Frequently Asked Questions

ALAT is Nigeria’s first fully functional digital bank. With ALAT, you can do all your banking transactions without being physically present at a bank.

ALAT is built from scratch to be entirely digital, making all banking services available to you anywhere you can access the internet. In comparison, a banking app only offers some banking services (typically airtime purchases, bill payments and transfers). With a banking app, you usually still need to go to a physical bank to get a debit card and activate it, submit documents and often, to get some kinds of customer support.

ALAT will save you time with a simple account opening process that takes less than five minutes, help you put money away easily by automating your saving, make sure your bills are paid on time with its scheduled payments feature and deliver a free debit card you can activate, lock and unlock from your phone to you anywhere in Nigeria.

You can use ALAT on iOS and Android devices.

You can open an ALAT account easily on from your phone. Install ALAT from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, open the app and sign up with your Bank Verification Number and a valid phone number.

Central Bank regulations require you to have a BVN to own a fully functional account. We need your BVN to automatically retrieve your personal information so you won't need to fill a lengthy form when signing up.

Opening an ALAT account from your phone takes about five minutes, a lot quicker than going to a regular bank to open an account.

With photos of your face and signature, you can open a basic ALAT account. This account is restricted to a balance of 300,000 naira, a single deposit limit of 50,000 naira, and a daily transaction limit of 30,000 naira. When you upload photos of your government-approved ID card and a utility bill, your account will be upgraded to a standard savings account without these restrictions.

To open a basic ALAT account, you'll need to upload a photo of your face and a photo of your signature (sign on a plain piece of white paper). For a full ALAT account, you'll also need to upload a photo of your government-approved ID card (your international passport, driver's license, national ID card or voter card) and a photo of a utility bill (not older than 3 months).

The standard Central Bank requirements for opening a standard savings account apply to ALAT: you will need to upload a picture of your international passport, your driver’s license, your national identity card or your permanent voter's card.

It's simple. Take a photo of each document, open ALAT on your phone and click Upload My Document to upload the photo of each document.

We will send you an email.

Your account will be activated as soon as we've verified your documents and address. In the meantime, you can save money in your ALAT account but you can't spend from it.

Your ALAT account number will be emailed to you. It will also be displayed on your dashboard each time you log in to ALAT.

If you can't withdraw cash, it could be one of the following reasons:

1. You have not uploaded all required documents.
2. Your residential address has not been verified.
3. One or more documents you supplied have expired or are invalid.
4. Details on one or more of your documents do not match your personal details we have.

1. By direct debit from your Wema Bank account to your ALAT account: a. Log in to the ALAT app and click Fund My Account. b. Click the From Wema Account menu option. Both the ALAT and Wema accounts will be displayed with their account balances. c. Type the amount you want to fund your ALAT account with. d. Type the six-digit code sent to your registered phone number by SMS. e. Click Fund AccountÂto complete. 2. With a bank card from any Nigerian bank: a. Log in to the ALAT app and Click Fund My Account. b. Click the From Other Bank Card menu option and type the debit card details (card number, expiry date and CVV) in the fields provided. c. Authenticate with the card PIN and type the token sent to your phone number by SMS to add the card. d. Type the amount to be transferred from the added debit card to your ALAT account and authenticate with the card PIN and the six-digit code sent to your phone number by SMS. 3. With a foreign bank card: a. Log in to the ALAT app and Click Fund My Account. b. Click the From Foreign Card menu option and type the debit card details (card number, expiry date and CVV) in the fields provided. c. Authenticate with the card PIN and type the token sent to your phone number by SMS to add the card. d. Type the amount to be transferred from the added debit card to your ALAT account and authenticate with the card PIN and the six-digit code sent to your phone number by SMS. 4. By transferring money from another bank’s online banking platform.  

For your convenience, you can deposit cash into your ALAT account at any branch of Wema Bank. To find a branch close to you, log in to the ALAT app, click Talk To Us then click Branch & ATM Finder.

You can install ALAT on more than one device, but for security reasons, you can only log in on one device at a time. You will be required to authorize or authenticate any device you're switching to.

Your account statement can be generated and sent to your registered email address from the ALAT app. Log in, clickÂAccounts then clickÂGet e-statement, select the date range and click Send To My Email to receive your statement.

To change your password, click Settings then click Change My Password.

We will visit the address you provide.

We take security, privacy and the protection of your personal information very seriously. We always use the latest versions of security software for verification and we run regular tests to find and remove weaknesses in our systems.

First, change your ALAT PIN and password immediately. To change your PIN, open the ALAT app, click Security then click Change ALAT PIN. And to change your password, click Security then click Change Password. After you've changed your ALAT PIN and password, review your transaction history to validate recent transactions and send an email to help@alat.ng or call 070022552528 if you spot any unauthorised transaction.

Your privacy is very important, so we handle your personal information with great care. We store your data securely and transfer it only through encrypted connections. We use your personal information to identify you, enable money transfers and customise your deals.

Yes. Send an email to help@alat.ng or call 070022552528 to change your personal information.

The ALAT app installed on your phone is secured with your personal login password so your money will be safe, but you should take these steps as soon as possible:

1. Install the ALAT app on another device and log in.
2. Set a new login password. Click Settings then click Change My Password.
3. Review your transaction history to validate recent transactions and send an email to help@alat.ng or call 070022552528 if you spot any unauthorised transaction.

Click the Cards menu option, swipe to pick your favourite card design and confirm your choice with your ALAT PIN then type your delivery address and click Submit. Your card will be delivered to you in two business days.

Your first debit card is free. You will be charged 1,050 naira for each subsequent card.

No, the cost of delivery is on us. :)

When you receive your ALAT card, log in to the ALAT app, clickÂActivate New Card, provide the required information and your card will be activated for use. Thereafter, go to the nearest ATM at your convenience to check your balance.

Yes, you can. ClickÂCard Control in the Cards menu, set the channels your card will work on and the country/countries where you will use it.

As with regular banks, you are charged for payments made with your ALAT card. Web and POS payments are free and you are charged for ATM withdrawals only after the third withdrawal each month.

The ALAT Virtual Dollar Card is a non-physical card for paying online in dollars. Your virtual card is created on the ALAT app and is funded with dollars converted from the naira in your ALAT account at the current bank rate. You decide how much dollars you want to put on your card and you can always convert your dollars into naira and move the money back to your ALAT account. The virtual dollar card comes with regular card details (your card name, card number, expiry date and the three-digit CVV code) saved on your app. You can retrieve these details whenever you need them.

Your first virtual card is free. You will be charged 525 naira for each subsequent card you create.

As with physical bank cards, you are charged a small fee for payments made with your virtual card. You will also be charged a monthly card maintenance fee of 525 naira on each card created after your first virtual card.

You weren't charged for requesting a virtual card. To activate your virtual card, it has to be funded with a minimum of $10. The naira equivalent of this amount (converted at the current bank rate) was moved from your ALAT account to your new virtual card. The money is still yours to spend.

You can pay with your virtual card on all websites and apps that accept dollar cards. You cannot use your virtual card on ATMs, POS terminals and websites that require 3D Secure authentication.

You can spend as much money as you have funded your virtual card with but there's a minimum card balance of $5 (which cannot be spent).

Yes, you will. The dollar amount on your card will be converted to naira (at the current bank rate) and transfered to your ALAT account instantly.

Yes, you can delete your virtual card but a fee will be charged for deletion and each subsequent card you create will cost you 525 naira as well as a monthly card maintenance fee of the same amount.

To determine if you're eligible to borrow money, our lending partners will run a quick credit check when you make a loan request.

No, you cannot. To request a loan, you must upgrade your account by uploading a photo of your government-issued identity card (international passport, driver's license, national ID card or voter card) and a photo of a utility bill (not older than three months) with an address matching the contact address on your ALAT profile.

The interest rate on a loan is determined by our lending partners and is stated clearly when you are offered the loan.

Yes, you can use any Nigerian bank card card for repayment.

Absolutely. You can pay off your loan on the ALAT app on or before the repayment date.

If you do not pay off your loan on the due date, you will be charged a late fee and our lending partners may initiate a process to recover the loan. If you skip repayment entirely, you may be blacklisted and it could be very hard for you to get a loan in the future.

1. Log in to the ALAT app, click the Airtime & Bills menu option and click Bill Payment.
2. Pick a service provider or bill category and type your customer ID.
3. Pick a bill item. For service providers that provide default amounts, the value of the bill item will be displayed. For service providers that don't provide default amounts, you will need to type the amount yourself.
4. Review the details and complete payment with your ALAT PIN.

1. Log in to the ALAT app, click the Airtime & Bills menu option then click Airtime & Data.
2. Pick a service provider (Airtel, Etisalat, Glo or MTN).
3. Type the phone number you want to send airtime or data to then type the amount of airtime you want to buy or select a data package.
4. Review the details and complete your purchase with your ALAT PIN.

Click Back till the menu appears or click Log Out. A transfer or bill payment can only be cancelled if you have not authorised it with your ALAT PIN. If you have authorised the transfer or bill payment, you cannot cancel it. Send an email to help@alat.ng or call 070022552528 for assistance.

Click Saved & Recurring Transfers or Recurring Payments and swipe the card for the recurring transfer or bill payment to left, then click Delete.

1. Log in to the ALAT app and clickÂSend Money on the menu.
2. Click Send To Self (you must have more than one ALAT account for this to work), New Bank Transfer (to transfer to another bank account) or ATM Cardless Transfer (to send money from an ATM without a card).
3. Fill in the required details and authenticate the transfer with your ALAT PIN.

1. Log into the ALAT app, click Send Money on the menu then click ATM Cardless Transfer.
2. Fill in the required details and authenticate the transfer with your ALAT PIN. You will receive a paycode by email.
3. To withdraw your money, go to any cardless-enabled or paycode-enabled ATM and follow these instructions:

• Press ENTER to clear the ATM screen.
• Select CashOut Paycode.
• Type the reference number and the cashout PIN.
• Type the amount of money you want to withdraw.

Money transfer on ALAT is instant but your transaction might be delayed if we suspect suspicious activity on your account. We will let you know if that happens. If your transfer is delayed without justification, call 070022552528 for help.

The Goals feature helps you set and meet a savings target based on a saving schedule you set. Schedules can be daily, weekly or monthly.

1. Click GoalsÂthen click New Goal.
2. Name your goal.
3. Pick the goal type (flexi or fixed).
4. Set the amount of money you want to save.
5. Set the target date for achieving the goal.
6. Set the date to begin saving.
7. Pick your saving frequency (daily, weekly or monthly).
8. Pick the account money will be saved from.
9. Click Create Goal.

Yes, but if you delete a goal before it is completed, you will lose all the interest you have earned and accrued.

Interest earned is the interest paid on your savings at the end of the month. Interest accrued is the daily interest accumulated on your savings which is paid out at the end of the month.

Yes, you will forfeit all interest earned and accrued.

A Fixed goal helps you save toward a target amount of money daily, weekly or monthly. You choose your target amount, the target date and the date to start saving, and the app will work out how much you need to save periodically. You cannot withdraw from a Fixed goal until the goal is met. A Flexi goal helps you save a specific amount of money daily, weekly or monthly. You can withdraw up to 50% of your Flexi savings once a month.

Stash is a way to earn 10% interest on your savings without a limit on your withdrawals, a target amount to save or a time limit. Once you've created a Stash, you can add any amount of money to it whenever. To earn interest on stashed money, you can only withdraw from your Stash after 30 days.

Yes, you can. Tap Savings & Investments on the ALAT app menu to use Group Savings.

Group Target Savings lets you save with an unlimited number of people toward a target amount of money and earn up to 10% interest on the collective savings. It's perfect for raising money for group events, contributions and causes.

Rotating Savings lets you save with up to eleven people for as long as you want, with each person taking the collective savings turn by turn. Friends, family members and colleagues use this to get a lump sum every now and then. No interest is paid on Rotating Savings but you can stash your collection to earn up to 10% interest.