Official partnerFor visitors to Tanzania and Zanzibar
No SIM card, no stress. Pay like a local in Tanzania.
Add money from your Visa card, then pay any shop by QR code and send to anyone for free. No cash, no ATMs, no local SIM.
What you’ll need
- Passport
- Tanzania visa or e-visa
- Email address
- Visa card
- About 5 minutes
TSh 20,000
Fee TSh 0 ✓TSh 20,000
Fee TSh 0 ✓- Licensed by the Bank of Tanzania
- Visa top-ups with 3-D Secure
- Works on a weak signal
- Help on WhatsApp +255 677 822 222
Why a phone wallet
Tanzania pays by phone.
Fewer than 3 in 100 shops have a card machine. Markets, bajajis, buses, tips and street food run on cash or mobile money.
— Visa, February 2026
Cash or AzamPesa?
Why not just use an ATM?
An ATM works, but it costs more, gives you cash in fixed amounts, and you have to find one that works. Here is how the two compare.
Available when you need it
Bank ATMMachines go offline or run out of cash (power cuts, busy flight days) and are scarcer outside towns. Some refuse foreign cards.
AzamPesaPay any national QR code, any hour. Built to work on a weak signal.
Ready before you land
Bank ATMYou find a working machine after you land, often with a queue at the airport.
AzamPesaSign up when your e-visa arrives, and get approved before you fly.
Take only what you need
Bank ATMSet note sizes, capped at about TSh 400,000 (~$150) per withdrawal, with a fee every time.
AzamPesaAdd any amount you like. One top-up replaces repeat trips to a machine.
A price you can see
Bank ATMVaries by bank and machine, and the exact fee shows only at the machine.
AzamPesaThe fee shows before you confirm: 5.04% + TSh 1,500.
Typical cost on US$100
Bank ATMAbout $11.40 (11.4%) with a standard bank card.
AzamPesaAbout $8.61 (8.6%).
No bad exchange rate
Bank ATMThe machine may offer to bill you in dollars at a worse rate. You must decline it.
AzamPesaAlways priced in shillings. Your bank converts once.
Tips and small payments
Bank ATMNotes only. You find change for small tips yourself.
AzamPesaSend any amount to any phone on any network, free. Tip guides, porters and drivers.
Security
Bank ATMCash you carry can be lost or stolen. At the machine, shield your PIN and refuse help from strangers.
AzamPesaPIN-protected wallet. Your card is tokenised, and top-ups use 3-D Secure. Less cash on you.
If something goes wrong
Bank ATMYou call your home bank’s overseas line, or the bank that owns the machine.
AzamPesaWhatsApp support in English, with a record of every payment in the app.
Get the AzamPesa app
Fees and limits for visitors
What it costs, exactly
Every fee in Tanzanian shillings (TSh), from our current tariffs.
Coming soon
| What you do | Fee | Example | Fee in USD / EUR (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add money from a Visa card | Fee: 5.04% of the amount + TSh 1,500, tax included | Example: Add TSh 100,000: fee TSh 6,540 | Fee in USD / EUR (approximate): ≈ US$2.47 · €2.21 |
| Send to any phone, any network | Fee: Free | Example: Tip TSh 50,000: fee TSh 0 | |
| Pay a shop by QR code | Fee: Posted Lipa Hapa fee, paid by you (no government levy) | Example: TSh 25,000 bill: fee TSh 400 | Fee in USD / EUR (approximate): ≈ US$0.15 · €0.14 |
| Cash out at an agent | Fee: Posted fee plus government levy | Example: Withdraw TSh 100,000: TSh 3,992 | Fee in USD / EUR (approximate): ≈ US$1.51 · €1.35 |
| Buy airtime and data | Fee: Free | ||
| Exchange rate | Fee: You pay in shillings; your card issuer converts and may add its own foreign-transaction fee |
Approximate, updated monthly. Your card issuer sets the rate you actually pay. · US$1 ≈ TSh 2,648 · €1 ≈ TSh 2,958 · xe.com (USD) and wise.com (EUR) mid-market rates · 19 Oct 2026
What you would pay, and save
The same amount in US dollars, from a standard bank card.
- $20You save$6.83
- Bank ATMWithdrawals: 1
- $9.00(45.0%)
- AzamPesa top-up
- $2.18(10.9%)
- $50You save$5.32
- Bank ATMWithdrawals: 1
- $9.90(19.8%)
- AzamPesa top-up
- $4.59(9.2%)
- $100You save$2.80
- Bank ATMWithdrawals: 1
- $11.40(11.4%)
- AzamPesa top-up
- $8.61(8.6%)
- $200You save$6.16
- Bank ATMWithdrawals: 2
- $22.81(11.4%)
- AzamPesa top-up
- $16.65(8.3%)
Estimates at US$1 ≈ TSh 2,648. AzamPesa: 5.04% + TSh 1,500 top-up fee plus a typical 3% foreign-transaction fee from your bank. Bank ATM: typical local ATM and home-bank fees of about US$8.40 per withdrawal plus the same 3%; withdrawals are capped at about TSh 400,000. Your bank’s fees may differ.
Who pays the fee when you pay a shop?
In Tanzania the customer pays the payment fee, not the merchant. When you pay a business by QR code or Lipa number, the posted Lipa Hapa fee is added, and you see it before you confirm.
Pay a TSh 25,000 bill: fee TSh 400 (Lipa Hapa tariff, September 2026).
Free on our current tariff
- Sending to any phone, on AzamPesa or another network
- Airtime
- LUKU electricity, government payments, water bills and tickets
- Balance checks and statements
Top up less often
The fee includes a fixed TSh 1,500, so TSh 400,000 costs 5.4% while TSh 20,000 costs 12.5%.
- Top-up fee
- TSh 6,540
- ≈ US$2.47 · €2.21
- Share of your top-up
- 6.5%
Example only. The app shows the exact fee before you confirm.
Limits
General account limits; visitor limits may differ.
- Send or withdraw
- TSh 5,000,000 a day
- Receive or deposit
- TSh 10,000,000 a day
Get the AzamPesa app
Where you can pay
From the airport taxi to the last tip
Scan any Tanzanian payment QR code, on any network. No QR code? Ask for the shop’s Lipa number, or send to the owner’s phone.
- Markets and street food
- Cafés and restaurants
- Bajajis, taxis and buses
- Guides, porters and drivers
- Airtime and data
In Tanzania the customer pays the payment fee, not the merchant. Paying a TSh 25,000 bill by QR code costs you TSh 400, shown before you confirm.
Send to anyone, free
Tip anyone. Split anything. Free.
Send to any phone number in Tanzania, on any network, at no cost: your guide, your porters, your driver, the friend who paid for dinner.
TSh 50,000
Fee TSh 0 ✓How it works
Seven steps, all in the app
Sign up when your e-visa arrives and you’re ready before you land.
- Step 1
Get the app
Choose English, then ‘Non-resident: passport and visa’.
- Step 2
Enter your email or WhatsApp
Enter your email, or your own WhatsApp number. We send you a code. No Tanzanian SIM needed.
- Step 3
Scan your passport
Scan the photo page of your passport. Lay it flat, in good light. If it won’t scan, type the details in.
- Step 4
Add your visa
Scan the visa in your passport, or upload your e-visa PDF. Visa on arrival? Do this step right after immigration.
- Step 5
We check your documents
We’ll email or WhatsApp you when you’re approved.
- Step 6
Set your PIN, add money
Set your own PIN, then add money from your Visa card. You see the fee before you confirm.
- Step 7
Pay
Two ways: pay a business, or pay a person.
Visa credit and debit cards today. China UnionPay is coming soon; the app shows which cards work today.
Two ways to pay
Pay a business
Scan its QR code and confirm with your PIN.
Pay a person
Send to any phone number, on any network, free.
Get the AzamPesa app
Your trip, step by step
From the e-visa email to the last tip
When your e-visa arrives
Download the app and sign up. We approve you while you plan.
The week before
Add a starting amount. Fewer, larger top-ups cost less.
Arrival day
E-visa holders, approved before you land: buy data, then pay your taxi by QR code.
Visa on arrival? Sign up right after immigration, and keep a little cash for your first ride until you’re approved.
During the trip
Markets, bajajis, cafés and tips, on any network.
Last day
Tip the crew, then spend, send or cash out what’s left.
Your money is safe
Safe from the first top-up
Your card stays protected.
Every top-up goes through Visa’s secure checkout with 3-D Secure. We keep a token, never your full card number.
Licensed and regulated.
AzamPesa is licensed by the Bank of Tanzania under the National Payment Systems Act, 2015. The Bank approved passport sign-up for visitors in October 2025.
Only you can pay.
You set your own PIN. No one from AzamPesa will ever ask for it.
Part of the Azam group, behind Azam Marine ferries and Azam TV.
Get the AzamPesa app
Leaving Tanzania
Your leftover money
Before you fly home, spend what’s left, send it to anyone for free, or cash it out at any AzamPesa agent.
Cash-out cost, including the government levyTSh 3,992 on TSh 100,000
Help
If something goes wrong
Message us on WhatsApp or email us, in English or Swahili.
Contact us
WhatsApp +255 677 822 222 or email customercare@azampesa.co.tz. Tell us the date, the amount and what happened, with any reference the app shows.
Keep your PIN to yourself
No one from AzamPesa will ever ask for your PIN. If someone does, don’t share it, and tell us.
Travellers and partners
Official partnerLaunched with Visa in Arusha in February 2026.
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Google Play
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App Store (Tanzania)
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FAQ
Questions visitors ask
Can’t find your answer? WhatsApp us on +255 677 822 222, in English or Swahili.
Getting started
No. Your sign-up code comes by email, or by WhatsApp on your own number.
An email address, your passport, your Tanzania visa (the e-visa PDF or the visa in your passport) and a Visa card to add money.
About 5 minutes to sign up. We then check your documents and message you when you’re approved. Sign up when your e-visa arrives and you’ll be ready before you land.
Yes. Sign up right after immigration, with a photo of the visa in your passport.
Visa credit and debit cards today. China UnionPay is coming soon. Card not accepted? Message us on WhatsApp.
Paying in Tanzania
Yes. Pay at any national QR code, in Zanzibar and on the mainland.
Scan its payment QR code anyway: any national QR code works, whatever the network. No QR code? Send to the owner’s phone number.
Send to their phone number, on any network. It’s free.
Yes. The app is built for low-bandwidth connections.
Fees and money
Adding money from your card costs 5.04% of the amount plus TSh 1,500, tax included, shown before you confirm. Sending to anyone is free. Cash-out and some shop payments carry small posted fees. See the full table above.
You do: in Tanzania the customer pays the payment fee, not the merchant. Paying a TSh 25,000 bill by QR code costs TSh 400 on the current Lipa Hapa tariff, and you see it before you confirm.
Usually, yes. On US$100 a standard bank card costs about $11.40 at a Tanzanian ATM; topping up AzamPesa costs about $8.61, including a typical 3% fee from your bank. See the comparison above.
You pay in shillings. Your card issuer converts the amount at its rate and may add a foreign-transaction fee.
Yes, at any AzamPesa agent. Withdrawing TSh 100,000 costs TSh 3,992, including the government levy.
Safety and help
Top-ups go through Visa’s secure checkout with 3-D Secure, and we never store your full card number. You set your own PIN, and only you can approve a payment.
WhatsApp +255 677 822 222, in English or Swahili. Or email customercare@azampesa.co.tz.
Help
Questions before or during your trip?
WhatsApp us, in English or Swahili. One number, wherever you are.
Karibu Tanzania! Set it up when your e-visa arrives.
Get the app now and you’re ready before you land.
- Coming soon