The telecommunication industry in Kenya has evolved to greater extent from text messaging to voice calls. Service providers always develop innovative solutions to make it easier for subscribers to stay connected. This includes buying talk-time tokens known as airtime. M-PESA is one of the innovative ways subscribers conveniently buy airtime without physical exchange of currency. This article outlines step-by-step guide to buying Airtel airtime from their M-PESA accounts.

Step 1:

Open M-PESA menu in the safaricom toolkit or using the M-PESA app installed on your phone

Step 2:

Choose Lipa Na M-Pesa option that allows users to pay for goods and services

Step3:

Choose PayBill option

Step4:

Enter the PayBill number 4142145, the official number for buying Airtel airtime

Step5:

Enter your Airtel number as your account number. Double check the number to ensure you do not make a mistake and buy airtime for a wrong number

Step6:

Enter the amount for the airtime bundle you would like to purchase. However, M-PESA only allows free purchases for amounts less than KES 100.

Step7:

Enter your secret PIN to authorize payment

Step8:

Wait for confirmation from M-PESA to ensure complete transaction. You will also receive a text message from Airtel to confirm airtime has been credited to your account.