you can ship faster.

View API Documentation

African developer building with Bigisub API

500+

Apps built on Bigisub API

African countries

70+

API endpoints

bigisub-api-example.js

// Buy MTN data. network and plan are ids, not names.
const res = await fetch('https://bigisub.ng/api/v2/vtu/data/purchase/', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Token YOUR_API_TOKEN',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    network: 1,                  // 1=MTN 2=Glo 3=Airtel 4=9mobile
    plan: 142,                   // plan id from the data plans endpoint
    phone_number: '08030000000',
    pin: '1234'                  // your 4 digit transaction PIN
  })
});
const { success, data } = await res.json();
// data.status, data.transaction_id, data.amount, data.after_balance

70+

API Endpoints

Avg Delivery

99.9%

Uptime

₦0

Funding fees

One API, Every Service

Stop juggling multiple API providers. Bigisub gives you airtime, data, cable TV, electricity, betting, SMS, and education services - all through one RESTful API with consistent response formats and unified authentication.

Airtime Topup API

Instant airtime delivery across MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile. Single & bulk purchases.

POST /api/v2/vtu/airtime/purchase/

Data Bundle API

SME, CG, Direct data plans. All networks. Auto-renew scheduling support.

POST /api/v2/vtu/data/purchase/

Cable TV API

DSTV, GOTV, Startimes subscriptions. Smart card validation & instant activation.

POST /api/v2/vtu/cable/purchase/

Electricity API

All DISCOs - IKEDC, EKEDC, AEDC, IBEDC. Prepaid & postpaid meter support.

POST /api/v2/bills/electricity/pay/

Betting Wallet API

Fund Bet9ja, SportyBet, 1xBet, BetKing + 17 more platforms instantly.

POST /api/v2/betting/fund/

Bulk SMS API

Send promotional & transactional SMS. All networks. DND routing. Delivery reports.

POST /api/v2/communications/sms/send/

Result Checker API

WAEC, NECO, NABTEB PINs. Instant e-PIN generation & delivery.

POST /api/v2/bills/result-checker/purchase/

Wallet & Payments

Fund wallets, check balances, transaction history. Requery any transaction on demand.

GET /api/v2/financial/wallet/balance/

Why Developers Choose Bigisub

Built by developers, for developers. No PHP scripts from 2019. Modern REST API with the documentation quality you expect from Paystack or Flutterwave.

8-Second Delivery

Average transaction completion time. Fastest in the Nigerian VTU API market.

99.9% Uptime

Enterprise-grade infrastructure. Your app stays reliable because our API does.

Full Documentation

Full endpoint reference with request and response examples, and a live console to test against.

Instant Status

Every purchase returns its final status and transaction id in the response. Requery any pending order on demand.

Live Test Console

Fire real requests against every endpoint from the browser with your own token, and see exactly what comes back.

70+ Endpoints

Airtime, data, cable, electricity, betting, SMS, education - all from one API.

Integrate in Minutes, Not Weeks

Clean, predictable API responses. Copy-paste examples for Python, Node.js, PHP, and cURL.

Check the console before you copy. These snippets show the shape of a request, but the API moves faster than this page. The developer console carries the current code version for every endpoint and lets you fire real requests with your own token - so the request and the response you see there are the ones your code will get.

PythonBuy Airtime

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://bigisub.ng/api/v2/vtu/airtime/purchase/",
    headers={
        "Authorization": "Token YOUR_API_TOKEN"
    },
    json={
        "network": 1,              # 1=MTN 2=Glo 3=Airtel 4=9mobile
        "amount": 1000,
        "phone_number": "08012345678",
        "pin": "1234"              # your 4 digit transaction PIN
    }
)

print(response.json())
# {"success": True, "data": {"status": "successful",
#   "transaction_id": "...", "pay_amount": 985.0}}

cURLPay Electricity

# Verify the meter first - it returns the
# customer name you must send below.
curl -X POST \
  https://bigisub.ng/api/v2/bills/electricity/pay/ \
  -H "Authorization: Token YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "company": "ikeja-electric",
    "meter_no": "04251xxxxxx",
    "meter_type": "prepaid",
    "amount": 5000,
    "phone_number": "08030000000",
    "Customer_name": "FROM VERIFY STEP",
    "pin": "1234"
  }'

# Note the capital C in Customer_name.
# Response: {"success": true, "data": {
#   "status": "successful", "units": "...",
#   "token": "1234-5678-9012-3456"}}

Bigisub API vs Other Providers

Why integrate 5 different APIs when one does it all? Compare Bigisub against VTPass, Reloadly, and others.

FeatureBigisubOthers

Airtime & Data APISome

Cable TV (DSTV/GOTV)Rare

Electricity BillsRare

Betting Wallets (17+)None

Bulk SMSSeparate provider

Result CheckersNone

Live API consoleSome

Synchronous status responseSome

Sub-8s DeliveryVaries (30s-5min)

White Label ReadyNone

Our Mission

Raising the Next Generation of African Tech Builders

Africa's fintech revolution is being built by developers who need reliable infrastructure, not more tutorials. Bigisub exists to be that infrastructure - the pipes that carry airtime, data, and payments so you can focus on building products people love.

From Lagos to Nairobi, Accra to Johannesburg - we're empowering developers and entrepreneurs to build prominent, self-sufficient startups. Our API handles the telecom complexity. You handle the innovation. Together, we build Africa's digital future.

Nationwide Coverage

500+ Apps Built

6 African Countries

From Idea to Production in 3 Steps

STEP 01

Get Your API Token

STEP 02

Try It In The Console

Paste your token into the console, fire real requests and read the live responses before you write any code.

STEP 03

Go Live & Scale

Point your app at the same endpoints you just tested. Every response carries the final status. Scale freely.

Don't Want to Build from Scratch?

Get your own fully-configured VTU platform for N850,000 N200,000. Complete with dashboard, wallet system, API integration, and custom branding. Launch in 48 hours.

Custom Solutions

For volume operators

Pushing serious volume through the API?

Corporate Merchant is our API-only tier, with rates 30% to 60% below standard Corporate. It is free and instant to activate, and the rate structure is published - no custom deal to negotiate. It needs a Corporate account and a single funding of ₦100,000 or more.

See Corporate Merchant

No funding charges

Fund by transfer. No cut taken on the way in.

The balance your API calls draw from is funded by bank transfer into your permanent Bigisub account. No funding charge, and no percentage skimmed before the balance moves - the amount you send is the amount you can spend.

Zero funding fees on transfers into your permanent account
Fund at any hour - crediting is automatic, no ticket needed
Permanent account number free to verified accounts

Create your free account See all prices

Deposit received

Your Bigisub permanent account

Verified

Amount you transferred₦500,000

Funding fee₦0.00

Credited to wallet₦500,000

No charges

The same at ₦1,000 or ₦1,000,000. Transfers into your permanent account are never charged a funding fee.

Applies to transfers into your Bigisub permanent account number, which is issued free once your account is verified. Verification is free.

Where to go next

Corporate Merchant

The API-only tier for volume operators, priced 30% to 60% below standard Corporate rates.

See the tier

The VTU API

Automate airtime, data, bills and e-PINs from your own app or site. 99.9% uptime, 8-second delivery.

See the API

Own a VTU website

A white-label platform under your own brand and pricing, running on Bigisub infrastructure.

See how it works

Create a free account

Takes a couple of minutes. Verification is free and gives you a permanent account number you can fund with no charge.

Get started

See every price

Live rates for data, airtime, cable, electricity, exam PINs and bulk SMS, all on one page.

Check prices

Buy data from ₦25

MTN SME, Glo CG, Airtel and 9mobile bundles at wholesale rates, delivered in seconds.

See data prices

Developer FAQ

What services does the Bigisub API cover?

Our API provides 70+ endpoints covering airtime topup (all networks), data bundles (SME, CG, Direct), cable TV (DSTV, GOTV, Startimes), electricity bills (all DISCOs), betting wallet funding (17+ platforms), bulk SMS, and education result checkers (WAEC, NECO, NABTEB).

How fast is transaction delivery?

Average delivery time is 8 seconds for airtime, data, and betting. Cable TV and electricity are activated within 15-30 seconds, and uptime runs at 99.9%.

Can I test before I go live?

Yes, in the live API console. There is no separate sandbox and no test wallet - you test with your own token against the real endpoints, so what you see in the console is exactly what your code will get. Requests cost real wallet balance, so test with the smallest amounts.

What authentication method does the API use?

A single API token tied to your account, sent in the Authorization header. There is one token per account - there are no separate test and live key pairs. The console shows you the exact header to send.

Do you send webhooks for transaction status?

No, and you do not need them. Every purchase is synchronous: the response carries the final status and the transaction id. If you ever lose a response - a timeout, a dropped connection, a crash mid-request - do not retry the purchase. Requery that transaction instead and the API tells you whether it went through, so you never double-charge a customer.

What programming languages are supported?

Our REST API works with any language. We provide examples for Python, Node.js, PHP, and cURL. There is no SDK to install - it is plain HTTP, so your language's standard HTTP client is all you need.

How does pricing work for API users?

You get the same rates as our platform users - the cheapest in Nigeria. Volume discounts available for high-traffic integrations. No monthly fees, you only pay for transactions.

Can I white-label the Bigisub platform?

Yes! We offer complete white-label VTU platforms with your branding, domain, and custom design. Visit our Store page or contact us for custom solutions.

How do I get started?

Create a Bigisub account and verify it, then copy your API token from the settings page on desktop or the me page on mobile. Full documentation and the live test console are at rif.africa/technotronics/api/bigisub.

Who uses the Bigisub API?

Fintech startups, VTU reseller apps, POS terminal providers, betting agents, bank mobile apps, and USSD service providers across Nigeria and Africa. Over 500 apps are powered by our infrastructure.

Ready to Build?

Join 500+ developers building on Bigisub infrastructure. Get your API keys and start integrating in minutes.

Read the Docs