Why MoMo Vendors Charge for Deposits | Discuss Ghana

While MTN Ghana officially mandates that deposits (Cash-In) should be free for customers, many vendors across the country continue to defend the practice of taking extra "service charges" (typically GH¢1 to GH¢5 or a percentage for large amounts).

As of March 2026, the debate has intensified following the National Re-registration of Agents, with vendors citing three primary reasons for these "illegal" but common charges.

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1. Operational Costs & Low Commissions

The most common defense from vendors is that the official commissions paid by MTN do not cover their overhead costs:

High Overheads: Vendors argue they must pay for shop rent, electricity, data bundles to run the app, and security for their premises.

Depleted Commissions: The Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG) has noted that as the market becomes saturated with over 400,000 agents, individual commissions have shrunk. Vendors claim they need the deposit charges to remain profitable and "stay in business".

E-Levy Pressure: Agents often take these charges to offset the 0.5% – 1% e-levy and other transaction taxes that they feel eat into their meager margins.

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2. The "Cash-Search" Struggle

Vendors often act as informal "liquidity managers," which comes at a personal cost:

Transportation Risks: When an agent runs out of physical cash for withdrawals or electronic "e-cash" for deposits, they often have to travel to a bank or a larger "Super Agent."

Logistics Costs: Vendors defend deposit charges as a "convenience fee" for the time and transportation costs they incur to keep their floats active.

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3. Fraud Mitigation & Losses

With MoMo fraud cases hitting record highs in early 2026, vendors argue they are the ones who bear the financial brunt:

Reversal Fraud: Agents complain about customers who make payments or deposits and later call the network to reverse the transaction after leaving the shop.

Risk Premium: Some vendors view the extra charge as a "risk premium" to cover potential losses from fraudulent transactions that the telcos do not always refund.

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The Official Stance (2026)

Despite these defenses, MTN Ghana and the Bank of Ghana remain firm that these charges are unauthorized:

Transaction Type	Official Policy (2026)	Common Vendor Practice
Deposit (Cash-In)	FREE	GH¢1 – GH¢5 "Service Fee"
Withdrawal (Cash-Out)	1% (Capped at GH¢10)	Often split into multiples to bypass cap
Transfer	0.75% + E-Levy	Included in total "charge"

Warning: MTN encourages customers to report any agent who demands an extra fee for deposits. Under the 2026 Agent Re-registration policy, agents caught overcharging risk having their SIM cards permanently blocked and their Ghana Cards blacklisted from the telecom sector.