This is a tutorial on how to buy Airtel airtime through M-Pesa in Kenya. Airtel, one of Kenya’s leading telecommunications companies, was founded in 2000.
Since its inception, the telco has undergone numerous branding changes in order to attract more customers. For example, Kencell was the name in 2000, then Zain in 2008, and finally Airtel in 2010. Affordable call rates and data bundles have been critical to its growth in Kenya over the years.
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Given how difficult it can be at times to obtain Airtel airtime in Kenya, we have created a simple guide on how to purchase Airtel airtime through Mpesa. This will allow you to stay connected while also taking advantage of their competitive call rates, which are currently the lowest in the country.
Currently, there are arguably tens of companies providing airtime purchasing services. Most of these have cropped up recently after identifying the urgent need for these services by several Kenyans. The increase in online transactions between different Telco firms has also fueled the establishment of these firms.
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Pesapal was the initial provider of this service and Airtel allegedly had a partnership with it. Therefore, we shall make this guide based on the Pesapal pay bill 220220 service as listed on the Pesapal website.
How to buy Airtel airtime through M-Pesa:
1. Go to your Mpesa Menu
2. Select Lipa Na Mpesa
3. Select PayBill
4. Enter 220220 as the business number
5. Enter Account Number AIRTXXXXXX (Where XXXXXX is your Airtel Mobile number)
6. Enter the amount of airtime you want to buy.
7. Enter your Mpesa pin and press OK
8. You will receive a top on your Airtel line after a few seconds.
Note: This service is operated by Pesapal hence expect some small PayBill charges.
You may also use other service providers who have recently flooded the market including My Airtime, which also offers the same services.
All you need to do is to be vigilant and make sure you feed in the correct pay bill number and your mobile number as the account number. Else, if you make a mistake you may end up topping up airtime for another line instead of yours.
