Safaricom Withdraws Increased Charges for Equitel Customers

Safaricom has suspended the increased rates introduced for Equity Bank’s Equitel customers on 1^st August 2015 and confirmed the revised rates will now take effect at the same time for all banks.

“We are cognizant of the fact that we had implemented the new tariff for banks utilizing the ‘Additional Feature’ (meaning the transfer of money from a bank account to third-party M-Pesa customer) and shall revert back to the previous tariff’s effective 25^th August 2015. The tariffs in force prior to 1^st August 2015 shall continue to apply until 30 November 2015,” wrote Rita Okuthe, Safaricom’s Director of Enterprise Unit in a letter dated 25^thAugust 2015.

The telecommunication company also distanced itself from the introduction of the transfer of money from customers’ bank accounts to third-party M-Pesa wallets -which it now refers to as the “Additional Feature.”

“Safaricom introduced the bank to M-pesa functionality primarily to enable customers’ access their bank accounts from their mobile phone. However, some financial institutions later introduced a new transaction arrangement that enabled their customers to send money from their bank accounts to the M-pesa accounts of third parties (the “Additional Feature”),” wrote  Okuthe.

On 1^st of August 2015, Safaricom effected tariff changes for third party transactions for Equitel which had increased on a graduated scale from Ksh22 for amounts falling between Ksh50 and Ksh1,000, Sh75 for customers sending 5001 to 7500 to a high of Ksh110 for amounts between Ksh20,001 and Ksh70,000.

However, the telecommunication company has now reverted to charging a flat rate of Ksh33 to Equitel customers till 30^th November 2015 when revised charges will apply to all financial institutions.

It is expected that from 1^st December 2015, customers transferring cash from any bank account to third party M-Pesa accounts will incur additional costs for amounts exceeding Sh1, 500. Safaricom has, for example, upped charges by 266.6 per cent to Sh121 from Sh33 for those transferring Sh35, 000. Those moving Sh70, 000 from their bank accounts to M-Pesa will incur additional Sh77 which is a 233.3 per cent increase.

Equity Bank had written to Central Bank of Kenya objecting the increased charges by Safaricom terming the move as not only a discouragement to the adoption of viable alternatives but also a threat to ‘the deepening financial inclusion’ in the country.

At the same time Equity Bank confirmed that money transfer from one mobile phone or bank account to another within the Equity ecosystem still attracts ZERO charges.

Equitel subscribers sending money to another mobile network are charged at 1percent of the transaction amount up to a maximum charge of Sh25.

See revised charges for Equitel customers following Safaricom’s move: