If you are an Airtel subscriber, you’ll agree with me that ‘technology has done more good than harm’ and topping up your line via Mpesa is one of the most reliable and convenient ways ever invented to do away with scratchcards.

In that spirit of convenience, at BT, we’ve almost always been keeping our readers updated on how they can actually top up their Airtel SIM cards with ease.

One of the ways we looked at last year was the use of USSD *384*3#, which, according to InstaLipa that runs the service, the code has been suspended temporarily, due to technical and market issues best known to the mobile payments solutions firm.

For that, we are providing an update to our readers, who may or might come across that article and remain stranded. They shouldn’t.

To buy Airtel airtime using Mpesa, go to your Mpesa menu, select Lipa na M-Pesa, then Pay Bill, and enter the business number 921000, your Airtel number as the Account Number, the desired amount, and your Mpesa PIN.

1. Go to the Mpesa Menu: On your phone, select the Mpesa option. 2. Select Lipa na Mpesa: Choose “Lipa na M-Pesa” from the menu. 3. Select Pay Bill: Select the “Pay Bill” option. 4. Enter Business Number: Enter the business number 921 000. 5. Enter Account Number: Enter your Airtel phone number as the account number. 6. Enter Amount: Enter the amount of airtime you wish to purchase. 7. Enter PIN: Enter your M-Pesa PIN to authorize the transaction. 8. Send: Press send to complete the transaction.

The airtime should reflect on your Airtel account almost immediately.