What DTB actually charges
By Arnold Ochieng · Diamond Trust Bank Kenya hub · paybillke is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Diamond Trust Bank Kenya.
DTB publishes its mobile-banking fees in full, which is rarer than it should be. The short version: balance, mini-statement, airtime and forex viewing are free. Internal transfers and bill payments are KES 30. PesaLink is KES 20 above a thousand shillings. Sending to M-PESA is banded, from free up to KES 70. Alerts cost KES 200 a month.
Per-transaction fees on mobile banking
These are DTB's own figures, from the Features list on its Mobile Banking page.
- Free: balance enquiry, mini-statement, airtime top-up, cheque status, forex viewing.
- KES 30: internal funds transfer, and bill payment.
- KES 200 per month: debit and credit alerts. This is a subscription, not a per-message charge, and it is the one line people forget is running.
All charges are subject to applicable tax.
Sending from DTB to M-PESA or Airtel Money
Banded, and DTB dates the table to March 2025. Worth knowing the shape of it: the fee climbs to KES 70 by twenty thousand shillings and then stops. Everything from KES 20,001 to KES 250,000 costs the same KES 70.
That flat top band changes how you should batch. Sending KES 200,000 in one go costs KES 70. Sending it as four lots of KES 50,000 costs KES 280, for no benefit at all.
PesaLink
Free up to KES 1,000. Above that, a flat KES 20, exclusive of excise duty, all the way to KES 999,999.
For any meaningful amount going to another Kenyan bank account, that makes PesaLink cheaper than routing through M-PESA, and considerably cheaper than the KES 70 top band on a wallet transfer. Our PesaLink vs M-PESA comparison works through when each one wins.
Receiving from M-PESA costs you nothing at DTB
A note on DTB's own table
About this guide
| Amount (KES) | DTB fee (KES) |
|---|---|
| 0 to 100 | Free |
| 101 to 500 | 11 |
| 501 to 1,000 | 15 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | 18 |
| 1,501 to 2,500 | 25 |
| 2,501 to 3,500 | 35 |
| 3,501 to 5,000 | 47 |
| 5,001 to 7,500 | 57 |
| 7,501 to 20,000 | 67 |
| 20,001 to 250,000 | 70 |
| Amount (KES) | DTB fee (KES) |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1,000 | Free |
| 1,001 to 999,999 | 20, exclusive of excise duty |
| Feature | Fee |
|---|---|
| Balance enquiry | Free |
| Mini-statement | Free |
| Airtime top-up | Free |
| Cheque status | Free |
| Forex viewing | Free |
| Internal funds transfer | KES 30 |
| Bill payment | KES 30 |
| Debit and credit alerts | KES 200 per month |
Frequently asked
How much does DTB charge to send to M-PESA?
It is banded, from free under KES 100 up to KES 70. Everything from KES 20,001 to KES 250,000 costs the same KES 70.
What does DTB charge for PesaLink?
Free up to KES 1,000, then a flat KES 20 exclusive of excise duty.
Is a DTB balance check free?
Yes, on both *382# and the m24/7 app. So are mini-statements, airtime and forex viewing.
What are DTB SMS alerts?
Debit and credit alerts, charged at KES 200 per month as a subscription.
Does DTB charge to receive money from M-PESA?
No. You pay Safaricom or Airtel the pay-bill tariff, and DTB adds nothing.