1. Operator fee sources
For every operator we cover (MTN MoMo, M-Pesa, Wave, Airtel Money, OPay, PalmPay, Orange Money, Moov, Telecel, Tmoney, Mixx by Yas, Telebirr, Africell Money and others), our primary source is the official tariff sheet published by the operator — typically on its website, inside its app, or communicated to customers via SMS / USSD. When the operator does not publish an explicit grid for a transaction type, we rely on field-confirmed receipts and on customer notices issued through operator channels.
For tariffs that vary by execution channel (USSD vs mobile app vs agent), we default to the mobile apptariff, which is most representative of present-day usage. When an operator charges different rates by KYC tier (e.g. Nigeria's Tier 1 vs Tier 2 accounts), we take the band most commonly used by non-business customers.
2. Government levies
Government levies on mobile money are tracked case by case. For each country we monitor:
— Official statutes: annual finance laws, fiscal decrees, draft bills in parliamentary debate, and bulletins from financial regulators (central bank, national tax authority).
— Official communications from finance ministries and from operators, which typically announce rate changes a few days before they take effect.
— Parliamentary filingsfor changes still in debate (for example Kenya's Finance Bill 2026, which proposes a 16% VAT on mobile money fees on top of the existing 20% excise duty). These are flagged as "watch" items on the country page until signed.
Concrete examples of what we track: Ghana E-Levy abolition (2 April 2025), Nigeria EMTL stamp-duty introduction (1 January 2026 via the Tax Act 2025), Cameroon TTA (0.2% since January 2022), Tanzania withdrawal levy (capped at TZS 4,000), Mali's 1% infrastructure levy, Togo's 10% fee tax (reduced from 18% in January 2024).
3. Update cadence
Our target cadence is within 7 days of a verifiable change being published, and within 24 hours for major changes (a tax abolition, a complete tariff overhaul at a major operator). Minor changes (band adjustments, cap revisions) are batched into the weekly update.
For FX pairs the cycle is daily, refreshed from an interbank aggregator. The EUR/XOF and EUR/XAF pairs are by definition fixed at 655.957 and do not require refresh.
4. Edge cases and judgement calls
Several edge cases warrant explicit documentation because they can surprise users:
— Bonus tier waivers: some operators waive fees below a given amount (e.g. the first XOF 5,000). We reflect those waivers in the grid, but we do not track time-limited promotions ("free for 30 days" offers).
— USSD vs app: when tariffs differ (typically +5% to +15% for USSD), we show the app tariff and note the variation in a footnote.
— Cross-network: for inter-operator transfers (e.g. MTN MoMo to Airtel Money), the fee can differ from the intra-network fee. Our operator pages document both where applicable.
5. Currency conversion
Exchange rates shown are interbank mid-markets pulled daily via ExchangeRate-API. For CFA-Euro pairs (XOF, XAF), we apply the fixed official parity of 655.957. For inter-African local pairs without a direct quote (e.g. KES to UGX), we read the value stored in our internal table when available or compute it via a USD cross if needed.
Important: these rates are indicative. Mobile money operators and remitters apply their own commercial spread (typically 1% to 4% above the mid-market) covering their FX hedging cost and margin. For actual operator rates, see the destination country's inbound corridor page.
6. Limits — what we don't capture
We document our limits explicitly:
— Rural-agent vs urban-agent variations (informal agents sometimes add a local service fee that is not published).
— B2B tariffs beyond retail commerce (corporate accounts have negotiated grids).
— KYC variations beyond the two primary tiers.
— Account-opening fees and SIM-card fees (out of scope).
— Time-limited promotions and referral bonuses.
7. Reporting an error
If you spot an incorrect data point, email hello@momocalc.com with: (1) the country and operator concerned, (2) the amount and transaction type, (3) ideally a screenshot of the receipt or the official tariff sheet. We acknowledge within 48 business hours and apply verified corrections within 7 days.