Why do published USSD code lists disagree with each other?

Three things create the disagreement. First, operators periodically rearrange menus and change codes, while older lists never catch up. Second, more than one code can be live for the same task — one new, one legacy. Third, sources sometimes disagree about what a given code actually shows.

There is a concrete example of the third on this very site. A compiled list describes one Grameenphone code as showing internet and minute balance, while Grameenphone’s own published page describes the same code as showing call-drop compensation. Both cannot be true, so we did not print it.

Dialling a wrong code usually does nothing — you get an error and that is that. One exception matters, though: certain codes switch on call forwarding, sending your calls and messages to another number. That is why you should never dial a code someone reads out to you over the phone.

The order of reliability runs: the operator’s own app or website first, then its customer-care helpline, then a code that several independent sources give identically. These pages use that third tier and cite the sources with each code, so you can check for yourself.

Sources:

• Bangladesh Unified SIM Codes compilation
• Bangladesh Post — how to check your own number
• Techmart — checking SIM number and balance
• Grameenphone — useful information