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Merchant Agents

Who this is for: Merchant Agents, and anyone deciding whether the role fits them.

A Merchant Agent is a cash-out point. When a Welile user asks to withdraw, a Merchant Agent nearby can take that request and send the money from their own Mobile Money line — then be reimbursed by Welile, with a commission on top.

It suits someone who already keeps working Mobile Money balance: a shopkeeper, a mobile money operator, a trader with float on hand.

What the role is not​

A Merchant Agent does not register tenants, post Rent Requests, collect rent or pay landlords. That is Field Agent work.

The roles are kept apart on purpose, because the money is different. A Merchant Agent is settling other users' withdrawals; a Field Agent is holding company float for rent. Nobody should be doing both out of the same balance.

How a cash-out works​

  1. A withdrawal request becomes available to a merchant in the area.
  2. You take the request. From that point it is yours to complete.
  3. You send the money to the user from your own Mobile Money line, for the amount on the request.
  4. You confirm it, with proof — the transaction details from your own confirmation message.
  5. Welile reimburses you the amount you sent, into your withdrawable balance, plus your commission.

Send only to the number on the request, and only the amount on the request. If either looks wrong, do not send — contact support first. Money sent to the wrong number is not recoverable by anybody.

What you earn​

0.5% of the amount settled, for each cash-out you complete.

The rate is set by the current Welile agent programme and your statement is the record of what was actually credited. See a commission is missing if an amount has not appeared.

Reimbursement​

Your reimbursement is credited once the cash-out is confirmed. It reaches your withdrawable balance, not your float, and it appears in your statement alongside the commission.

Confirm before you count on it

Reimbursement follows confirmation of the payment you made. Do not treat a request you have taken, or a payment you have sent but not yet confirmed, as money already back with you.

Complete the confirmation the same day, and check your statement after each cash-out rather than at the end of the week.

The telecom's own sending charge​

Sending Mobile Money costs you the telecom's transfer fee, which varies with the amount. Welile accounts for that charge against your float so that your Welile balance stays in step with the balance your telecom actually shows you.

If your Welile figures and your Mobile Money statement drift apart, do not absorb the difference quietly and do not keep trading on the assumption it will correct itself. Take it to support with both statements — this is the part of the role most worth checking carefully in your first weeks.

Before you take your first request​

  • Your identity and your payout number are verified on your account — see National ID verification.
  • You hold enough Mobile Money balance to complete a request once you have taken it.
  • You know how to read your own telecom confirmation messages, because that is your proof.

Common problems​

I sent the money but cannot confirm it. Keep the telecom confirmation message. Contact support with it, the request, the amount and the time — do not send again.

The user says they did not receive it. Check the number on your own confirmation against the number on the request. If they match, the user should check their own Mobile Money statement before anything is resent.

A request disappeared before I could take it. Another merchant took it. That is normal.

What this section does not cover​

Welile has not published a detailed Merchant Agent interface guide or a settlement timetable, so this page does not describe screens or timings it cannot stand behind. Ask support for anything you have been told that is not documented here.

Still need help?​

Contact Welile Support on WhatsApp, call +256 777 607640, or email info@welile.com.

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