Safaricom officially launched M-PESA Tap-to-Pay in August 2026, introducing a new contactless payment feature that lets customers complete transactions by tapping NFC-enabled smartphones.
According to Safaricom, M-PESA Tap-to-Pay uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable contactless transactions between a customer’s smartphone and a merchant’s NFC-enabled point-of-sale device.
“Tap-to-Pay is a payment experience where a Customer taps an NFC-enabled smartphone on an NFC-enabled device/chip, verifies the transaction details, and enters their M-PESA PIN to complete the payment,” Safaricom explains.
How M-PESA Tap-to-Pay Works and Changes
The payment process begins when a cashier initiates a transaction on an NFC-enabled point-of-sale device.
The customer then taps their NFC-enabled smartphone on the terminal, allowing the devices to communicate via NFC.
After successful communication, payment details appear on the customer’s phone screen, allowing them to review the merchant information and transaction amount before proceeding.
Unlike some contactless payment methods that allow transactions without verification, M-PESA Tap-to-Pay requires PIN authentication before processing every transaction.
Once the customer confirms the details are correct, they enter their M-PESA PIN to authorize the transaction and receive an M-PESA confirmation message, completing the payment process.
Further, when using the M-PESA Tap-to-Pay feature instead of manually entering a till number, Paybill number, or waiting for payment prompts, customers only need to tap their compatible smartphone on a supported terminal, review the transaction details, and enter their M-PESA PIN to complete the payment.
The feature is available to customers with an active Safaricom line registered on M-PESA, an NFC-enabled smartphone, and the My OneApp application installed on their device.
How Customers Check if Their Phone Supports NFC
Customers can determine whether their phones support NFC by checking their device settings.
Android users can search for “NFC” or “Contactless Payments” in the settings menu. In contrast, iPhone users can verify compatibility in their device settings with the service providers, noting that iPhone 6 models and newer devices support NFC.
Where Tap-to-Pay is unavailable or encounters a challenge, customers can still make payments using STK Push, QR code payments, or Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods and Paybill transactions.
Benefits for Merchants
The introduction of Tap-to-Pay is also expected to benefit businesses by reducing queues and speeding up transactions.
Additionally, the feature will enable faster checkouts, allowing merchants to serve more customers in less time, especially during peak business hours.
The system may also help lower the number of transaction reversals linked to incorrect payment details, a common challenge in mobile money payments.
Merchants already using compatible Pesapal payment terminals will not need to invest in new devices to support the service.
Businesses operating the Pesapal N950S terminal, as well as selected N950u models, can accept Tap-to-Pay payments through their existing infrastructure without any additional setup.
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