How to Pay for Software in Ghana with MTN MoMo

Key takeaways

• Most foreign software sites don't accept MTN MoMo directly, but you can pay for them by funding a virtual dollar card from MoMo.
• Chipper Cash's Ghana USD card ($5 to issue, $1 a month, $0.10 per payment) and Eversend's lifetime card ($2.99 once, 2.5% to top up from MoMo) both work this way.
• MTN MoMo has been a payment option on Google Play in Ghana since 2018, which covers apps bought through the Play Store.
• MTN's own MoMo virtual card launched in Uganda in February 2025 and in Cameroon in December 2025, but we found no confirmed Ghana launch as of October 2026.
• From 15 October 2026, the GRA collects 20% VAT at the point of payment on foreign digital services paid with Ghanaian mobile money, cards or wallets.

You can pay for most software from Ghana with MTN MoMo, just not directly. The most reliable route is to top up a virtual dollar card from MoMo, such as Chipper Cash's Ghana USD card or Eversend, and use that card on the software's website. For Android apps, Google Play has accepted MTN MoMo since 2018. And many Ghanaian software and online services take MoMo at checkout, because local payment gateways like Paystack support it.

Budget for the new 20% real-time VAT the GRA started collecting on 15 October 2026 when you pay foreign digital services with MoMo.

Why can't I pay ChatGPT or Canva with MoMo directly?

Foreign software companies mostly bill through card processors that accept Visa and Mastercard, not African mobile money. MoMo is, in MTN Ghana's own words, a "cardless" way to transfer and pay. So you need something that turns your MoMo balance into a card. That's what the routes below do.

Route 1: Fund a virtual dollar card from MoMo (works almost everywhere)

This is the route that works for the widest range of software, including ChatGPT, Claude, Canva, Notion, Google Workspace and Figma.

Option A: Chipper Cash Ghana USD card

Chipper's help centre describes a reloadable virtual USD card for local and international online payments, with 3D Secure on every card.

• Fees: $5 to issue, $1 a month, $0.10 per successful payment. Moving money between your Chipper wallet and the card is free.
• Works only with approved merchant categories, which Chipper can change.

How to fund it from MoMo:

1. In the Chipper app, tap your GHS balance → Add Cash, enter an amount and tap Continue.
2. Choose Mobile Money as the source and confirm.
3. Enter your MoMo PIN in the USSD pop-up on your phone.
4. Move the cedis to your USD balance.
5. Go to the Card tab, tap Top up, choose USD balance, enter the amount and confirm.

Chipper's help pages don't list the exchange rate or a fee for converting cedis to dollars, so check the amount in the app before you confirm.

Option B: Eversend lifetime card

• Fees: $2.99 once for a lifetime card with no monthly fee, or $0.99 plus $0.99 a month for the monthly version. Adding money to the card is free.
• MoMo top-ups in cedis cost 2.5%. Adding GH¢1,000 costs GH¢25.
• Spending is free at US merchants charging in dollars. Merchants that settle outside the US, or in another currency, cost 3.5% + $0.50.
• A payment that fails for low balance costs $0.40, so keep a small buffer.

Eversend suits you if most of your tools are US-based and you don't want a monthly card fee.

For more options, including Grey, Raenest and Accrue, see our Ghana virtual dollar card comparison.

Route 2: Pay through Google Play with MoMo

If the software has an Android app, you may be able to skip the card entirely. MTN Ghana subscribers have been able to pay on Google Play with their MoMo wallet since January 2018, through a partnership with Bango. You choose "Pay with Mobile Money" in Google Play, and the charge comes out of your MoMo wallet.

What to know:

• The 2018 launch covered "apps, games, music, movies and more". We couldn't confirm that MoMo works for in-app subscriptions today, so check your Google Play payment methods when you subscribe.
• App store prices can differ from the software's web prices.
• You manage and cancel these subscriptions in Google Play, not on the software's website.

Route 3: Use local software that accepts MoMo directly

Here's a route people forget. Many Ghanaian software products and online services take MoMo at checkout. Payment gateways like Paystack support MTN MoMo, Vodafone Cash and AirtelTigo Money in Ghana alongside cards. When a local tool does the job, such as invoicing, point-of-sale or bookkeeping software, you can often pay with MoMo with no card involved at all.

It's worth asking: is there a local alternative to the foreign tool you're paying for in dollars?

What about MTN's own MoMo virtual card?

In February 2024, MTN and Mastercard announced virtual cards for MoMo wallets across 13 African markets, including Ghana. Two of those markets have them now:

• Uganda: launched 27 February 2025. It costs UGX 1,000 to create, through the MoMo USSD menu.
• Cameroon: launched 19 December 2025. It works for Netflix, Canva, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple services and SaaS software.

As of October 2026, we found no confirmed launch in Ghana. When it arrives, it will probably be the simplest option of all: a card living inside your MoMo wallet. Watch MTN Ghana's announcements.

The new 20% real-time VAT

From 15 October 2026, the GRA's Real-Time VAT (RTVAT) system collects VAT on foreign digital services at the moment you pay. According to Graphic Online:

• It applies when you pay a non-resident business for an electronic service, including software subscriptions, using a Ghana-issued card, mobile money account or digital wallet.
• Your MoMo operator, bank or payment provider deducts it and remits it to GRA, and you get an SMS showing the deduction.
• The total is 20%: 15% VAT, 2.5% NHIL and 2.5% GETFund. A GH¢100 service costs GH¢120.
• GRA says you won't pay twice. If the provider already charged Ghana VAT, nothing extra applies.

We couldn't confirm how RTVAT treats payments made with fintech virtual dollar cards. It may depend on how each card is issued. Watch for the SMS after your first payment and budget for the 20% either way.

What does a $20 subscription cost?

Here's an example using Eversend's lifetime card for a $20 US software subscription, after the card itself is set up.

Item	Cost
Subscription	$20.00
Real-time VAT, if not already charged (20%)	≈ $4.00
Eversend MoMo top-up fee (2.5% of ≈ $24)	≈ $0.60
Eversend spending fee (US merchant)	$0.00
Approximate total	≈ $24.60

With Chipper, swap the 2.5% top-up for $1 a month plus $0.10 per payment, plus whatever exchange-rate margin Chipper applies when you convert cedis. Both work out to roughly $24 to $25 a month for a $20 tool, most of it VAT.

The short version

1. For most foreign software: fund a Chipper or Eversend virtual dollar card from MoMo, then pay with the card.
2. For Android apps: try Google Play with MoMo first.
3. For local tools: pay with MoMo directly at checkout.
4. Budget about 20% extra for the new real-time VAT.
5. Watch for MTN's MoMo virtual card to reach Ghana. It's already live in Uganda and Cameroon.

Paying for AI tools in particular? Our guide to ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro in Ghana walks through both.