Split Payments: Taking Two Payment Methods in One Sale
Learn how to split a single AskBiz POS transaction between cash and M-Pesa, or any two payment methods — perfect when a customer can't pay the full amount one way.
Key Takeaways
- AskBiz POS lets you split any sale across two payment methods in a single transaction.
- Common splits: part cash, part M-Pesa — useful when a customer is short on either.
- Both payment amounts are recorded separately in the Sales report and audit trail.
- Split payments are fully supported in offline mode for the cash portion.
When split payments are useful
Split payments solve a common till problem: a customer wants to pay KSh 1,200 but only has KSh 800 cash and the rest on M-Pesa. Rather than cancelling or asking the customer to find the exact amount, AskBiz lets you take the cash first and then complete the remainder via M-Pesa in the same transaction. The sale appears as a single receipt but both payment legs are individually logged in your accounts.
How to split a payment at the till
After building the basket and applying any discounts, tap the Pay button. Instead of selecting a single method, tap Split payment. Enter the first amount (e.g. KSh 800 cash) and confirm it. AskBiz deducts that amount from the total and shows the outstanding balance (KSh 400). Select the second payment method — M-Pesa — and complete the M-Pesa confirmation. Once both legs are confirmed, the sale closes and the receipt shows both payments.
Free — no card needed
See this in action for your business
AskBiz tracks these metrics automatically — just connect your data and start asking questions.
Start for free →Which payment combinations are supported
AskBiz supports splitting across any two of your connected payment methods: Cash + M-Pesa, Cash + Card, or M-Pesa + Card. You cannot currently split across three methods in one transaction. If a customer needs to pay across three methods, consider taking two payments as one split transaction and then processing a second small transaction for the remaining amount — both will appear on the same order if you link them through the customer's account.
How split payments appear in your reports
In the Sales report each payment method's total is calculated across all transactions, including split legs. So if five split-payment transactions each had KSh 500 cash and KSh 500 M-Pesa, your report shows KSh 2,500 in cash and KSh 2,500 in M-Pesa — the totals are never combined. This makes your end-of-day cash count accurate and your M-Pesa reconciliation with your Safaricom statement straightforward.
Split payments with discounts applied
If a discount has been applied before the split, AskBiz calculates the discounted total first and then divides the remaining balance. The cashier enters how much of the discounted total the customer is paying in cash, and AskBiz shows the exact M-Pesa amount outstanding. The Promotions dashboard records the discount against the sale, not against either payment leg, so your discount reporting is unaffected by how the customer chose to pay.