The service is provided by Thunes in partnership with Safaricom and PayPal. This is a money transfer service for joint PayPal and M-PESA customers that enables customers to move funds between their own M-PESA accounts and PayPal accounts.
PayPal users can deposit and withdraw money only in US dollars, while M-PESA account holders in Kenya can only manage their accounts in Kenyan shillings.
If a customer has different currencies in their PayPal account, they must convert the funds to US Dollars before transferring the PayPal balance to the M-PESA account. To do this, they should go to the “Manage Currencies” section in their PayPal account.
To qualify, you must have an eligible Kenyan PayPal and M-PESA account. When registering to use the service, you’ll link your two accounts and will be able to move your money from one to the other.
How do I withdraw money from PayPal to my M-PESA account?
- After completing the registration, click Withdraw.
- Your available balance will be displayed. You will only be able to withdraw money up to the available USD balance shown in your PayPal account. If you hold a balance in your PayPal account in a different currency, please log in to your PayPal account at paypal.com/ke and convert the money into USD.
- Enter the amount you would like to withdraw from your PayPal account in USD.
- You will be redirected to a page showing the amount to be received in KES, the exchange rate used for the currency conversion, and the estimated transaction processing time.
- Confirm and complete the withdrawal of funds.
After you have confirmed the transaction, it takes between 2 hours to 3 calendar days to process a withdrawal from your PayPal account to your M-PESA account, depending on the transaction value. The estimated time will be presented to you before confirming the transaction.
How do I top up my PayPal account using my M-PESA balance?
- After completing the registration, click Top Up.
- Enter the amount you would like to top up in USD and click Calculate to get the equivalent amount converted in KES. This is the KES amount you need to transfer from your M-PESA account. The exchange rate used will be displayed on the same page.
- Go to your M-PESA menu and select Lipa na M-PESA then the Pay Bill option.
- Enter Business Number 800088.
- Enter your phone number as the Account Number.
- Enter your M-PESA PIN and click Send.
- Use your newly topped up balance to easily and more securely shop online or send payments with PayPal.
Top Ups to your PayPal account will generally be processed in real time but may take up to 4 hours. If your PayPal balance is not in USD, you will need to log in to your PayPal account to confirm the top up request.
