How to Accept M-Pesa Payments Online Without a Paybill (Simple Guide for Small Businesses)

Every Kenyan business owner asks this question: "How do I accept M-Pesa payments if I don't have a paybill?"

Good news: You have options. Several, actually. Let's walk through them from simplest to most advanced.

Option 1: Till Number (Easiest, Start Here)

What it is: A Safaricom Till Number lets customers send money directly to your M-Pesa account.

How to get it: 1. Visit any Safaricom shop with your ID 2. Request a till number 3. They'll activate it within 24 hours 4. Free to get, but Safaricom takes 0.8% of each transaction

Pros: - Free to set up - Instant activation - No monthly fees - Money goes directly to your M-Pesa - Can withdraw anytime

Cons: - No way to track which customer paid for what order - Customer has to manually enter amount - Looks less professional than paybill

Best for: Small businesses just starting out, under 50 transactions per month.

How to use it for online sales:

When someone wants to buy on WhatsApp: 1. They tell you what they want 2. You confirm the price 3. You send: "Please Lipa na M-Pesa, Till Number: 123456, Amount: KES 2,500" 4. They pay 5. You receive M-Pesa confirmation 6. They send you screenshot of payment 7. You process their order

Pro tip: Create a standard message template with payment instructions to save time.

Option 2: Paybill Number (More Professional)

What it is: A Paybill lets you assign unique account numbers to different customers, making tracking much easier.

How to get it: 1. Visit Safaricom with: - Business registration certificate - KRA PIN - ID - Bank account (some paybills require it) 2. Fill out application 3. Pay KES 2,500-5,000 setup fee 4. Wait 2-4 weeks for approval

Pros: - More professional - Track payments by account number - Better for recurring payments - Customers can save your paybill

Cons: - Setup fee required - Needs business registration - Takes weeks to get - Some require monthly fees

Best for: Established businesses with more than 100 monthly transactions.

Option 3: Payment Gateway (Most Professional)

What it is: Services like Flutterwave, Pesapal, or DPO integrate M-Pesa with your website or WhatsApp.

Popular options in Kenya:

Flutterwave: - 3.5% transaction fee - No setup fee - Instant setup online - No business registration required for small accounts

Pesapal: - 3.5% transaction fee - KES 10,000 setup (sometimes waived) - Requires business registration - Good reporting dashboard

Intasend: - 3.5% transaction fee - No setup fee - Easy API integration - Good for websites and WhatsApp

Pros: - Professional checkout experience - Automated payment confirmations - Works with websites - Can integrate with WhatsApp - Better reporting and reconciliation - Accepts cards and other payment methods

Cons: - Higher fees (3-4% vs 0.8% for till) - Needs some technical knowledge to set up - Money takes 1-2 days to settle to your account

Best for: Businesses with websites, high transaction volumes, or need automated workflows.

Option 4: WhatsApp + Till Number (Smart Hybrid)

Here's what smart small businesses do:

1. Get a Till Number (free, instant) 2. Use WhatsApp Business for orders 3. Send payment link or till instructions 4. Use labels in WhatsApp to track who paid

The workflow:

Customer: "I want the blue dress" You: "Great! Total is KES 2,500. Pay to Till 123456, then send screenshot." [Customer pays and sends screenshot] You: [Label chat as "PAID"] "Got it! What's your delivery address?"

Simple, professional enough, costs you almost nothing.

Option 5: Payment Links (New and Easy)

Some services now create payment links for you:

How it works: 1. You create a link: pay.yourbusiness.com/invoice123 2. Customer clicks link 3. They enter their M-Pesa number 4. Pay via STK push (the popup on their phone) 5. Automatic confirmation to both of you

Services offering this: - Intasend (free account, 3.5% per transaction) - Flutterwave (same fees) - Kopokopo (2.9%, but requires business registration)

Best for: Businesses that send invoices via WhatsApp or email.

Real Business Examples

Case 1: Nairobi Boutique - Gets 10-20 orders per day via Instagram/WhatsApp - Uses Till Number - Sends payment instructions as image (professional-looking with logo) - Costs: KES 400-600/month in M-Pesa fees - Works perfectly for their size

Case 2: Online Course Creator - Sells KES 3,000-10,000 courses - Uses Flutterwave payment links - Customers click link, pay, instantly access course - Costs: 3.5% per sale (KES 105-350 per transaction) - Worth it for the automation and professionalism

Case 3: Restaurant Delivery - 40-60 orders daily - Has a paybill with account numbers - Customers use order number as account number - Easy reconciliation at end of day - Costs: KES 1,200-1,800/month in fees

My Recommendation Based on Your Business Size

Just starting (0-20 orders/month): Get a Till Number. Keep it simple.

Growing (20-100 orders/month): Till Number + WhatsApp Business. Add labels and organization.

Established (100-500 orders/month): Apply for Paybill OR use payment gateway.

Scaling (500+ orders/month): Payment gateway + website + automation. The fees are worth the time saved.

The Fastest Path to Start Taking M-Pesa Today

1. Visit Safaricom shop 2. Get Till Number (30 minutes) 3. Create professional-looking payment instruction (Canva template) 4. Save it in your phone 5. When customer wants to buy, send the image 6. Done

You can be accepting M-Pesa payments literally this afternoon.

Later, as you grow, upgrade to paybill or payment gateway. But don't let "not having the perfect setup" stop you from making sales today.

Common Questions

"Which is cheapest?" Till Number. 0.8% per transaction, no setup fees.

"Which looks most professional?" Payment gateway with STK push. Customer gets popup on phone, pays with one click.

"Do I need a business registration?" Not for Till Number or basic payment gateway accounts. Needed for Paybill.

"Can I use my personal M-Pesa?" Yes for Till. But keep business and personal separate if possible. Open a separate M-Pesa account.

"How do I track who paid what?" Till: Ask for screenshot, label WhatsApp chats Paybill: Use unique account numbers Payment gateway: Automatic tracking

The bottom line: Start with what you can get today (Till Number), then upgrade as you grow. Perfect is the enemy of done.