Airtel Kenya yesterday announced a new offer to its Airtel Money. The new offer is structured such that anyone who transacts any amount more that 100 KES on Airtel Money will automatically enter a new tariff that allows one to make calls from their Airtel number to any network in Kenya at only Kshs 2.00 per minute for an entire week. What does this mean? This means that if you are an Airtel prepaid customer and use Airtel Money to send and receive money, pay bills (i.e. water, electricity, travel, DStv) and any bank transactions from their phone, your call rate for both on-net (Airtel to Airtel) and off-net (Airtel to YU, Safaricom and Orange) automatically changes to the 2 Bob per minute billing. In a press statement, Airtel Kenya’s MD Shivan Bhargava says that “This new rate will reward our Airtel Money Customers with affordable calls to all networks besides our current offer for that enables Airtel Money customers to send money to any network in Kenya for FREE”. Yes, sending mobile money from Airtel Money to any other network if FREE (Free as in you do not incur any charges).
The low call rate proposition is yet another great stride in the company’s commitment to further deepen financial inclusion and accessibility and affordability of its quality products and services to the people of Kenya.
Airtel Money is fast becoming the preferred way of sending and receiving money and is also now widely used for paying utility bills with Nairobi Water, Kenya Power, DStv and KAPS parking fees due to its quality, security, reliability, affordability and convenience. Since the process is fully automated, payments are reflected almost in real-time thus providing our customers a fast and more secure mode of carrying out transactions. Airtel customers can now dial *222# to access more information on Airtel Money such as agent locations and account information.
Airtel Money currently has more than 10,000 agents countrywide with the number expected to grow to 15,000 by the end of the year 2013. This vast dealer network is complimented by corporate agents to enhance availability and reliability of the services countrywide. These include Uchumi Supermarkets, Pep Intermedius (Nakumatt), Tuskys, Muramati Sacco, Housing Finance, Cooperative Bank, Equity Bank and Faulu Bank. Customers can also withdraw money from their Airtel Money accounts at any Pesa Point and Family bank ATMs countrywide without needing an ATM card giving Airtel Money a strong countrywide presence to the benefit of its customers.
Mr. Bhargava added that the company will also put emphasis on the education of its customers on the benefits of using Airtel Money mobile commerce solutions emphasizing that the product that uses the Kiswahili tagline ‘pesa mkononi’ laterally translated to mean “money in your hands” will continue to offer locally relevant and simplified M-Commerce solutions with more partners thereby enhancing the daily lives of our customers in our true Kenyan spirit.
