With more than one million downloads already, the new M-PESA App by the telecommunications giant, Safaricom, is the in-thing that is sweeping over the transaction space in Kenya by storm. The App has awakened the markets, and everyone using the app has nothing but praise and what looks like wonder.
One of the amazing features of this app is the “Offline Mode,” which enables customers to use the M-PESA Super App and complete transactions even without data bundles or when offline. This is a kind of innovation that people were waiting for.
At the same time, the App has Mini-Apps within it. The mini-apps enable users to complete day-to-day and occasional tasks within the M-PESA Super App and M-PESA for Business App such as deliveries, ticket booking, shopping, license applications, insurance, and much more from hundreds of businesses, government agencies, utilities, and other firms.
What can you do with this amazing app?
Sending money to more than one recipient
If there is something that Safaricom hacked through this M-PESA App is the feature that enables users to send cash to more than one user at the same time. This feature is going to shift normal operations of transactions in many ways.
Business owners have an opportunity to pay multiple suppliers at the same time using the M-PESA App. At the same time, employers who value convenience have an opportunity to pay their workers/service providers using the app.
The fact that each recipient’s name shows before the cash is sent minimizes incidences of sending cash to a wrong number. The feature also saves time for the transaction is made within seconds with clear records provided.
It is important to note that, for now, the app only allows you to send cash to a maximum of five people but already businesses have warmed up to it.
Request for money
This is another amazing feature courtesy of the new M-PESA App. As the name suggests, it is for “requesting money.” The feature is ideal for the user to request money from friends, family, or business associates. This is done by entering the phone number one wants to request money from, then the amount, an optional descriptive text, and authenticating the transaction. The recipient will receive the request/prompt to enter their PIN to complete the transaction.
Now, this feature is great for Chamas or investment groups. It makes it easy for investment group leaders to collect contributions from members. This is because the prompts serve both as a reminder and saving time for the person collecting.
Popular Bills
Sometimes we just have so many bills to make; from water to electricity bills, to from booking air tickets to SGR. Remembering all of them is just a whole new problem.
The new M-PESA App has the “Popular Bills” feature. This makes it easy for the user to pay for the bills without having to tire their minds trying to remember or googling. The bills range from Kenya Power to DStv. At the same time, the till section saves your frequent numbers or favorite bills, which is handy because it saves time. Both options (Paybill and till) have an option to scan QR codes too.
My Spend
One way of managing one’s finances is being financially discipline; that is knowing how to use and spend your money. The “My Spend” feature is about being financially discipline, knowing where one’s money is going and where most of one’s funds are used.
This helps the user to plan on how they use their money and identify bills that take much of their money. The feature does not go into more insights like M-Ledger used to back in the day. It rounds the expenditure into ‘General’, ‘friends and family, ‘withdrawal’, and ‘bills and services.’
Biometric Authentication
When it comes to mobile money, security is key. One of the major ways to protect one’s mobile money is through the use of a PIN. The new M-PESA App makes it more secure through biometric authentication. This means that the user can secure the app, and transact using a fingerprint or face recognition.
What next?
What next? Download. This is the app you should have on your phone to enjoy the services that come with it. Download the App through this link https://bit.ly/3gPpm2h