arrow_backBack to all articles

Payments & Operations

How to Choose a Payment Provider for Your Online Shop in South Africa

Cards, Instant EFT, Capitec Pay, pay by bank, SnapScan. What each provider is good at, what to ask before you sign up, and why you might not need one at all on day one.

7 min read

A payment provider is the company that takes your customer's money at checkout and pays it into your bank account. In South Africa you have more good options than ever, which makes choosing harder, not easier.

This guide skips the sales talk. It covers what actually differs between providers, the questions worth asking, and how to start without one.

First: what are your customers going to pay with?

Start with your customers, not the provider. A provider that only takes cards is a poor fit if half your buyers would rather pay from their bank app.

  • Cards are still the default for most online shoppers, and the only option for many tourists and corporate buyers.
  • Instant EFT and pay by bank let a shopper pay from their own bank account without a card. Popular with people who don't trust card-not-present payments, or don't have a credit card.
  • Capitec Pay lets Capitec clients approve a payment inside the Capitec app. Capitec has more than 26 million personal banking clients, so this one matters. See Capitec Pay for online shops.
  • SnapScan suits shoppers who already pay at markets and coffee shops with the app.

If you're not sure, look at how people pay you in person today. That's usually how they'll want to pay online.

What differs between providers

All of them take money and pay you out. These are the parts that actually differ:

  • Which payment methods they offer. Some are cards only. Others put cards, Instant EFT and Capitec Pay on one checkout.
  • What you already have. If you tap cards on a Yoco or iKhokha machine at your counter, using the same account online means one set of payouts and one dashboard.
  • How fast they pay you out. Ask for the payout schedule in writing, and whether weekends count.
  • Fees. Every provider publishes its own. Compare them on the provider's pricing page for the methods you'll actually use, because card and bank-payment fees are often different. Fees change, so we don't quote them here.
  • Onboarding. Some approve you in minutes; others ask for company documents first. If you're a sole proprietor, check they take you.
  • Test mode. Being able to run a pretend order before going live saves an embarrassing first sale.

Questions to ask before you sign up

  1. Which of my customers' payment methods do you support?
  2. How long until I'm approved, and what documents do you need?
  3. When do payouts land, and is there a minimum?
  4. What happens when a customer disputes a card payment?
  5. Can I refund from your dashboard, and does the fee come back?
  6. Is there a monthly fee on top of the per-sale fee?

The nine you can connect to ShopEazy

ShopEazy works with nine South African providers. You use your own account with them, so the money goes straight to you, never through us.

Your shop charges through one provider at a time. The payments page shows them side by side.

No provider yet? Start with bank transfer

You don't need a provider to make your first sale. With bank transfer (EFT), customers get your bank details and their order number as a reference, and you mark the order paid when the money lands. It's slower and you have to check your statement, but it costs nothing to switch on and you can add a provider later.

Many shops run both: a provider for people who want to pay now, and EFT for people who prefer it.

Our honest take

  • Already have a card machine at your counter? Use that provider online.
  • Selling to a broad South African audience? Pick a provider that offers Capitec Pay or pay by bank as well as cards.
  • Just testing an idea? Start with EFT, then connect a provider once orders come in.

Connecting takes a few minutes in ShopEazy: Connect a payment provider.

Sources

Share: