Equitel is a mobile phone line from Equity Bank that turns your SIM card into a direct channel to your Equity Bank account. Dial *247# or use the Equity Mobile app to send money, pay bills, buy airtime, borrow up to KES 3 million and manage your account. It is run by Finserve Africa, an Equity Group company, and runs on the Airtel network as a mobile virtual network operator.
How Equitel works
When you register an Equitel line at an Equity branch or a registered agent, it is linked to your Equity Bank account. From then on, dialling *247# or using the Equity Mobile app lets you transact on that account from your phone: send to M-PESA, to Airtel Money, to other banks over PesaLink, or to other Equity accounts, pay a paybill or till, buy airtime and bundles, withdraw at an agent or ATM, and apply for a loan.
Because it is account-based rather than wallet-based, Equitel tends to suit larger transactions and people who already bank with Equity. Transfers between Equity accounts are free, and loan limits run far higher than a typical mobile wallet, up to KES 3 million on EazzyLoan.
What you can do with Equitel
- Send money to M-PESA, Airtel Money, other banks (PesaLink), other Equity accounts, or by RTGS.
- Pay bills and buy goods through Pay with Equity, formerly EazzyPay.
- Buy airtime and data bundles, including for other numbers.
- Borrow, through EazzyLoan (up to KES 3 million), the Boostika micro-overdraft, and Jiokolee Credo airtime advance.
- Save toward a target with the My Goals feature.
- Receive international money from the UAE through Juba Express.
- Withdraw and deposit cash at Equity agents and ATMs.
The technology, briefly
When Equitel launched in 2014 it used a famous thin SIM, an ultra-thin overlay you stuck onto your existing SIM so a single-SIM phone could run Equitel as a second line. That is now legacy. In 2026 Equitel uses standard SIM cards, offers 4G and 5G SIM upgrades, and has launched an eSIM, so you can activate a digital Equitel line on a compatible phone with no physical SIM at all.
Is Equitel right for you?
Equitel makes most sense if you already bank with Equity, if you move larger amounts and want them coming straight from your account, or if you want higher loan limits than a mobile wallet offers. If you mostly make small everyday payments and everyone you pay is on M-PESA, M-PESA’s ubiquity may serve you better. Many Kenyans use both.
Where Equitel sits in Kenyan mobile money
Equitel has roughly 1.5 million subscribers, which puts it a long way behind M-PESA (40.99 million one-month-active customers in FY26) and behind Airtel Money in Kenya. But Equitel plays a distinct role because it is bank-account-based, so a small number of active customers move meaningful values. If you already bank with Equity, Equitel is often the cheapest and most straightforward way to move money from that account.
Source for M-PESA active-customer figure: Safaricom PLC Annual Report FY2026.
FAQs
- Is Equitel the same as Equity Bank?
- Equitel is Equity Bank's mobile line, run by its subsidiary Finserve Africa. It connects your phone to your Equity account, so when you send or pay, the money moves straight from your bank account rather than from a separate wallet.
- What network does Equitel use?
- Equitel runs on the Airtel network as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). It uses standard SIMs today, offers 4G and 5G SIM upgrades, and now supports an eSIM.
- Do I need an Equity Bank account to use Equitel?
- Yes. The Equitel line is linked to an Equity Bank account. You can open the account and get the line at the same time at a branch or a registered Equity agent.
- What is the Equitel code?
- Dial *247# for banking and money services. This is the same Equity code that also works when you are on other networks, so long as your Equity account is linked to your phone number.
- Can I still use the Equitel thin SIM?
- The thin-SIM overlay Equitel launched with in 2014 is legacy. Equitel now uses standard SIM cards and an eSIM.