If you are an Airtel user in Kenya, or you simply need to send airtime to someone on the Airtel network, you do not need their network’s app or a physical shop. You can buy Airtel airtime directly from M-Pesa using Pesapal Paybill number 220220, one of the most widely used Paybill options for Airtel top-ups in the country.
This is one of those quietly useful things about Kenya’s mobile money ecosystem. Even though M-Pesa and Airtel sit on competing networks, payment providers like Pesapal bridge the two. Your money leaves your Safaricom-side M-Pesa wallet, and airtime lands on an Airtel line. That makes it handy whether you are topping up your own dual-SIM setup, recharging a family member’s line, or sending airtime to someone far away.
What you need before you start
- An active M-Pesa account
- Enough money in your M-Pesa wallet to cover the top-up
- The Airtel number you want to recharge
- Your M-Pesa PIN
That is it. No app downloads, no registration on a new platform.
Step-by-step: Buying Airtel airtime via M-Pesa
- Go to the M-Pesa menu on your phone (SIM Toolkit, *334#, or the M-Pesa app)
- Select Lipa na M-Pesa
- Choose Pay Bill
- Enter Business Number: 220220
- Enter Account Number: the Airtel number you want to top up
- Enter the amount of airtime you want
- Enter your M-Pesa PIN
- Confirm the transaction details
- Send the payment
Once the transaction is processed successfully, the airtime is delivered to the Airtel number you entered. You will get an M-Pesa confirmation message as usual.
One small tip worth repeating: double-check the Airtel number you key in as the account number. That field determines where the airtime goes, so a single wrong digit sends your top-up to a stranger.
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Why people use Paybill 220220
It is familiar. The process runs on the standard Lipa na M-Pesa Pay Bill flow that most Kenyans already use for rent, utilities, and shopping. There is nothing new to learn.
It works anytime. You can top up from home, at work, on the road, or at 2 a.m. when your bundle dies mid-download. No waiting for a shop to open.
It is fast. Once payment is confirmed, the airtime is typically credited to the Airtel number shortly after.
It is secure. Pesapal is an established Kenyan payments company that supports safe and reliable digital transactions, which is why Paybill 220220 has become a trusted route for Airtel airtime purchases.
Other ways to buy Airtel airtime
M-Pesa is not the only route. Airtel customers can also top up through Airtel Money, or via supported online payment methods such as debit and credit cards. Still, for the millions of Kenyans who live inside the M-Pesa ecosystem daily, Paybill 220220 remains one of the easiest and most convenient options.
And once your line is loaded, that airtime goes a long way on Airtel’s side of the fence. We have covered how Airtel Kenya keeps upgrading its Smarta monthly bundles, now offering up to 90GB a month, so your top-up can convert into some of the most competitive data deals in the market.
The takeaway is simple. Save Paybill 220220 on your phone. The next time you or anyone around you needs Airtel airtime, it is nine quick steps on the M-Pesa menu, with the Airtel number as the account number, and you are done.
