How to take and record mobile money at your hotel
Most guests in Tanzania carry a phone before they carry cash. Taking mobile money is easy. Recording it properly is what keeps the books honest, and it is where many small hotels lose track.
By the Oak team · Updated 22 October 2026
The networks guests use
Guests commonly pay with M-Pesa, Mixx, Airtel Money, HaloPesa, AzamPesa or T-Pesa, as well as cash, card and bank transfer. Your system should treat each of them as a normal payment method, so a bill can be paid in any mix.
Habits that keep the books honest
- Always write down the transaction reference. The confirmation message the guest or your phone receives has a reference. Record it against the payment. It is your proof if the amount is ever questioned.
- Match the message to the bill before you say "paid". Check the amount and the name or number on the message, then record the payment on the right guest's bill.
- Record part payments as they happen. A guest who pays half in cash and half by mobile money should have two payments on the bill, not one rounded number.
- Keep cash and mobile money apart at shift end. At the end of a shift, count the cash drawer, and check the mobile money total separately against your phone or statement. Mixing them hides mistakes.
- Record refunds as refunds. If you send money back, note it as a refund against the booking, with a reason, instead of editing the original payment.
- Reconcile weekly. Once a week, compare the mobile money recorded in your system with the account statement. Small differences are easy to fix when they are a week old, and hard when they are a quarter old.
Deposits and cancellations
Decide your rule before a guest asks. Many hotels take a deposit when the booking is made. If the guest cancels, there are three honest outcomes: refund it, keep it as a cancellation fee, or hold it as credit for a later stay. Whichever you choose, the bill should show it clearly.
How Oak handles it
In Oak, M-Pesa, Mixx, Airtel Money, HaloPesa, AzamPesa and T-Pesa are built-in payment methods next to cash, card, bank transfer and cheque. Each payment is saved with its reference, and the cash-up adds up at each shift. A bill can be split between payers, and when a booking is cancelled Oak asks you to choose between refunding the deposit, keeping it as a fee or holding it as credit, so nothing is left unexplained. Oak records the payments; it does not hold or move your money.