There is a lot you can do on your Airtel Kenya line: loading airtime, sharing your airtime, checking your airtime balance, stopping autorenewals among other things.
Remembering how to do all these things might not be easy, especially if you are a busy person who happens to own two or more lines.
Airtel brought a lot of these options under one menu (Manage My Account), to make accessing them easy.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on something I recommend and purchase it, I will receive a commission for the sale – at no extra cost to you.
All you need to remember is the USSD shortcode *100#.
When you dial it, you can quickly access the options I’ve listed and more.
Table of Contents
- 1 How to access Airtel Kenya Manage My Account menu
- 1.1 Airtel Kenya Number & Balance
- 1.2 To check your Airtel balance via the 100 menu
- 1.3 Airtel Kenya Self SIM Upgrade
- 1.4 Airtel Kenya Me2U
- 1.5 Airtel Kenya Top Up
- 1.6 Airtel Kenya Registration Status
- 1.7 Airtel Kenya Stop Autorenewals
- 1.8 Airtel Kenya Tariff
- 1.9 Airtel Kenya Stop Promotional SMS
- 1.10 Airtel Kenya Retain Your line
- 1.11 Related
To access the menu, follow the steps below:
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- Dial *100# on your phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer (if using a modem or MiFi router)
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
Once you do this, you’ll see all the menu items listed below.
Airtel Kenya Number & Balance
To check your Airtel Kenya phone number via the 100 menu:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 1. Number & Balance
Wait for a confirmation message from Airtel with your phone number. Here’s an example: Your number is 254736123456 and the balance is 11.
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 1. Number & Balance
Wait for a confirmation message from Airtel with your airtime balance. Here’s an example: Your number is 254736123456 and the balance is 11.
You can also use the following USSD shortcodes to check your Airtel Kenya airtime balance: *133# or *131#.
Airtel Kenya Self SIM Upgrade
Say you lose your phone or old Airtel line (or simply want to get a 4G enabled SIM), you can buy another Airtel Kenya SIM card then use the Self SIM upgrade option to move your number (and everything related to it) from the old SIM card to the new one you’ve just purchased. Or you can have all this done for you at an Airtel Kenya shop near you.
To access the Self SIM Upgrade menu:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 2. Self SIM Upgrade
- Enter the number 1 to begin the process
And enter new SIM serial number to continue with the upgrade
Airtel Kenya Me2U
To share your Airtel Kenya airtime (sambaza) with another subscriber, follow the steps below:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 4. Me2U
- Enter amount of airtime you want to sambaza e.g. 100
- Enter mobile number of the intended recipient e.g. 0736123456
You’ll see this notification: You are transferring Ksh 100 to 0736123456 - Press 1 to Confirm
Airtel Kenya Top Up
How do you load airtime to your Airtel Kenya number vs another phone number using the 100 menu? Follow the steps below:
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- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 4. Top Up
- Select option 1. Own number (to top up your line)or select option 2. Other number (to top up another Airtel number)
- Then enter the PIN from the scratch card you purchased
- Enter the Airtel mobile number to top-up (this only applies if you select option 2)
- Press Send
Another quick way to top up your line is by dialing *130*SCRATCHCARDPIN#.
Airtel Kenya Registration Status
To check if your Airtel Kenya SIM is properly registered according to the telco’s terms of service / directives by the government of Kenya through CA (Communications Authority of Kenya), do the following:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 5. Registration Status
Wait for a confirmation text message with your registration status details.
The SMS might read as follows: Dear customer, please visit the nearest Airtel shop or Airtel agent with your original ID to validate your registration details.
Note that I’m getting this even though my SIM card was properly registered several months ago at an Airtel Kenya / Airtel Money agent.
Airtel Kenya Stop Autorenewals
A lot of services you can purchase on your Airtel Kenya line have the options to ‘purchase once’ (using the Buy Once option) or to enable recurring purchases (using the Auto Renew option).
This applies to different voice / call, SMS / text & internet / data bundles under the *100# and *544# menus.
Sometimes you purchase something using the Auto Renew option but change your mind later (weeks or months later) about the purchase. To stop Airtel Kenya from deducting airtime from your line, you can use the Stop Autorenewals option to do that. How?
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 6. Stop Autorenewals
Then wait for a confirmation message from Airtel. It will probably look something like this: You have successfully stopped Autorenewal for all bundles. Dial *100# should you wish to setup autorenewal again.
Airtel Kenya Tariff
If you make a lot of phone calls on your Airtel Kenya line without using / purchasing a Tubonge / UnlimiNET combo voice bundle, you might want to know which tariff you are on. Why? Because when you are not using a bundle, Airtel will deduct airtime from your account balance every time you make a call.
To check your tariff:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 7. Tarrif
Wait for a confirmation message from Airtel. Mine reads as follows: You are on Vuka Tariff. Charges are Ksh 4/- min for calls across networks and Ksh 2/- min from 10 pm – 8 am for Airtel calls. Excise duty applies.
Airtel Kenya Stop Promotional SMS
To stop receiving promotional messages from Airtel you can use this option to stop those text messages from getting to your phone.
To use this feature:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Select option 8. Stop Promotional SMS
You’ll then be asked this questions: You want to STOP receiving promotional offers from Airtel on 254736123456? - Press 1 to Confirm
- Press Send
Airtel Kenya Retain Your line
Have you had an Airtel Kenya line become unusable just because you took long before loading airtime / using the line (so it remains active)?
Happened to me while I was in high school.
Back in the day I think Airtel Kenya only gave their subscribers 60 – 90 days after the airtime expiry date for their number / SIM to stop working. If your line was inactive for this long after the airtime expiry date elapsed, the mobile phone service provider would just issue the number to someone else.
And it is really funny making a call to your old line and hearing someone else on the other end (the new owner). And yes this has happened to me with Safaricom as well (though they give their subscribers more time before they take back the number).
This did happen to some subscribers who went to boarding school / abroad and left their lines at home. But now Airtel has made it easy for their subscribers (who use their lines sporadically) to stop this from ever happening.
2- Browse latest TVs, fridges, microwaves, dispensers, cookers, furniture, kitchenware, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, headphones, earphones / headsets, phone cases, chargers, MiFi routers, bluetooth speakers on Jumia.
To retain your Airtel line:
- Dial *100#
- Select option 3. Manage My Account
- Enter the letter n to see what’s on the Next page
- Select option 9. Retain Line
Then choose option 1. 3 months @ Kshs 300
Or option 2. 6 months at KSh 600
Or option 3. 12 months at KSh 1200
If you want longer service extension duration, enter option 4. Extend retention period > and select 1 Month at Kenya Shillings 100 or 3 months at KSH 300.
These are all the options you will find on your Airtel Kenya prepaid line Manage My Account menu.
I hope this post will make using your Airtel line more enjoyable going forward.
Read my other articles on:
- Airtel Kopa Credo, Kopa Cash, Kopa UnlimiNET Internet Bundles / Data.
- Airtel SMS bundles.
- Checking Airtel phone number, airtime balance and data bundle balance.
- Topping up Airtel lines via M-PESA, Equitel, Airtel Money, scratch card or online using a debit / credit card.
- Checking 4G support on phones & Airtel SIM cards.
- Airtel international bundles.
- Sharing airtime with other Airtel users.
- Airtel Kenya call me back, Zawadi Points, Hello Tunes & Football.
Have something you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments section below.