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 |
Read: You Can Now Transact Up to Ksh 250,000 Per Transaction on M-Pesa