Airtel Money is
the second largest mobile money provider in the country, after M-pesa, and many
Kenyans are starting to adopt it because of its favourable charges and offers.
While M-pesa serves
Safaricom users, Airtel Money requires you to have an Airtel Kenya line to
register and access the services.
This page breaks down Airtel Money charges of 2024 for you,
so you can decide which service is better suited for your needs.
Airtel Money Charges Kenya (Charts)
1) Airtel to Airtel transfers
This is where Airtel beats Safaricom. With Airtel, you get
to send money to any registered Airtel Money number for free, as nil, nada,
bure!
|
Transaction Range (KES) |
Transfer charges |
|
1 – 49 |
Free |
|
50 – 100 |
Free |
|
101 – 500 |
Free |
|
501 – 1,000 |
Free |
|
1,001 – 1,500 |
Free |
|
1,501 – 2,500 |
Free |
|
2,501 – 3,500 |
Free |
|
3,501 – 5,000 |
Free |
|
5,001 – 7,500 |
Free |
|
7,501 – 10,000 |
Free |
|
10,001 – 15,000 |
Free |
|
15,001 – 20,000 |
Free |
|
20,001 – 25,000 |
Free |
|
25,001 – 35,000 |
Free |
|
35,001 – 40,000 |
Free |
|
40,001 – 50,000 |
Free |
|
50,001 – 70,000 |
Free |
2) Airtel money to Mpesa charges (and other networks, T-Kash, etc)
|
Transaction Range (KES) |
Tariffs / charges |
|
1 – 49 |
0 |
|
50 – 100 |
6 |
|
101 – 500 |
11 |
|
501 – 1,000 |
20 |
|
1,001 – 1,500 |
30 |
|
1,501 – 2,500 |
30 |
|
2,501 – 3,500 |
50 |
|
3,501 – 5,000 |
50 |
|
5,001 – 7,500 |
70 |
|
7,501 – 10,000 |
80 |
|
10,001 – 15,000 |
90 |
|
15,001 – 20,000 |
95 |
|
20,001 – 25,000 |
95 |
|
25,001 – 35,000 |
100 |
|
35,001 – 40,000 |
105 |
|
40,001 – 50,000 |
105 |
|
50,001 – 70,000 |
105 |
3) Airtel money withdraw charges
|
Transaction Range (KES) |
Fees |
|
1 – 49 |
10 |
|
50 – 100 |
15 |
|
101 – 500 |
25 |
|
501 – 1,000 |
25 |
|
1,001 – 1,500 |
25 |
|
1,501 – 2,500 |
25 |
|
2,501 – 3,500 |
44 |
|
3,501 – 5,000 |
55 |
|
5,001 – 7,500 |
70 |
|
7,501 – 10,000 |
95 |
|
10,001 – 15,000 |
135 |
|
15,001 – 20,000 |
150 |
|
20,001 – 25,000 |
160 |
|
25,001 – 35,000 |
160 |
|
35,001 – 40,000 |
240 |
|
40,001 – 45,000 |
260 |
|
45,001 – 50,000 |
270 |
|
50,001 – 70,000 |
300 |
M-Pesa Vs Airtel Money Transaction Charges
M-pesa has dominated the mobile money market in Kenya for years. Its popularity has not been challenged by any other players and this has propelled Safaricom to greater heights. Airtel Money has tried to challenge M-Pesa’s dominance but hasn’t managed to take the top spot.
Airtel Money has a number of incentives including waiving
transaction fees for a number of transactions. The company uses these
measures to get people to start using Airtel Money and hopefully continue using
it afterwards. M-Pesa still has an advantage as it has a huge Agent network and
businesses accepting payments using its network. This is what has helped
Safaricom maintain the lead as it is easier and convenient for people to use
M-Pesa as opposed to Airtel Money.
Given that Airtel Money and M-Pesa are the only serious
players in this sector, I thought I should compare their transaction fees so
you can decide which one offers you value for your money.
M-Pesa and Airtel Money Transaction Rates
We will start by looking at the transaction rates between
Airtel Money and M-Pesa. As you will see, it is free to transfer
money from Airtel Money to another Airtel Money account. Transaction
fees kick in when transferring money from Airtel Money to other mobile money
accounts. Overall, Airtel Money is slightly cheaper than
M-Pesa.
M-pesa Vs Airtel Money Transaction Rates
|
Transaction Range |
Transaction |
|||||
|
Min |
Max |
M-Pesa |
Airtel Money |
|||
|
M-Pesa Transfer |
M-Pesa to other mobile money users |
M-Pesa to unregistered users |
Airtel Money transfer |
Transfer to other networks |
||
|
1 |
49 |
Free |
Free |
N/A |
Free |
0 |
|
50 |
100 |
Free |
Free |
N/A |
Free |
0 |
|
101 |
500 |
7 |
7 |
47 |
Free |
6 |
|
501 |
1000 |
13 |
13 |
51 |
Free |
10 |
|
1001 |
1500 |
23 |
23 |
61 |
Free |
20 |
|
1501 |
2500 |
33 |
33 |
76 |
Free |
20 |
|
2501 |
3500 |
53 |
53 |
115 |
Free |
50 |
|
3501 |
5000 |
57 |
57 |
139 |
Free |
50 |
|
5001 |
7500 |
78 |
78 |
171 |
Free |
75 |
|
7501 |
10000 |
90 |
90 |
211 |
Free |
75 |
|
10001 |
15000 |
100 |
100 |
273 |
Free |
90 |
|
15001 |
20000 |
105 |
105 |
296 |
Free |
90 |
|
20001 |
35000 |
108 |
108 |
318 |
Free |
100 |
|
35001 |
50000 |
108 |
108 |
318 |
Free |
105 |
|
50001 |
150000 |
108 |
108 |
318 |
Free |
105 |
|
150001 |
250000 |
108 |
108 |
318 |
Free |
105 |
M-Pesa Vs Airtel Money Withdrawal Rates
When withdrawing money from your mobile money account, the
rates are cheaper for Airtel Money compared to M-Pesa. M-Pesa has the advantage
of having a wide agent network meaning that you can find an M-Pesa agent easier
compared to an Airtel Money agent.
M-Pesa Vs Airtel Money Withdrawal charges
|
Transaction Range |
Transaction |
||
|
Min |
Max |
M-Pesa |
Airtel Money |
|
Agent Withdrawal |
Agent Withdrawal |
||
|
1 |
49 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
50 |
100 |
11 |
9 |
|
101 |
500 |
29 |
22 |
|
501 |
1000 |
29 |
23 |
|
1001 |
1500 |
29 |
25 |
|
1501 |
2500 |
29 |
25 |
|
2501 |
3500 |
52 |
40 |
|
3501 |
5000 |
69 |
40 |
|
5001 |
7500 |
87 |
75 |
|
7501 |
10000 |
115 |
75 |
|
10001 |
15000 |
167 |
125 |
|
15001 |
20000 |
185 |
125 |
|
20001 |
35000 |
197 |
160 |
|
35001 |
50000 |
278 |
225 |
|
50001 |
150000 |
309 |
270 |
|
150001 |
250000 |
309 |
270 |