Yesterday, Safaricom formally announced a new MPESA shortcode that you can use to access MPESA services via USSD. It is officially the third method to access MPESA services after the SIM toolkit and the mySafaricom app.
Well it seems that Safaricom added a nifty feature to this shortcode that removes anxiety from sending to the wrong number.
Thanks to the new short code, you can now view a recipient’s name before sending money. This implementation is great since it allows you to confirm the transaction before validating it.
The MPESA STK menu implementation gave you anxiety while sending money to someone. Safaricom gives you a 25 second time window to confirm whether you have noted the right recipient.
This feature is only available for the new short code (*334#) and not the usual MPESA toolkit that most of you use daily.
The short code will now come into par with the mySafariom app that has been available for the past 4 years. The app allows you to confirm your recipients details before sending money.
This could be the killer feature that makes this MPESA short code more popular than the STK menu. We have seen so many reports of people sending moeny to the wrong people. That is why Safaricom has the Reversal feature for undoing those transactions sent to the wrong recipients. If you are able to confirm your recipient’s phone number and amount before hand, it would help reduce these incidences.
You can also view this feature as the killer feature that will do away with the STK menu. When Safaricom announced mySafaricom app, i jumped ship immediately from the STK menu. Well it seems that I’ll be using this short code when mySafaricom app is not operational.
