Airtel Money Tanzania: Registration, Charges and How to Reverse a Mistake

Sent Airtel Money to the wrong number in Tanzania? Call Airtel on 100 straight away, before the other person takes the cash out. That's your best chance of getting it back.

Airtel Money is Tanzania's third big wallet, after Vodacom's M-Pesa and Mixx by Yas. You register with your national ID at any Airtel shop or agent, and dial *150*60# to send money, pay bills or check your balance. Airtel doesn't publish a public tariff table, so the fee on your confirmation screen is the one that counts. The rest of this guide covers registering, paying and reversing a mistake, checked in November 2026.

How do you register for Airtel Money in Tanzania?

You need a working Airtel line already registered in your own name, since mobile line registration and Airtel Money registration both run on Tanzania's national ID system.

1. Get an Airtel SIM, if you don't already have one, and make sure it's registered to you.
2. Visit any Airtel shop or Airtel Money agent anywhere in Tanzania. You don't need your home branch; any dealer can sign you up.
3. Bring your original National ID (NIDA) card or passport. Airtel's own terms require either document and record its number on your application.
4. Complete and sign the registration form at the counter, and hand it back to the agent.
5. Wait for your welcome SMS and default PIN. Change the PIN the first time you dial *150*60# so nobody who saw the slip can access your money.

Airtel allows only one Airtel Money account per person (Airtel Money Customer Terms of Use, accessed November 2026). If you don't have a NIDA number yet, see our guide on checking your NIDA number in Tanzania before you queue at an agent. Running one of these agent kiosks is itself a side income: see our roundup of the best businesses to start in Tanzania.

How much does Airtel Money charge in Tanzania?

This is the one honest gap in Airtel's service: unlike Vodacom and Yas, Airtel Tanzania doesn't put its sending and withdrawal fees on a public tariff poster or price page. The only reliable way to see what a transaction will cost is to dial *150*60#, start the transaction, and read the fee Airtel shows you on the confirmation screen before you approve it.

What you can rely on is the part of the cost that's set by law, not by Airtel: Tanzania's electronic money transactions levy. It's charged by the government on every mobile money transaction in the brackets below, on top of whatever Airtel itself charges, and it applies the same way whether you're on Airtel Money, M-Pesa or Mixx by Yas.

Source: National Payment Systems (Electronic Money Transactions Levy) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022, Ministry of Finance and Planning, 5 October 2022, still the rate schedule in force. Add Airtel's own fee from your screen to the matching row above to get your real total. Our Tanzania mobile money charges calculator works these out automatically for M-Pesa and Mixx by Yas, and the same government levy row applies to an Airtel transaction of the same size; just read Airtel's own fee off your phone and add it. For the two providers that do publish their numbers, see our M-Pesa Tanzania charges guide.

How do you reverse an Airtel Money transaction sent to the wrong number?

Call Airtel's customer care on 100 the moment you notice the mistake, and tell them the amount, the wrong number and roughly when you sent it. Airtel doesn't advertise a self-service reversal code for Tanzania, so don't waste time hunting for one; calling in is the path that works.

Two things decide whether you get the money back:

• The recipient hasn't withdrawn it yet. Once mobile money leaves Airtel's system as cash at an agent, Airtel has no way to pull it back on its own, the same limit every mobile wallet in the region runs into.
• The recipient has to agree. If they refuse to release funds that are still sitting in their wallet, Airtel can't force them; you're left negotiating directly or reporting it as a dispute.

If Airtel doesn't sort out your complaint, you can take it to the Bank of Tanzania's Sema na BoT system, the regulator's complaints channel for every bank and mobile money operator it licenses, Airtel Money included: call the toll-free line 0800 1111 00, email complaints-desk@bot.go.tz, or use the Sema na BoT portal. You only get to this stage after Airtel has had a chance to resolve the complaint itself.

Mistakes and scams to watch for

Airtel Tanzania has publicly warned that it only ever contacts customers from the number 100; anyone calling or texting from another number claiming to be Airtel, especially asking for your PIN or a "refund" transfer, is a scammer. Forward the suspicious number to 15040 so Airtel can act on it (Airtel Tanzania customer fraud warning, Daily News, 12 March 2025).

Never share your Airtel Money PIN with anyone, including someone who says they're from Airtel. Agents and support staff never need it to help you.

Comparing wallets? See HaloPesa charges for Halotel's sending and withdrawal fees.

Frequently asked questions

What USSD code do I dial for Airtel Money in Tanzania?

Dial *150*60# from your Airtel line to send money, buy airtime, pay bills or check your balance.

Do I need a national ID to register for Airtel Money?

Yes. Airtel's terms require your original NIDA national ID card or a passport, and you can only hold one Airtel Money account.

Can I reverse an Airtel Money payment after the recipient has withdrawn it?

Not through Airtel alone. Once the cash is out, Airtel has no system way to take it back; you'd need the recipient's co-operation or to pursue it as a dispute.

Why doesn't Airtel Money show a fixed fee table like M-Pesa?

Airtel Tanzania simply hasn't published one. Check the fee on your confirmation screen before you approve any transaction, since it can vary by amount and destination.

Is the government levy the same for Airtel Money as for M-Pesa?

Yes. The electronic money transactions levy is set by the Ministry of Finance for all providers, so an Airtel transaction in a given amount band carries the same government charge as the same transaction on M-Pesa or Mixx by Yas.

What number do I call if Airtel won't resolve my complaint?

Bank of Tanzania's Sema na BoT service, on the toll-free line 0800 1111 00 or at semanabot.bot.go.tz, once Airtel's own process hasn't fixed it.