Safaricom’s M-pesa 1 tap service has been launched in five towns in Kenya. The M-Pesa 1 tap service was first launched in Nakuru County in Kenya in May 2017. The service allows customers to use devices such as phone stickers, wristbands or cards to make payments for goods and services as long as they are interlinked with your M-Pesa account. Users need to tap, enter their M-Pesa PIN to pay and go. The items will be available at Safaricom Shops and dealers at Sh20.
The M-pesa 1 tap service is now available in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri. According to the company CEO, Bob Collymore the service is expected to facilitate faster and easier payments between Lip Na M-PESA merchants and their customers.
Merchants, where customers can make payments using the new service, include Shell petrol stations, Naivas supermarkets, KFC and KenolKobil. Customers can also use the tap and go service to pay at Choppies, Oil Libya, Total and Quickmart.
“Our decision to focus on petrol stations as a key launching pad is because there is where cash is used despite the dangers associated with carrying cash around. How many times have we heard about robbery incidences that cropped up due carrying cash around and using it especially at such stations?”, said Collymore.
How it works
Vendors will need to key in the amount to be paid to the M-PESA 1 tap point of sale device. Then they will tap their M-PESA 1 tap tag onto the point of sale device. Afterwards, the buyer will receive a pop up on their phone asking them to enter their M-PESA pin for the transaction to be processed.
Signing up on M-Pesa 1 Tap is free.
Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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