With the continuing lockdown and with millions working from their homes, one of the searched terms with the phrase “How to” was “how to top up Airtel, Telkom line” using M-Pesa.
Well, sometimes finding an airtime scratch card for other telecoms apart from Safaricom can be an uphill task, especially if you live in areas where not so many people them or if they do, they buy in small quantities.
What many people don’t know is that you can actually top up another line from a different service provider using M-Pesa. For instance, Airtel has its Paybill number for airtime purchase from M-Pesa. They also work through partners who sell electronic airtime on their behalf.
I had an opportunity to speak to a representative from Falcolink Technologies on how one can comfortably purchase airtime for another line from a different service provider using M-PESA.
“You just use a Paybill number. Our main business as Falcolink Technologies is to sell electronic airtime to our customers. We specifically deal with Airtel. We do so through a Paybill number,” he tells me.
To buy airtime for Airtel through M-Pesa, one has to go to “Lipa na M-Pesa”, then use the Paybill number 156215 with their Airtel number as their account number. Then the airtime will land within seconds.
There are various advantages of buying airtime through M-Pesa. With the current situation of Covid-19 sweeping across the country, it is advisable that people avoid touching surfaces that have a high likelihood of spreading the virus. Using M-Pesa keeps you away from touching the hard cash as well as touching the scratch card.
It also saves time. You do not have to visit a shop as your transaction are done right where you are, in your house.
“If there is a time to go cashless and to use electronic airtime, it is now,” says Falcolink Technologies.
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