Buy airtime and pay with mobile money
Top up a phone in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana and Cameroon and pay straight from your mobile money wallet. No card, no bank transfer and no SonghaiPay balance to load first: approve the prompt on your phone and the airtime is on its way.
- Paid from your mobile money wallet
- Price shown before you approve
- Refund if delivery fails
Why pay with mobile money
No card and no prepaid balance: the wallet you already use every day pays directly.
No balance to load
You pay for each top-up as you buy it, straight from mobile money. Nothing sits in a SonghaiPay account.
Approve on your own phone
You get a payment prompt from your mobile money provider and approve it yourself. We never ask for your mobile money PIN.
Paid and delivered, tracked separately
You see “payment received” and “top-up delivered” as two steps. If delivery fails after you’ve paid, we refund you.
How it works
Enter the phone number
Your own number or someone else’s. We check it’s a number we can top up.
Pick an amount
Choose a ready amount or type your own. You see the price and fee before anything is charged.
Approve the payment
Enter the wallet number that pays, then approve the mobile money prompt on that phone.
Airtime delivered
We send the airtime and show it as delivered once the network confirms. Your receipt stays in your history.
Where you can top up
We open countries one at a time, once payment and delivery are both tested there.
| Country | Networks | Pay with | Amount per top-up |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kenya |
Safaricom | M-Pesa | KES 150 – 3,000 |
 Tanzania |
Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Halotel | Mobile money | TZS 3,000 – 100,000 |
 Zambia |
MTN, Airtel, Zamtel | Mobile money | ZMW 25 – 1,000 |
 Rwanda |
MTN, Airtel | Mobile money | RWF 2,000 – 100,000 |
 Uganda |
MTN, Airtel | Mobile money | UGX 15,000 – 80,000 |
 Malawi |
Airtel, TNM | Mobile money | MWK 2,000 – 100,000 |
 Botswana |
Mascom, BTC | Mobile money | BWP 150 – 1,900 |
 Cameroon |
MTN, Orange | Mobile money | XAF 1,000 – 25,000 |
 Nigeria |
MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile | Bank transfer | NGN 2,500 – 24,000 |
Network names are trademarks of their owners and show compatibility only. Airtime can’t be reversed once the network accepts it. See section 5.4 of our Terms.
Top-up questions
How do I pay for a top-up?
Straight from your mobile money wallet in most countries (the table above shows how each country pays). After you check the price, you get a prompt on your phone to approve the payment. You don't need a card or a SonghaiPay balance.
Which countries can I top up?
Phones in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, Cameroon and Nigeria. We add countries as each one is ready.
Can I top up someone else's phone?
Yes. Enter their number as the phone to top up, and the number of the wallet that pays. They can be different.
Do you need my mobile money PIN?
No. You approve the payment on your own phone. SonghaiPay never asks for your mobile money PIN.
How do I know it arrived?
Your top-up shows two separate steps: payment received, and top-up delivered. We only show it as delivered once the network confirms it.
What if the top-up fails?
If we took your payment but the network couldn't deliver the airtime, we refund you.
What if I enter the wrong number?
Airtime can't be taken back once the network accepts it, so check the number on the review screen before you approve.
Can I top up from WhatsApp?
Yes. Choose Top up a phone in the SonghaiPay WhatsApp menu.
Top up a phone in minutes
Join the waitlist and we’ll tell you when top-ups open in your country.