Vodacom Lesotho review

The monthly fee is LSL 0, so the account carries no standing monthly charge, and Vodacom Lesotho lists it as a no monthly fee product. Money moves at the point of payment instead, with a per transaction fee on transfers deducted from the M-Pesa account.

There is a per transaction fee on transfers, and it comes straight out of the M-Pesa account rather than being added to what the recipient gets. The account itself has no monthly charge, with a monthly fee of LSL 0, so the transfer cost is the main thing to budget for.

Vodacom Lesotho M-Pesa is run in Lesotho by VCL Financial Services (Pty) Limited, and the Central Bank of Lesotho is the regulator listed for the service. Help is on phone and help centre if a payment looks wrong, so a phone call is the quickest route to an answer.

M-Pesa covers 2 currencies. That sits well below the median across multi-currency brands, which is 5, and it places the account 274 of 379 brands on that measure. A multi-currency account is the better pick if you trade or earn in other currencies.

It suits people in Lesotho who want an everyday mobile money balance, pay for things from a phone and do not want a monthly charge, with the fee at LSL 0. It is a poor fit if you hold money in many currencies at once or want a named savings product.

Support runs on phone and help centre only, so a phone call is the direct route and a help centre covers written questions. Because the balance is mobile money, a failed payment or a wrong recipient is worth reporting straight away while the transaction is recent.

The monthly fee of LSL 0 matches €0 at Skrill, $0 at PayPal Colombia and £0 at eToro, so nothing here is cheaper to hold. The difference is reach, with M-Pesa built for Lesotho and 2 currencies on the account.