There are many ways of topping up your line with airtime, but the most popular one is through scratch cards. However, going to the shops and scratching the card is a task for some, so it is common practice for folks to load up their mobile money wallets and buy airtime from there at any time they want, and fast.
We talked about topping up your Airtel line from M-PESA using the 263263 pay bill number. It is a free service for all top ups under KES 100.
Now, the same process can be used to purchase airtime for other Telkom and Safaricom lines.
To reiterate, here is how you do it:
- Access your STK or mySafaricom app
- Choose Lipa Na M-PESA
- Select Pay Bill
- Enter Business Number (263263)
- Enter account number (Telkom, Safaricom or Airtel number)
- Choose amount
- Authenticate with your PIN code
- Done
Remember, this pay bill number is also supplemented with a WhatsApp bot. Here is how it can be used for airtime purchase, but for Telkom and Safaricom:
- Open WhatsApp in your smartphone
- OR, click on this direct link to the bot (or you can copy it for later use: https://wa.me/+254203892444?text=Hi).
- You will see a familiar chat interface
- Type anything. Let’s say it’s the world’s most popular salutation, Hi.
- The bot will shoot up a text telling you what to do but we are still going to talk about it.
- Enter the Telkom/Safaricom/Airtel number you want to top up, followed by hash # sign and then the amount as follows: +254722******#100
- Hit send.
- Authenticate with a PIN from the called STK menu.
Now you ask, why would you top up your Safaricom line from M-PESA using a pay bill when you can use the ‘Buy Airtime’ option? Well, users have been entering Safaricom numbers when using this solution and getting refunds instead, so it is a plus to know that this will not be the case anymore. Lastly, if you have Fuliza, you can’t buy airtime, so this is one option to top up if you have not exhausted the overdraft facility.
