Paying online with mobile money

Mobile money is not a card, and that single fact explains almost everything about where it works. A site can only take M-Pesa, MTN MoMo or Airtel Money if somebody has deliberately connected it to that operator, usually through a local payment aggregator. Most international sites have not, which is why the checkout offers Visa and nothing else - not because your money is unwelcome, but because there is no wire between it and them.

What is actually happening at the checkout

A card payment travels a network built in the 1970s that almost every online shop already speaks. Mobile money travels the operator's own system, and each operator is its own island: M-Pesa in Kenya, MTN MoMo across a dozen countries, Airtel Money across another dozen, Orange Money, Moov, Free, Zamtel.

To accept them, a business connects to an aggregator that has already done the work of speaking to each operator. That connection costs money and effort per country, which is why a global site with millions of customers often supports none of them, while a local one supports six.

What you can normally pay for

• Local services: airtime, utility bills, school fees, transport, deliveries.
• Local online shops and marketplaces.
• A growing number of digital services that took the trouble to integrate - including this one.

What usually will not work

• International sites that only list card options at the checkout.
• Anything asking for a card number, expiry and CVV. Mobile money has none of those, and entering an airtime PIN in a card field is a common way to get robbed.
• Subscriptions that need to charge you automatically each month. Most mobile money flows need you to approve each payment on your phone.

A note on virtual cards

Services exist that turn mobile money into a prepaid virtual card. They work, and they cost you twice: a funding fee and an exchange spread, often five to ten per cent between them. Worth it if the site you need takes cards only. Not worth it if the site takes your operator directly.

How to tell before you start whether a site takes your operator

• Look at the checkout page before creating an account. The accepted methods are almost always listed there, and a site that takes mobile money says so plainly - it is a selling point, not something to hide.
• Look for the operator name, not just a wallet icon. Mobile money on its own often means one country only.
• Check that your own country is listed. MTN MoMo in Ghana and MTN MoMo in Uganda are separate integrations, and a site may have one without the other.
• If the price is shown in your own currency, that is the strongest sign of a real local integration rather than a card processor with a translated page.
• When in doubt, ask support before paying anything. A business that has done the integration answers in one line.

Common questions