Skip to content
paybillke
OperatorEffective 7 August 2026Updated 4 August 2026

Safaricom cuts M-PESA business charges: Buy Goods, Pochi la Biashara, and Business Till transfers all cheaper from Aug 7 2026

Safaricom announced a broad tariff cut on M-PESA business rails effective 7 August 2026. Buy Goods now free up to KES 500 (up from KES 200), Business Till transfers to phones and paybills cut by up to 50 percent, and Pochi la Biashara gets a promo tariff running through 31 October 2026. Full band-by-band tables.

What changed

  • Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA): collections up to KES 500 now free (previously free only to KES 200; the KES 201-500 band used to attract a 0.55 percent fee).
  • Buy Goods bands KES 501-36,363 remain at 0.55 percent; above KES 36,363 remains capped at KES 200.
  • Business Till → Pay to Mobile (send to phone) cut by up to 50 percent across the board. Example: KES 1,001-1,500 drops from KES 23 to KES 12; KES 45,001-250,000 drops from KES 108 to KES 54.
  • Business Till → Pay to Bill (send to paybill) similarly cut by up to 50 percent. Example: KES 101-500 drops from KES 5 to KES 3; KES 45,001-250,000 drops from KES 108 to KES 54.
  • Pochi la Biashara promo tariff live 1 August - 31 October 2026: free to KES 200, KES 7 up to KES 500, KES 13 up to KES 1,000, KES 23 up to KES 1,500, KES 33 up to KES 2,500, then flat KES 50 up to KES 250,000.

Why it matters

The KES 201-500 Buy Goods band was the single most-charged band for informal traders and dukas taking small purchases. Making it free effectively hands back roughly 0.55 percent margin on every small transaction. Combined with the Business Till transfer cuts, an SME collecting via Till and paying suppliers via Pay to Bill now sees materially lower end-to-end costs. For merchants weighing Pochi vs Till vs Paybill, the arithmetic just shifted.

What to do

  • If you accept Buy Goods payments, no action needed — new tariff applies automatically from 7 August 2026.
  • If you run a business paying suppliers from a Till account, re-check any batch payment budgets against the new tariff before 7 August; savings should show up in your next reconciliation.
  • If you are a Pochi la Biashara user, note that the promo tariff expires 31 October 2026; Safaricom has not yet announced whether the new rates will be extended or reverted.
  • Recalculate your M-PESA fees against paybillke's Buy Goods and Business Bulk calculators to see the new savings on your typical volume.

Sources

Published 4 August 2026 on paybillke. Last verified 4 August 2026. We refresh news entries quarterly and within 48 hours of any directly relevant ecosystem change. Editorial process.