Mobile top-ups
Top up someone else's phone
Send phone credit straight to someone's number, at their own operator, from your ELK balance. They do not receive a transfer to go and collect somewhere: they receive credit on their line, usable immediately for calls or data. They need no ELK Connect account, no smartphone and no internet.
Send credit directly to a loved one's number with their operator, from your ELK Balance. They receive the credit, not a transfer to withdraw.
How it works
Enter the number
In international format. The app recognises the country and the operator from the number and shows which one before you confirm — your last chance to catch a wrong digit.
Choose the amount
The amount received there and the amount taken from your balance are shown side by side, with the rate applied. No fee appears after you confirm.
Confirm
The top-up goes to the recipient's operator. You get a receipt, and the operation appears in your history with its real state: sent, succeeded or failed.
What's included
The recipient installs nothing
No account, no app, no internet. The credit arrives on their line as if they had bought it at the corner shop.
Operator detected automatically
The number is enough. The recognised operator is shown before sending, which prevents a top-up going to the wrong network.
What they receive, before you pay
You see what will actually land on the line, in the local currency, and what will be taken from you. Both figures are shown together.
Refunded if it fails
A top-up refused by the operator is credited back to your balance. You do not pay for credit that never arrived.
History and receipts
Every send is kept with its date, recipient, amount and state. Handy when you top up the same line every month.
A real example
Let a parent call you back. Help someone remotely without going through an agency. Give credit instead of cash.
Questions we are asked
How long before the credit arrives?
Usually under a minute. An operator under maintenance can stretch that; the operation then stays marked 'in progress' until we have a definitive answer — never marked successful out of optimism.
What if I get the number wrong?
Credit delivered to the wrong line cannot be taken back: at the operator, it belongs to the holder of that line. That is exactly why the recognised country and operator are shown before you confirm. Read the number digit by digit.
Does the recipient need an ELK Connect account?
No. They need nothing but an active line.
Can I top up a number in any country?
In the supported countries and operators, which the app shows as you type. Coverage changes: an operator missing today may be added.
Does the credit expire?
That depends on the recipient's operator, not on us. Many operators apply a validity period to prepaid credit.
A question this page does not answer? Ask the assistant, bottom right.
Worth knowing before you buy
- A delivered top-up cannot be cancelled: check the number before confirming.
- How long the credit stays valid once delivered is set by the local operator.
- Coverage depends on partner operators and can change.
We would rather you read this here than discover it later.
Ready when you are
Creating an account is free and takes a minute. You pay only for what you use, and nothing renews without you.
Pay with
- Secure payment
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