How to pay for your AliExpress Purchases Using Safaricom’s MPESA mobile wallet on the checkout Page

A few days ago, we highlighted how you’d be able to easily pay for your Amazon purchases in Kenya through the Western Union money services, a development that saved most Kenyans who didn’t have access to debit/credit cards a lot of trouble. And while global e-commerce brands continue to globalize their services, payment for purchases on their platforms has not always been easy, you’d require to undertake tedious measures for example to be able to have an acceptable payment option to successfully complete a purchase. I remember the first time I set up a PayPal account how difficult it was linking to my bank account so I’d pay for something I wanted on eBay; technology has however improved the situation with the likes of MPESA coming onboard.

AliExpress has been utilized by various entities across the world to shop for items that are not locally available to them, in Kenya for example it’s a one stop shop for just about anything you would require; be it a spare part, business consignment or anything else. We were therefore thrilled to learn that MPESA was now going to be supported on the platform thanks to Safaricom and Ant Financial Services. Unlike Amazon and eBay which are used by both individuals and organizations, AliExpress is mostly utilized by small businesses who depend on sourcing for goods and other supplies from manufacturers in China.

Ant Financial Services prides to be a leading fintech services provider while Safaricom has by far the largest mobile wallet service (MPESA) in Kenya. The move will strategically place Safaricom’s MPESA as a truly global mobile money transfer and payments platform. Speaking on the development, Safaricom’s Chief Customer Officer Sylvia Mulinge said that more than 21 million customers will now enjoy the safety, reliability and convenience of M-PESA when shopping on AliExpress, a leading, global e-commerce marketplace. She also added that the partnership was seeking to connect Kenyans to even more business opportunities by enabling them to seamlessly source, purchase and import goods from the world’s leading manufacturer.

How to Pay for your purchases on Aliexpress.com using MPESA

• After you’ve identified what you intent to purchase, MPESA will be presented as one of the payments options available to Kenyans
• Select to Pay via MPESA
• Enter your MPESA mobile number then continue
• You’ll receive a prompt on your mobile phone to enter your MPESA PIN, this will subsequently authorize the payment and complete the purchase if there’s enough balance, or you may utilize Fuliza overdraft facility.
• AliExpress customers selecting M-PESA as a payment channel will have their total cost displayed in Kenya Shillings with standard Lipa Na M-PESA Paybill charges applicable for each transaction. As has been the case, shoppers will also have the option of using their post office box numbers as the delivery location for their items.
• The service is already live on the AliExpress app and will be available on AliExpress.com in coming weeks.