How to Top Up Your Mobile Phone Right Inside Your Bank App
You can top up your mobile phone credit without leaving home. There's no need to go to a kiosk and look for coins or special top-up cards. You can do it all right inside your bank's app on your phone. It's simpler than it sounds. Let's go through every step together, slowly and in detail.
An app is a program on your phone. Your bank gave you this program so you can manage your money without going to a branch. You open the app by tapping its icon — a small colored picture — on your phone's screen.
Don't worry. You cannot break anything by tapping the wrong button. If a screen looks different from what is described here, don't worry — just go slowly and look for similar words.
Step by Step: Topping Up Your Mobile Phone Through the Bank App
- Find your bank's icon on your phone's screen — usually a colored square with your bank's logo — and tap it once.
- If the app asks for an access code (a few digits you chose yourself when you registered) or your fingerprint, enter the code or place your finger on the scanner to log in to your account.
- On the app's main screen, find a section called "Payments" or "Utilities and other payments" — this section is usually at the bottom of the screen or to the side.
- Tap this section once to open it.
- In the list of services, find the option called "Mobile top-up" or "Mobile phone" and tap it.
- Choose your mobile operator from the list — for example, Kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine, or lifecell.
- If your operator is not on the list, type its name yourself in the search box at the top of the screen.
- Enter the phone number you want to top up. This can be your own number or a family member's number.
- Check the number you entered again, very carefully, digit by digit.
- Enter the top-up amount, for example 100 hryvnias.
- Tap the "Next" or "Continue" button.
- Carefully check all the details on the confirmation screen — the phone number, the operator's name, and the amount.
- Tap the "Confirm" or "Pay" button to complete the payment.
- If the app asks for a one-time SMS code — a short code made of digits that the bank sends you in a text message to confirm the payment — enter it in the box provided.
- Wait a few seconds until the screen shows "Success" or a green checkmark.
A one-time SMS code belongs to you alone. Never read this code out loud to anyone over the phone, even if the caller says they are from the bank. A real bank will never ask you to say such a code aloud.
How to Save the Payment as a "Favorite" for Next Time
If you top up the same number regularly, for example your own, it's handy to save this payment so you don't have to enter everything again next time.
- After a successful payment, find the button on the screen labeled "Save as template" or "Add to favorites."
- Tap this button once.
- If you like, give the payment a clear name, such as "My phone," and tap "Save."
Next time, this payment will appear in your list of favorites, and you'll only need to enter the amount and confirm.
An Important Warning About Scammers
Never top up a stranger's phone number in exchange for cash they hand you in person or promise to give you later. This is a common scam that specifically targets older people.
Scammers often work like this: they approach you on the street or call you, saying they urgently need to top up their mobile phone and will hand you cash right away in return. Or they call pretending to be a relative who is supposedly in trouble and ask you to urgently top up a phone number you don't recognize. Once you top up a stranger's number, the money cannot be returned, and you will never receive the promised cash.
The golden rule: never top up the phone number of someone you don't know personally, even if the request sounds very convincing. If someone calls and says they are from the bank, hang up and call the bank back yourself, using the number printed on the back of your bank card.
What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
If you entered the wrong phone number. If the payment has not been confirmed yet, go back to the previous screen and fix the number. If the payment has already been confirmed, call your bank's hotline right away — the number is on the back of your card — and explain the situation. Don't worry: the operator will tell you whether the payment can be cancelled or refunded.
If your operator is not on the list. Try typing the operator's name yourself in the search box at the top of the screen. If that doesn't help, contact the bank's support team through the chat in the app or by calling the number on your card.
If the payment is stuck with a "Processing" status. This means the bank is still processing the payment. Wait 10-15 minutes and check the status again in the "Payment history" section. If the status hasn't changed after more than an hour, call the bank at the number on your card.
Whenever a situation feels unclear, the best and safest thing to do is call the bank yourself, using the number printed on your card. Never call a number that someone gave you over the phone or sent you in a message.
If you don't yet have a personal account with mobile banking, you can compare options on the personal accounts page.
In Short: All the Steps in One List
Remember: you can do this yourself, step by step, without rushing. And if something goes wrong, the bank is always there on the other end of the phone line, at the number printed on your card.