Mobile wallet
Verify Telebirr Transactions
Telebirr is Ethio Telecom's mobile money service and the most widely used digital wallet in Ethiopia. Telebirr receipts are published as public HTML pages accessible via a URL containing only the transaction reference number. The endpoint is geo-blocked to Ethiopian IP addresses.
Required information
- Transaction reference (required), e.g. DET8FJGUJ4
Reference number format
2-3 letter prefix followed by 6-8 alphanumeric characters (e.g. DET8FJGUJ4, CHQ0FJ403O)
Example: DET8FJGUJ4
How to verify Telebirr with cheki
- Get the transaction reference from the customer's Telebirr SMS or receipt
- The reference starts with a 2-3 letter prefix (DET, CHQ, DAB, DEL, ADQ, etc.)
- cheki fetches the receipt from Telebirr's public endpoint and extracts payment data
How Telebirr receipt verification works
The Telebirr receipt endpoint is: https://transactioninfo.ethiotelecom.et/receipt/{REFERENCE}
This is a public URL that returns a HTML page containing the official transaction data. No authentication is required.
Note: This endpoint is geo-blocked to Ethiopian IP addresses. If cheki's server cannot reach it, use the fallback URL or self-host on an Ethiopian network.
Who uses Telebirr verification
- Shops confirming Telebirr payments at the counter
- Online stores verifying Telebirr payments before fulfillment
- Delivery services validating payment before handover
- Marketplaces integrating Telebirr verification via API
Verifying Telebirr via API
cheki provides a free REST API for Telebirr verification:
POST https://chekiapp.vercel.app/api/verify
Request body: { "bank": "telebirr", "reference": "DET8FJGUJ4" }
See the API documentation for full details.