M-Pesa, being the largest and most trusted mobile money platform in Kenya, makes transacting at your fingertips much easier. The unrivaled advantages aside, it’s essential to know about M-Pesa charges if you make regular transactions on the platform. That lets you keep a tab on the extra amount you spend every time you transfer or make a payment on the app.
If you're new to M-Pesa or unaware of the updated M-Pesa charges in 2022, stop right there. Let's tell you what M-Pesa charges you to send money on your phone.
How Much M-Pesa Charges to Send Money in 2022
As you probably already know - as a valid M-Pesa user, the cost of transactions depends on the amount you're sending and where you're sending it. Transfer charges to registered M-Pesa users differ from when transferring to unregistered users. Meanwhile, all transactions under 100 Ksh incur no charge, inconsiderate of who's receiving the money.
With that said, you’ll find the current M-Pesa rates for sending money in the tables below.
Transfers to registered M-Pesa users
Sending money to other M-Pesa customers is cheaper. Find the charges in Kenyan Shillings below.
|
Minimum (KSh) |
Maximum (KSh) |
M-Pesa Charge |
|
1 |
49 |
FREE |
|
50 |
100 |
FREE |
|
101 |
500 |
6 |
|
501 |
1,000 |
12 |
|
1,001 |
1,500 |
22 |
|
1,501 |
2,500 |
32 |
|
2,501 |
3,500 |
51 |
|
3,501 |
5,000 |
55 |
|
5,001 |
7,500 |
75 |
|
7,501 |
10,000 |
87 |
|
10,001 |
15,000 |
97 |
|
15,001 |
20,000 |
102 |
|
20,001 |
35,000 |
105 |
|
35,001 |
50,000 |
105 |
|
50,001 |
150,000 |
105 |
Transfers to unregistered users
As expected, sending money to unregistered M-Pesa users will incur more charges. Find the steep charges below:
|
Minimum (KSh) |
Maximum (KSh) |
M-Pesa Charge |
|
1 |
49 |
N/A |
|
50 |
100 |
N/A |
|
101 |
500 |
45 |
|
501 |
1,000 |
49 |
|
1,001 |
1,500 |
59 |
|
1,501 |
2,500 |
74 |
|
2,501 |
3,500 |
112 |
|
3,501 |
5,000 |
135 |
|
5,001 |
7,500 |
166 |
|
7,501 |
10,000 |
205 |
|
10,001 |
15,000 |
265 |
|
15,001 |
20,000 |
288 |
|
20,001 |
35,000 |
309 |
|
35,001 |
50,000 |
N/A |
|
50,001 |
150,000 |
N/A |
Transfers to Pochi La Biashara and Business Till to customer
Business owners taking advantage of Pochi La Biashara to receive and manage their business funds separately from personal funds also have different transaction charges.
Here's what M-Pesa charges you when sending money to a business owner who owns a Pochi La Biashara or related account.
|
Minimum (KSh) |
Maximum (KSh) |
M-Pesa Charge |
|
1 |
49 |
FREE |
|
50 |
100 |
FREE |
|
101 |
500 |
6 |
|
501 |
1,000 |
12 |
|
1,001 |
1,500 |
22 |
|
1,501 |
2,500 |
32 |
|
2,501 |
3,500 |
51 |
|
3,501 |
5,000 |
55 |
|
5,001 |
7,500 |
75 |
|
7,501 |
10,000 |
87 |
|
10,001 |
15,000 |
97 |
|
15,001 |
20,000 |
102 |
|
20,001 |
35,000 |
105 |
|
35,001 |
50,000 |
105 |
|
50,001 |
150,000 |
105 |
Meanwhile, sending money from your M-Pesa account to a standard bank account is free. Safaricom introduced that in 2020 to encourage cashless transactions during the Coronavirus pandemic.
As you can see from the tables above, the maximum amount you can send per transaction is Kshs. 150,000. However, Safaricom said you can transact up to Kshs. 300,000 in a day if it calls for it. That's also the maximum account balance for any M-Pesa account.
Here are a few more things you should know if you transact frequently on the M-Pesa platform.
- You can easily view application charges by dialing *344# or using the M-Pesa cost calculator on the mySafaricom app.
- Mobile money transfers under Kshs.100 incur zero charges
- You can't send more than Kshs. 150,000 at a go.
- The least amount you can withdraw at an M-Pesa agent outlet is Kshs. 50.
- The maximum account balance on any account is Kshs. 300,000.
- Your maximum daily transaction is also capped at Kshs. 300,000
- Your M-Pesa account and Safaricom line must be up and running before you can transact.
- You can reverse money sent to another account by texting the transaction confirmation to 456.
- With Lipa Na M-Pesa, you'll earn some points (from the charges) when you transact on the mobile app.
M-Pesa: Largest Mobile Payment System in Kenya
With over 15 years of existence and more than 30 million active monthly users, M-Pesa by Safaricom remains the most popular mobile payment system in Kenya.
Safaricom, being the largest telco company in Kenya, saw people’s need for a platform to send and receive money from their smartphones and catered to it. Since its launch in 2007, the M-Pesa platform has become the most used mobile payment system for sending, receiving, and withdrawing money. Not only in Kenya but in many other countries as well.
All you need to be on the platform is to register with your Safaricom phone number and valid means of identification, such as your National ID card.
