The verdict in three sentences
Most merchants collect through a single operator and therefore pay top price on every sale. Yet 2026 fee schedules diverge by amount: what is cheapest at 1,000 shillings is no longer cheapest at 100,000. By offering three rails and routing each payment to the cheapest, a shop saves 0.5 to 1.5 points of fees — net money that drops straight into margin.
Fee schedules diverge by amount
The trap is believing a "cheap" operator is cheap across the whole range. In reality, a fixed cost weighs heavily on small amounts, while an uncapped percentage weighs heavily on large ones. Routing means choosing the rail case by case.
| Amount | MTN MoMo (~1% + cap) | Airtel Money (tiered) | Card (~1.5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 10 | 15 | 100 (min) |
| 10,000 | 100 | 150 | 150 |
| 100,000 | ~1,000 (cap) | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 1,000,000 | ~1,000 (cap) | 15,000 | 15,000 |
The figures above are a 2026 order of magnitude; exact schedules move, but the logic holds: MTN MoMo caps its merchant fee, making it unbeatable on large amounts, while on tiny baskets the gap between operators comes down to a handful of units.
The switch threshold and annual gain
Once you know the schedules, you set a switch threshold: below it, favour the operator with the lowest fixed cost; above it, the one that caps. The customer always picks their preferred method, but the interface surfaces the cheapest rail for the merchant.
| Shop profile | Monthly volume | Without routing | With routing | Annual gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small baskets | 500 sales | ~87,500 | ~50,000 | ~450,000 |
| Medium baskets | 500 sales | ~218,750 | ~150,000 | ~825,000 |
| Large baskets | 200 sales | ~525,000 | ~150,000 | ~4,500,000 |
| Daily cap (MoMo) | — | — | — | — |
On large baskets, the MoMo cap radically changes the equation: the difference runs into millions per year. That is why a high-ticket B2B platform should never collect without routing.
Mini case study
Grace runs a hardware store in Kampala: average basket 45,000 UGX-equivalent, 600 transactions/month. On Airtel Money alone at 1.7%, she pays about 459,000/month in fees. By routing baskets above 60,000 to MTN MoMo (capped) and keeping Airtel on small ones, her blended cost falls to about 1.05%, i.e. 283,500/month. Saving: 175,500/month, i.e. 2,106,000/year — the equivalent of a sales assistant's annual salary. (Figures kept in FCFA-equivalent order of magnitude.)
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
How much do you really save with routing?
Between 0.5 and 1.5 points of fees depending on basket profile. On a shop with a 25,000 average basket and 500 sales/month, that is roughly 825,000 FCFA per year.
Does the customer still choose their operator?
Yes, always. Routing forces nothing: it surfaces the cheapest rail for the merchant, but the customer keeps the final choice between MTN, Airtel and card.
Why is MoMo unbeatable on large amounts?
Because its merchant fee is capped (order of magnitude ~1,000), whereas an uncapped percentage explodes the cost. On 1,000,000, the gap exceeds 12,000 per transaction.
Does routing complicate reconciliation?
Not if each rail is reconciled by its own reference. You keep one matching key per operator, which avoids any mixing.
At what volume does routing pay off?
From 200 to 300 transactions/month on medium baskets, the annual gain far exceeds the setup cost (250,000 to 400,000 FCFA to wire in three operators).
Let's talk about your project. We integrate MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and card with amount-based routing to maximise your net margin. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
