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Airtel Money

Pay an M-PESA Paybill from Airtel Money

Cross-network paybill flow, fees, worked examples, and what to do if it does not reflect.

AO
by Reviewed by Michael Mwangi 8 min read Updated 30 August 2026Verified 30 Aug 2026

To pay an M-PESA paybill from Airtel Money, dial *334#, choose Pay Bill, enter the paybill number, account number, amount, and your PIN. Cross-network charges KES 7 to KES 108 depending on amount.

Kenya Mobile Money Interoperability

Since 2018, Kenya has run a CBK-supervised interoperability framework across M-PESA, Airtel Money and T-Kash [Source 1]. What this means for paybills: an M-PESA paybill number works from an Airtel Money wallet, and vice versa, without the business needing to publish a separate Airtel paybill. The paybill number is the paybill number.

Fees for paying a paybill from Airtel Money

Amount (KES)Cross-network paybill charge (KES)
101 to 5007
501 to 1,00013
1,001 to 2,50023 to 33
2,501 to 5,00053 to 57
5,001 to 10,00078 to 90
10,001 to 20,000100 to 105
20,001 to 250,000108

Verified against Airtel Africa Kenya published tariffs on 30 August 2026. Full tariff table in Airtel Money charges 2026.

Worked examples

Pay KPLC postpaid bill (paybill 888888)

  1. Dial *334#.
  2. Choose Pay Bill.
  3. Enter 888888.
  4. Enter your KPLC account number (from the bill, 8 to 12 digits).
  5. Enter the amount (for example, 2,500).
  6. Enter your PIN. Fee: KES 33 for a KES 2,500 payment.

Pay DStv (paybill 444900)

  1. Dial *334#.
  2. Choose Pay Bill.
  3. Enter 444900.
  4. Enter your DStv smartcard or IUC number.
  5. Enter the amount (for example, 3,900 for DStv Compact).
  6. Enter your PIN. Fee: KES 57.

Pay KRA (paybill 222222)

  1. Generate a PRN in iTax first. No PRN, no allocation.
  2. Dial *334#.
  3. Choose Pay Bill.
  4. Enter 222222.
  5. Enter your PRN as the account number.
  6. Enter the exact tax amount.
  7. Enter your PIN.

If the payment does not reflect

  1. Wait 5 minutes. Most paybills reconcile within 60 seconds; a small number take longer.
  2. Check the confirmation SMS. It shows the recipient name (should match the business you meant to pay), the transaction ID, and the amount.
  3. Call the business customer care with the Airtel Money transaction ID. Most cases resolve within 24 to 48 hours.
  4. If the business cannot find it, call Airtel on 100 with the transaction ID and the M-PESA paybill number. Airtel and Safaricom reconcile cross-network holds through the interoperability layer.

See our specific troubleshooting guide for KPLC paybill not working or the general Airtel Money reversal guide.

Pitfalls

  • Wrong paybill. KPLC postpaid is 888888; KPLC prepaid is 888880. Two different systems, same company.
  • Wrong account format. KRA needs a PRN, not an ID. HELB needs an ID or loan number. Read the account hint before entering.
  • Not confirming the name. Airtel Money shows the recipient business name before the final PIN prompt. Read it. If it does not match, cancel.
  • Assuming the fee is zero. Airtel-to-Airtel is free but paying an M-PESA paybill is a cross-network transaction and always incurs the KES 7 to 108 band fee.

Sources

  1. [Source 1] Central Bank of Kenya, mobile money interoperability framework. centralbank.go.ke.
  2. [Source 2] Airtel Africa Kenya, Airtel Money Pay Bill. airtel.africa/ke/money. Verified 30 August 2026.