M-Pesa for business

Till number vs Paybill: which is cheaper for a small shop?

Updated June 2026

Short answer

For a face-to-face shop, a Buy Goods Till is usually the simpler and cheaper fit because customers are not charged to pay and it is built for over-the-counter sales. Paybill suits bills, accounts and rent, where you need a reference number per customer.

More detail

The real cost is not only the tariff. It is the time you spend reconciling. A Till that feeds a POS matches each payment to its sale, which saves more than any small fee difference.

Choose by how you sell, not by the tariff alone. A duka or restaurant wants a Till. A landlord or a school collecting fees wants a Paybill.

Related questions

Are customers charged to pay a Till?
No. Buy Goods Till payments are free for the customer, which is one reason Tills suit shops and restaurants.

Veira gives Kenyan shops one calm app for selling, M-Pesa, KRA eTIMS and stock, with a free terminal. Book a demo and see it set up for your trade.

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