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M-PESA Buy Goods (Till) calculator

Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA Till) is free for the customer. The merchant absorbs the M-PESA fee. Calculator shows the merchant-side cost for context.

KES

Result

Customer fee

KES 0

Customer total cost

KES 1,000

Merchant pays (approx)

KES 5

Why Buy Goods is free

Lipa na M-PESA Till (the 5-7 digit till numbers used at supermarkets, restaurants, taxis, and small businesses) charges the merchant, not the customer. The merchant pays a transaction fee to Safaricom for accepting M-PESA, which is built into their margin. From the customer\'s perspective the fee is zero.

Buy Goods vs Send Money vs Paybill

  • Send Money: customer pays a fee. Used for personal transfers between users.
  • Paybill: customer pays a fee. Used for utility, government, school fees, banks.
  • Buy Goods (Till): customer pays nothing. Used for retail purchases.

If you have a choice between paying a Send Money to a business owner versus their Buy Goods till, always choose the till. Same money to them, no fee for you.

Frequently asked

Why is Buy Goods free for the customer?

Safaricom structures the till product so the merchant pays a transaction fee. The customer faces zero. This encourages adoption at retail point of sale.

What about merchant tills with high transaction values?

For very high-value transactions some Safaricom tiers may include capped customer fees. For everyday consumer transactions (under KES 70,000), customer fee is zero.

Are there any hidden fees?

No customer-side hidden fees. The price you see at the till is what you pay. Confirm against the till receipt.

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