The verdict in three sentences
A QR code displayed at the till collects payment with no terminal, no subscription and instant settlement to your merchant account. Against it, a bank POS terminal charges 15,000 to 40,000 FCFA in monthly rental plus 1.5 to 2.5 % per transaction, with settlement at D+1 or D+2. For a Nairobi shop turning over less than 5 million FCFA per month, QR mobile money is almost always more profitable — provided you keep a clean sales journal and daily till reconciliation.
In-store payment methods compared
The true cost of a payment method is not just the commission: it is the fixed monthly cost + the commission + the delay before you have the money. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude, adapted to Kenya's M-Pesa Till and Lipa na M-Pesa.
| Method | Fixed cost/month | Merchant commission | Settlement delay | Customer side |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR code / Buy Goods | 0 FCFA | ~1 % | Instant | 0 % |
| M-Pesa Till (Lipa) | 0 FCFA | tiered per band | Same-day | 0 % |
| Bank POS terminal | 15,000 - 40,000 FCFA | 1.5 - 2.5 % | D+1 to D+2 | 0 % |
| Cash | 0 FCFA | 0 % | Immediate | 0 % |
| Payment link | 0 FCFA | 1 - 1.8 % | Instant to D+1 | 0 % |
Cash stays free but its hidden cost is real: change-making errors, theft risk, end-of-day counting time, and no trace for accounting. QR mobile money removes those frictions while keeping a low commission.
Real cost over a typical month
Take a shop collecting 3,000,000 FCFA/month in person. Here is what each method actually leaves in the register.
| Method | Volume collected | Fixed fees | Commission | Total monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR (1 %) | 3,000,000 | 0 | 30,000 | 30,000 FCFA |
| POS (2 % + 25,000) | 3,000,000 | 25,000 | 60,000 | 85,000 FCFA |
| Cash | 3,000,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 FCFA (hidden cost) |
QR comes out 55,000 FCFA cheaper per month than the POS, or 660,000 FCFA over the year — enough to fund a good part of an online store. The digital sales journal also lets you manage several cashiers and reconcile the till in real time.
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Mini case study
Awa, who runs a fashion boutique in Nairobi, used a POS terminal: 28,000 FCFA rental + 2 % on 2,400,000 FCFA of card sales, i.e. 76,000 FCFA/month. By moving 80 % of takings to a QR displayed at the till, she now pays 1 % on 1,920,000 FCFA (19,200 FCFA) and keeps the POS only for international cards. New monthly cost: ~35,000 FCFA, a saving of 41,000 FCFA/month and a till reconciled every evening in 5 minutes.
FAQ
Does the QR cost the customer anything? No, the customer pays 0 %: they scan, confirm, done. The roughly 1 % commission is borne by the merchant, still 2 to 3 times cheaper than a POS terminal.
Can I manage several cashiers on one account? Yes, a modern till links each payment to a cashier and a receipt, enabling real-time reconciliation and an exportable sales journal for accounting.
What happens if the internet drops? The QR runs on the customer's phone; as backup, a payment link or cash takes over. We always recommend 2 active methods so a sale is never blocked.
Do I still need a bank POS? Only if you serve many tourists or international cards. For a local Nairobi clientele, QR mobile money covers over 90 % of cases at a far lower cost.
How long to set up QR payments? A simple QR display is up in a day; a connected till with a multi-cashier sales journal usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks.
Let's talk about your project. We set up your QR payments and till journal in a few days. 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.
