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M-PESA GlobalPay virtual Visa card 2026: limits and fees

A virtual Visa card paid from your M-PESA. The limits, the 3.5% markup, how to get it, and what you cannot use it for, from Safaricom's own FAQ.

DW
by Reviewed by Josephine Njeri 5 min read Updated 16 October 2026Verified 16 Oct 2026

What it is

M-PESA GlobalPay gives you a virtual Visa card number linked to your M-PESA. You can use it where Visa is accepted online, for subscriptions, international shops and services that do not take M-PESA directly. The money comes straight out of your M-PESA balance (or Fuliza, if you opt in) when you pay.

How to get the card

  1. Open My OneApp and go to International Transfers.
  2. Open the GlobalPay mini-app and the GlobalPay Virtual card tab.
  3. Create the card. Safaricom allows one card per ID.

Safaricom says you can create at most four new card credentials in 12 months, a card expires after three years, and the CVV is only valid for 30 minutes, so generate it when you are ready to pay.

Limits

Safaricom gives a range of KSh 1 to KSh 250,000 per transaction, with a maximum limit of KSh 500,000. Its FAQ does not say whether that KSh 500,000 applies per day or over another period. The minimum is dynamic and equal to one US dollar. You will still see the old 2022 launch figures of KSh 150,000 a transaction and KSh 300,000 a day in older articles; Safaricom's current FAQ has replaced them.

What it costs

Safaricom charges a 3.5% markup on the transaction value at the current exchange rate, and says there are no additional charges. So a KSh 1,000 purchase costs about KSh 1,035, and a KSh 10,000 purchase about KSh 10,350. If a payment is reversed, Safaricom says the amount returned does not include the 3.5% markup, so a refund leaves you that much short.

What you cannot use it for

Safaricom lists gaming, gambling, money transfer services and cryptocurrency as restricted uses. A card payment to any of those will be declined.

If you do not use it

Safaricom's FAQ is inconsistent on dormancy: different answers mention 30 days, 90 days and three months. If you rely on the card for a yearly subscription, use it at least once a month to be safe, or check with Safaricom on 100 (prepaid) or 200 (postpay). Safaricom also says that after a card is cancelled for dormancy you wait 12 months before you can get a new one, so letting it lapse has a real cost.

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