1. Tap-to-Pay: pay by tapping a phone
Launched in August 2026, Tap-to-Pay works like a contactless bank card. The customer taps an NFC-enabled phone on the merchant's NFC device, checks the details on screen and enters their M-PESA PIN to confirm.
According to Safaricom's FAQ, a customer needs four things: an active registered line, an NFC-enabled phone, the My OneApp app, and a merchant till that has the feature switched on. Safaricom also added a Tap-to-Pay button to the M-PESA Business App for merchants. Note that an earlier idea of PIN-free payments for small amounts was dropped, so customers still confirm every payment with their PIN.
2. Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay at Pesapal tills
On 1 October 2026, Safaricom and Pesapal started bringing dynamic QR (scan-to-pay) and tap-to-pay to Pesapal point-of-sale terminals. A dynamic QR code is generated for each sale and already contains the amount, so the customer scans it, checks the total and enters their PIN. Reports put Safaricom's target at around 500,000 merchant outlets within a year.
Why it matters: when the amount travels inside the QR code, customers can't mistype it. Fewer wrong amounts means fewer arguments at the counter and cleaner records at the end of the day.
3. AI Pay: scan a receipt instead of typing
AI Pay, announced on 2 October 2026, lets customers scan a receipt or bill in My OneApp. Where the information is recognised, it fills in the Till or PayBill number and the amount automatically. It's built into the M-PESA experience in My OneApp, which has more than 7 million downloads.
This is especially useful for bills: utility statements, school fees, invoices and restaurant bills that carry a PayBill number and account reference.
How the three options compare
| Option | Customer does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Tap-to-Pay | Taps NFC phone, enters PIN | Fast counters: supermarkets, cafés, pharmacies |
| Dynamic QR | Scans code with amount, enters PIN | Shops with card machines or a POS screen |
| AI Pay | Scans receipt or bill, confirms, enters PIN | Bills, invoices, restaurants, schools |
| Classic Lipa na M-PESA | Types till and amount | Customers on basic phones |
What your business should do this month
- Check your till. Open the M-PESA Business App and see whether Tap-to-Pay is available for your till, and switch it on if it is.
- Keep the classic till visible. Many customers use basic phones without NFC or My OneApp. Tap and QR should be extra options, not the only ones.
- Print clear receipts and invoices. Show your business name, till or PayBill number, account reference and total in plain, readable text so receipt scanning has the best chance of reading them.
- Train staff on the new flows. A cashier who knows what a successful tap looks like saves time at busy hours.
- Match payments to sales automatically. New ways to pay mean more payments to reconcile. Doing it by hand from SMS messages is where money goes missing.
The real win: automatic reconciliation
Faster payments only help if you can see, at closing time, which sale each payment belongs to. That's the job of a point-of-sale system connected to M-PESA. With an STK push integration, the POS sends the payment request with the exact amount to the customer's phone, and the confirmation comes back straight into the sale record. No reading SMS messages, no typing transaction codes.
That is how Biashara POS works today: M-PESA STK push payments are matched to sales automatically, alongside multi-branch stock tracking and digital receipts. If you want your website or online store to take M-PESA the same way, see our website and e-commerce development service.
Questions shop owners ask
Do I need new hardware?
For dynamic QR and tap at a card machine, you need a terminal that supports them, such as the Pesapal devices included in the October rollout. For Tap-to-Pay through the M-PESA Business App, check the app for what your till and phone support.
Will customers still be able to pay the old way?
Yes. Lipa na M-PESA with a till number still works. The new options sit alongside it.
Is Tap-to-Pay safe?
Every payment still needs the customer's M-PESA PIN, and the customer sees the details before confirming.
Tap-to-Pay, dynamic QR and AI Pay all point the same way: less typing, fewer mistakes, faster queues. The businesses that benefit most will be the ones whose records keep up. If you want M-PESA payments matched to every sale automatically, take a look at Biashara POS or talk to us about integrating M-PESA into your own system.
Sources
- Tech-ish: Safaricom has switched on Tap-to-Pay in the M-PESA Business App (14 Aug 2026)
- The Kenya Times: M-PESA Tap-to-Pay in Kenya
- TechTrendsKE: Safaricom, Pesapal bring M-PESA tap-to-pay to shop tills (1 Oct 2026)
- Tech Africa News: Safaricom and Pesapal roll out next-generation payment solutions (1 Oct 2026)
- Techweez: AI Pay on M-PESA in My OneApp (2 Oct 2026)
