How M.B.A gift vouchers work
One code, three parties and a Friday payout run. This page walks the whole lifecycle — from the moment you pay to the moment the barber's bank account is credited.
Buy → Send → Redeem → Settle
The whole loop takes as long as one haircut, except the payout which waits for Friday's batch run.
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01
Buy
Pick ₦5,000, ₦10,000, ₦20,000 or a custom amount, add the receiver's name and message, and pay by card, bank transfer or WhatsApp. The code is generated the second payment clears.
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02
Send
We deliver the voucher as a WhatsApp message, an email, or both — immediately or on the date you choose. It shows as a card with the amount, the code and the expiry date.
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03
Redeem
The receiver walks into any of the 642 participating shops and reads out the code. The barber types it into the redemption panel, confirms the amount and cuts the hair.
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04
Settle
The redemption enters Friday's payout batch. Before 16:00 WAT the barber receives the redeemed value less the 5% network fee, with a reference to match against the dashboard.
The money trail for a ₦10,000 voucher
No cash changes hands at the chair. The buyer funds it, the association holds it, the barber earns it.
You, the buyer
Pay once at checkout by card, bank transfer or WhatsApp wallet. Your money goes into the M.B.A escrow account — not to the barber and not to the association's operating account.
− ₦10,000M.B.A Barbers
Issues the code, records every redemption, holds the value until it is used, and runs the reconciliation every Friday. The 5% network fee is deducted at payout, never at purchase.
₦10,000 heldThe barber
Confirms the code at the chair, gives the cut, and is paid in the next Friday batch run straight to the registered bank account or wallet.
+ ₦9,500Buyer pays ₦10,000
One charge, no convenience fee, receipt emailed immediately.
Escrow holds the full ₦10,000
Released only when a verified shop redeems part or all of the code.
Barber gets ₦9,500
5% network fee covers escrow, reconciliation and payout processing.
From issued to settled
Every code moves along the same rail. Two branches sit off to the side for the cases that do not run the full distance.
Code created
Payment clears, the code MBA-V-7310-4482 is generated and queued for delivery. Buyer gets a receipt; the barber knows nothing yet.
Delivered & usable
The receiver has the card. Any of the 642 participating shops can look up the code and redeem against it for six months.
Used at the chair
The barber confirms the amount. Balance drops immediately — a ₦20,000 code used twice still counts as one voucher.
Paid out Friday
Batched into the 16:00 WAT payout run, less the 5% network fee. A reference is posted to the barber's dashboard.
Six months with no redemption
The code leaves the rail automatically at 23:59 on the expiry date. Unused value returns to the buyer's original payment method after 14 days, minus nothing — the refund is full. One free 30-day extension is available on request before it lapses.
Buyer cancels within 30 days
Unused vouchers can be cancelled from the dashboard inside 30 days of purchase and are refunded in full to the source account within 3–5 working days. Partly used vouchers refund only the remaining balance, less a ₦500 processing charge after day 30.
What the policy actually says
The four rules people ask about, quoted straight from voucher policy v4.2.
| Rule | Detail | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Validity | 6 months from the delivery date, printed on the card. One free 30-day extension if requested before expiry. | Every voucher |
| Partial redemption | Allowed. The remaining balance stays on the same code until expiry; the barber sees the live balance before confirming. | ₦10,000 and ₦20,000 codes |
| Refunds | Full refund within 30 days if unused. After 30 days, unused balance is refunded minus ₦500 processing. Refunds go only to the buyer's payment method. | Buyer, not receiver |
| Where redeemable | Any shop displaying the M.B.A voucher sticker — 642 enrolled shops in 36 states and the FCT. Not tied to one barber. | Network-wide |
Scroll sideways on a phone to see every column.
How to redeem a code at the chair
Four taps in your dashboard, no internet needed after the first load, works from any phone in the shop.
- Ask for the code. It looks like MBA-V-8842-0197 — it is printed on the card and in the receiver's WhatsApp message. Ask them to read it out slowly.
- Open Redeem in your dashboard and paste or type the code. The lookup runs against the live escrow ledger, not a cached list.
- Check the amount and balance. The panel shows face value, what has already been used and what is left. Confirm out loud with the customer before you start.
- Press Confirm redemption. The balance drops instantly, a receipt is pushed to the buyer, and the redemption joins Friday's payout batch with its own reference.
- Do the work. If the service costs more than the balance, collect the difference at the chair. Never accept a code that returns "expired" or "frozen" — call the desk on 0803 000 1234.
One code, one confirmation
Double-pressing Confirm creates a duplicate redemption, which is reversed at the next reconciliation and flagged on your record. Give the panel a second to settle before tapping again.
Try MBA-V-8842-0197 for a live result, or any other text to see the error state.
No voucher matches that code
Check for a missing digit — codes are always MBA-V-0000-0000. If the customer insists, call the national desk on 0803 000 1234 before starting any work.
M.B.A Barbers
Gift Voucher
Issued 28 Sep 2026 to Chinedu Okeke · purchased by Ifeoma Nwosu
Payout to barber after the 5% network fee: ₦3,800.
Questions about the money
Still unsure? The national desk answers on WhatsApp between 8:00 and 20:00 WAT, Monday to Saturday.
Voucher desk
Bola Adeniyi
Redemptions, refunds and disputes
As many times as there is balance, until the code expires. A ₦20,000 voucher used for a ₦7,500 cut keeps ₦12,500 available on the same code. The barber always sees the live balance before confirming, so nobody has to do mental arithmetic at the chair.
Look for the navy-and-red M.B.A voucher sticker in the window, or search the directory and filter for "Voucher shop". Any enrolled barber can look the code up — if their shop is not enrolled, they can join for ₦12,500 a year and start redeeming the same week.
The redemption is instant; the money moves on Friday. Redemptions from Monday to Thursday join that week's run and land before 16:00 WAT. Friday evening redemptions roll into the following week. Every payout carries a reference you can match line by line against your dashboard.
The balance lives in the escrow ledger, not in the picture. The first redemption reduces the balance for everyone, so a screenshot of an old card shows a value that no longer exists. Duplicate confirmations are caught at reconciliation and reversed.
Only the unused balance, and only outside the 30-day window with the ₦500 processing charge applied. The part already redeemed has been paid out to the barber and cannot be clawed back except in a confirmed fraud case, which the chapter desk investigates within five working days.
At 23:59 WAT on the printed expiry date. Request the free 30-day extension before that moment and the code keeps working; after it lapses, unused value is refunded to the buyer automatically within 14 days.
Send one today, settle it on Friday
Buy a ₦5,000, ₦10,000 or ₦20,000 voucher, deliver it on WhatsApp, and watch it move from issued to settled.