WAAFI Card
The WAAFI Card is Somalia's first contactless phone payment (Wikipedia calls it "Tap and Go"): a WAAFI prepaid Mastercard that you open in the WAAFI app, add to your phone and tap on a card terminal [7]. Salaam Somali Bank issues the card, WAAFI runs it, and Paymentology processes it. It launched in August 2024 as "the first digital card to the Horn of Africa" [1]. You top it up from your wallet and pay anywhere Mastercard is accepted. Each purchase costs a 2.5 % fee [3].
| Country | Somalia (SO) |
| What it is | A prepaid, multi-currency Mastercard (digital and physical) for WAAFI app users, with tap-to-pay from the phone |
| Issuer and operator | Salaam Somali Bank issues the card; WAAFI manages the programme [3]; Paymentology processes it [1] |
| Since | Aug 2024 [1] |
| Cost | Digital card $2.90, physical card $3.00, 2.5 % per purchase, 4.5 % per ATM withdrawal [3] |
| Typical limit | Set per card and shown in the WAAFI app; no figures published [3] |
| Reaches | Anywhere Mastercard is accepted, in shops, online and at ATMs [3] |
| Code on paper? | No. You tap a card or phone (NFC); for scanning a code see WAAFI QR |
The name "Tap and Go" comes from Wikipedia's article on Hormuud Telecom [7]. The press releases and WAAFI's own terms call the product a "tokenised tap-to-pay digital companion card" and "the WAAFI Card" [1] [3].
How the WAAFI Card came to Somalia
- 2 August 2024: the WAAFI card. Paymentology announced a co-branded, tokenised tap-to-pay digital companion card, plus a physical card, for WAAFI app users. It called this "a first for the region" [1]. Salaam Bank said it worked with Paymentology and MeaWallet [1]. The Paypers wrote that it gives mobile money users "in-store payment, travel and international payment capabilities". It also noted that more than two-thirds of payments in Somalia go through mobile money platforms [2].
- 17 October 2024: Premier Bank's Tap2Pay wearables. Premier Bank, Mastercard and Tappy Technologies launched NFC rings, wristbands and other wearables in Mogadishu. You tap them at a payment terminal or ATM. Premier Bank called itself "the first Somali Bank in Africa to launch tokenized-passive payment wearables" [4]. This is a separate product from the WAAFI card.
- September 2026: WAAFI's current card terms, dated "Updated September, 2026", describe a prepaid, multi-currency Mastercard that can be digital, physical or both [3].
No issuer has published how many cards are in use or how many contactless payments are made.
How to use it
- Open an account and create the card in the WAAFI app. The launch release lists the steps: open an account digitally, create a digital Mastercard, link it to a wallet or account, and tokenise it on your phone [1]. Identity checks apply [3].
- Top it up. Fund the card in the WAAFI app from a linked wallet or account, such as a WAAFI wallet, mobile money or a bank account. The card only works once your first top-up is done [3].
- Pay. Tap your phone or card at a contactless terminal, enter a PIN, or pay online with 3-D Secure. The card works wherever Mastercard is accepted, including ATMs [3].
- Manage it in the WAAFI app: block or unblock it, see your transactions and get alerts [3].
The card is prepaid, not credit: you spend only what you load. If a card payment at a terminal, ATM or 3-D Secure checkout is up to $5.00 short, the card tops itself up from your linked wallet ("Auto Top-Up") [3].
Limits and fees
From WAAFI's card fee schedule [3]:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| New digital card | $2.90 |
| Physical card | $3.00 |
| Replacement card | $2.90 |
| Purchase fee | 2.5 % of the amount |
| Non-USD foreign exchange markup | 0.4 % |
| ATM withdrawal | 4.5 % of the amount withdrawn |
| Declined for lack of funds, payment ≤ $15 | $0.25 |
| Declined for lack of funds, payment > $15 | $0.50 |
Rules that can close your card [3]:
- 10 declines for lack of funds, with no approved payment in between, closes the card for good.
- So do 2 penalty fees in a row that can't be collected.
- WAAFI warns you at 7, 8 and 9 declines.
A digital card is valid for 3 years. Transaction limits are set per card and shown in the WAAFI app; WAAFI publishes no figures [3]. Fees change; check WAAFI's current card terms.
Paying shops and businesses
The card works at any shop, website or ATM that takes Mastercard, but WAAFI warns it "does not guarantee" every merchant will accept it [3]. For shops that want to accept contactless payments, WaafiPay, which calls itself "A Waafi Product", offers card terminals with "Contactless & NFC" [5]. We found no published count of contactless terminals in Somalia.
Paying across borders
Paying abroad is one of the card's main uses: The Paypers listed travel and international payments among its features at launch [2]. The card is multi-currency. If a currency balance runs short, the card converts from another balance with a 0.4 % markup on non-USD payments [3]. The terms don't list countries where the card can't be used, but they allow limits "in particular countries or locations" [3].
Is there a WAAFI Card QR code in Somalia?
No. The WAAFI Card is card payment over NFC. The card is tokenised on your phone [1]: a token stands in for the card's details, so they aren't exposed at the terminal [4]. Nothing is printed or scanned. Somalia does have scannable payment codes:
- WAAFI QR: businesses generate QR codes in the same WAAFI app. See WAAFI QR and the WAAFI QR standard.
- SOMQR: the national QR standard, carried by the Somalia Instant Payment System since January 2025. Merchants show a code that customers scan [6].
Neither code is the WAAFI card.
Safety: protect your card, PIN and one-time codes
WAAFI's card terms set out the rules [3]:
- Never share your card details, PIN or one-time codes. If you knowingly share them, you lose the protection against unauthorised payments, because that counts as gross negligence.
- Report a lost phone or card at once in the WAAFI app, and block the card. After you report it, you aren't liable for unauthorised payments, under Mastercard's Zero Liability rules.
- Dispute a wrong payment within 60 days of it appearing in your history.
The WAAFI Card and the alternatives in Somalia
| Way to pay | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WAAFI Card | Card terminals, online shops, travel | 2.5 % purchase fee, 4.5 % at ATMs [3] |
| Premier Bank Tap2Pay | Contactless with a ring or wristband | Premier Bank and Mastercard wearables, Oct 2024 [4] |
| EVC Plus | Everyday payments inside Somalia | Mobile money by phone number; Hormuud says it's free |
| WAAFI QR | Paying a Somali shop by scanning | Business-generated QR codes in the WAAFI app |
See also the (SO report).
Sources
- ITWeb Africa, "Paymentology partners Salaam Bank’s Waafi mobile app", 2 Aug 2024. https://itweb.africa/content/KzQenMjy5ZY7Zd2r
- The Paypers, "Waafi by Salaam Bank partners with Paymentology", 2 Aug 2024. https://thepaypers.com/fintech/news/waafi-by-salaam-bank-partners-with-paymentology
- WAAFI, "WAAFI Card Terms and Conditions" (updated September 2026), read 19 Oct 2026. https://waafi.com/card-terms
- Mastercard, "Premier Bank, Mastercard, and Tappy Technologies launch tokenization-passive payment wearables, revolutionizing the future of payments", 17 Oct 2024. https://newsroom.mastercard.com/news/eemea/en/newsroom/press-releases/en/2024/october/premier-bank-mastercard-and-tappy-technologies-launch-tokenization-passive-payment-wearables-revolutionizing-the-future-of-payments
- WaafiPay, "Welcome to WaafiPay", read 19 Oct 2026. https://waafipay.com/
- BPC, "Somalia launches first nationwide Instant Payment System powered by BPC", 24 Mar 2025. https://www.bpcbt.com/en/press/somalia-launches-first-nationwide-instant-payment-system-powered-by-bpc
- Wikipedia, "Hormuud Telecom", read 19 Oct 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormuud_Telecom
Researched 19 October 2026. Fees and card terms change; WAAFI's own card terms are authoritative.