How do I pay a Buy Goods till on M-PESA?

Dial *334#, choose Lipa na M-PESA, then Buy Goods and Services. Enter the till number, the amount in KES, and your M-PESA PIN. You get an SMS confirmation.

Does the customer pay a fee on Buy Goods?

No. Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA Till) is free for the customer. The merchant is charged 0.55 percent, capped at KES 200 for amounts above 36,363. Fuel stations are the exception, where the customer pays.

What is the difference between a till and a paybill?

A till (Buy Goods) uses one number only, no account number. A paybill uses a business number plus a separate account number. Tills are typical for shops, restaurants, and supermarkets. Paybills are typical for utilities, schools, and services with a customer account.

How to Pay Buy Goods on M-PESA 2026: Till Steps

To pay a Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods Till, dial *334#, choose “Lipa na M-PESA”, then “Buy Goods and Services”. Enter the till number, the amount, and your M-PESA PIN. This costs the customer NOTHING, the merchant pays 0.55 percent, capped at KES 200 above KES 36,363.

All four ways to pay a till

Route	Where	Best for
USSD `*334#`	Any phone	Universal fallback
STK push	Merchant checkout	Web or app payments
SIM Toolkit	Phone menu → SIM Toolkit → M-PESA	Feature phones
My OneApp	Android 7+ or iOS 13+	Frequent till payers, biometric login

Route 1, USSD `*334#`

Dial *334#.
Select 4. Lipa na M-PESA.
Select 3. Buy Goods and Services.
Enter the Till Number (usually 5 to 7 digits).
Enter the Amount in KES.
Enter your M-PESA PIN.
Confirm the merchant name displayed. If wrong, cancel.

Route 2, STK push

Some merchants (restaurants, retailers, online stores) push a Buy Goods prompt to your phone after you enter your Safaricom number at checkout. Approve with your PIN. Free.

Route 3, SIM Toolkit

Open the SIM Toolkit menu on your phone, choose M-PESA, then Lipa na M-PESA → Buy Goods and Services. Same steps as USSD.

Route 4, My OneApp

Open My OneApp, log in with biometric or PIN.
Tap Pay, then Buy Goods.
Enter or scan the till number.
Enter amount and PIN.

My OneApp supports QR-code scanning for tills that display a Lipa na M-PESA QR at the counter, one tap and you skip typing the till number.

The exact merchant tariff

The customer pays nothing to pay a till. The merchant is charged the Buy Goods tariff:

Amount (KES)	Merchant charge
0 to 500	Free
501 to 36,363	0.55%
36,364 to 250,000	KES 200 (flat cap)

This is why small retailers, mama mbogas, salons, and matatu SACCOs default to Buy Goods for cash-register payments, cheaper for them than paybill, faster for the customer.

The fuel-station exception

Till vs paybill, the difference

	Buy Goods (till)	Paybill
Numbers you enter	Till number only	Business number + account
Customer fee	Free (except fuel)	Send-money tariff (0 to 108)
Merchant fee	0.55% (cap 200)	Set per paybill
Typical use	Shops, restaurants, matatus	Utilities, schools, services

For the deeper decision, see our Pochi vs Buy Goods vs Paybill guide.

Buy Goods limits

Max per transaction: KES 250,000
Max per day: KES 500,000
Max balance held: KES 500,000

Common mistakes

Typing the till on the paybill menu. You will get “invalid business number”. Cancel and use the Buy Goods menu.
Paying a scam till. Verify the merchant name on the prompt before entering PIN. If unfamiliar, cancel.
Paying the wrong till at a shared counter. Read the till number aloud before pressing send. Two neighbouring stalls often have similar numbers.

Frequently asked

Is there a fee?

No, not for the customer. The merchant pays 0.55 percent (free below KES 500).

How long is a till number?

Typically 5 to 7 digits, sometimes longer. Read exactly what the merchant displays.

Can I pay a till from Airtel Money?

Yes. Dial *334# on Airtel, choose Buy Goods, enter the till number. Cross-network payments to Safaricom tills are supported.

Source: Safaricom Lipa na M-PESA tariff page, verified 30 August 2026.