Payment Gateway	Transaction Fee	Payment Methods Accepted	Additional Features
PayFast	2.9% + R1.50 per transaction	Credit cards, EFT, Zapper, SnapScan, Masterpass	Invoicing, subscriptions, cash advances
Yoco	2.95% - 3.45% based on volume	Visa, Mastercard	Analytics dashboard, integrates with ecommerce platforms
Paygate	0.25% - 3.5% based on volume	Credit cards, EFT, Zapper, SnapScan, PayPal	Real-time payments, no merchant account required for Paygate Plus
Peach Payments	2.95% + R1.50 per transaction	Credit cards, EFT, Masterpass, Mobicred	Enterprise package with multi-currency payments
iKhokha	2.85% Excl VAT discount on volume	Visa/Mastercard debit/credit card and EFT's	3D secure and PCI compliant and 2 business day settlements
Adumo Online	2.95% + R1.00 per transaction	Visa, Mastercard, MasterPass, Zapper, Mobicred, OTT, Ozow EFT	Payment Links, Subscriptions, Enterprise packages, and Customizations

PayFast

One of the best alternative payment gateways is PayFast and they offer EFT and Credit/Debit Card transaction integration. PayFast offer no setup fees or monthly fees, and only 2.9% per transaction + R1.50 per transaction. Visit PayFast

Paygate

Paygate accepts Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Diners Club.
PayGate offers Payweb, PayXML, and Paybill, all of which allow customers to offer online bill payment. Visit Paygate

Ikhokha

iKhokha is a fintech company offering card machines, online payment solutions, and business tools to help businesses accept payments securely and grow, with a focus on contactless and prepaid options. iKhokha's payment integration is widely regarded as among the best in South Africa, providing competitive fees and a cost-effective solution for businesses, boasting one of the lowest transaction rates in Mzansi at 2.85% (excluding VAT) . Visit ikhokha

Peach Payments

Netcash provide payment solutions to businesses and organizations of all kinds.
The corporation delivers outstanding payment services to a diverse range of businesses and their requirements.
Sage Online Tools, Woocommerce, WordPress, Magento, cs.cart, Prestashop, and nopCommerce are all compatible with the Netcash Pay Now Gateway.
Retailers may offer their consumers more payment options, increasing payment frequency, by utilizing the Pay Now Online Payment Gateway plugin. Visit Peach Payments

Yoco

Accepts all major credit cards as well as WooCommerce and Wix payment gateway plugins for your website.
Acceptance of credit card payments through your website. No monthly or minimum fees. Visit Yoco

Virtual Card Services (VCS)

VCS charges R285.00 setup, R0.57 per transaction for authorisation, and R0.57 + 0.5% of the transaction for settlements.
The monthly fee is R165.30, and bulk discounts are available based on the number of transactions. Visit VCS

Snapscan

Snapscan is a contactless mobile payment solution that lets you accept and send payments both online and offline. Snapscan's transaction fees start at just 3% (excluding VAT) per transaction and drop to 2.6 percent if your monthly revenue exceeds R80 000. SnapScan Mobile Payment Gateway

Adumo Online

Adumo Online, part of the Lesaka Group, is a leading multichannel payment gateway solution. Adumo Online provides dedicated support to our merchants, a highly customisable solution to meet our client's specific needs and real time settlement for our merchants. Through the broader Adumo and Lesaka Group we provide the full spectrum of payment solutions to our merchants. Visit Adumo Online

PayU South Africa

PayU South Africa is a secure e-commerce payment gateway that allows you to accept credit card payments. PayU is part of Naspers Ltd., a multi-national media group founded in 1915 that operates in over 133 countries.
Naspers is a multinational conglomerate with operations in e-commerce, pay-TV, and print media. Visit PayU

2Checkout

2Checkout is a great substitute. 2CO is also a good option if you want to avoid PayPal issues. The account setup process is quick as there is no credit check involved. It has a one-time $49 USD setup fee.
You must also pay a 5% commission plus $0.45 per transaction. Visit 2Checkout

PayPal

PayPal is always at the top of the list of online processors, whether sending or receiving money.
Since March 25, 2010, PayPal has entered the South African market and closed a partnership with FNB bank.
The disadvantage is that you can only charge in USD.
This is a major disadvantage if your target market is South Africans, as not everyone has a PayPal account, and charging in USD will be confusing to them. Visit PayPal

Google Wallet

Google Wallet is now available in South Africa from August 2022, which is the product's first market in Africa. It lets users save their credit cards, loyalty cards, and boarding passes and then quickly and safely access them.

Cardholders of South African partner banks such as FirstRand Bank, Discovery Bank, Investec, Standard Bank, ABSA, and Nedbank may now add their details to the wallet and conduct contactless payments using their Android phones and Wear OS devices, according to Google. Visit Google wallet

Netcash

Netcash provide payment solutions to businesses and organizations of all kinds.
The corporation delivers outstanding payment services to a diverse range of businesses and their requirements.
Sage Online Tools, Woocommerce, WordPress, Magento, cs.cart, Prestashop, and nopCommerce are all compatible with the Netcash Pay Now Gateway.
Retailers may offer their consumers more payment options, increasing payment frequency, by utilizing the Pay Now Online Payment Gateway plugin. Visit Netcash

Layup

LayUp's Smart Lay-By Technology allows customers to pay in interest-free installments. In order to secure their chosen products at the quoted price and initiate their payment plan, the buyer must pay a modest deposit (decided by you, the seller).

The consumer has the freedom to choose the number of weeks or months they want to pay over, as long as it falls within the time constraints you've set.
Define your company criteria for any individual items you want to provide the LayUp payment plan option for, such as deposit amount and final payment date.
No interest is ever charged. There are no hidden costs or late fees. There is no interest at all. Visit Layup

Payflex

Payflex is South Africa's first totally free payment plan. Payflex provides South African retailers with an online payment gateway solution that allows customers to pay over six weeks, interest-free.
Pay with Payflex today and pay just 25% of the total product price. Your order will be dispatched right away.
And the balance is paid over the course of six weeks at no extra charge (no fees, no interest*). If you skip a payment, you will be charged a default fee.
Payflex is funded in South Africa by ZIP, a renowned Australian fintech firm with over 3.5 million consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Visit Payflex

Paystack

Give your clients the convenience of modern, frictionless payments.

Paystack lets you integrate once and accept payments from clients in a variety of ways.

Card
Masterpass
EFT
SnapScan
PayPal (coming soon)
Zapper (coming soon)

Receive money from clients anywhere in the world. The boundaries of the internet should not apply to your company.
You can take payments from consumers who are from abroad and from cards that were issued outside of your country using Paystack.

Paystack provide regionally-favored payment methods that are popular around the world, such as mobile money. Visit paystack

Flutterwave

Flutterwave is a payment gateway processor that lets businesses get paid in over 150 different currencies and through multiple channels around the world. It works with all kinds of businesses, including e-commerce, marketplaces, and platforms.

Flutterwave gives developers a flexible and easy-to-use payment infrastructure for building payment flows. This infrastructure is made up of SDKs, API endpoints, and plugins. The platform is secure and guarantees the safety of payment data with certifications like ISO 27001 and 22301 and PA DSS and PCI DSS compliance. Flutterwave also offers a point of sale (POS) device for in-person sales and recurring payments for subscription-based businesses. Visit Flutterwave

What is an Merchant Account?

A Merchant Account is an solution established by a bank which enables a company or individual to route money from credit card sales to an account which holds it before transferring it to the business or individuals own account. South Africa’s top four banks (Standard Bank, Nedbank, ABSA and FNB) all offer Internet Merchant Accounts. A merchant can therefore apply for an Internet Merchant Account directly with their bank.

Do I need a Merchant Account to use a Payment Gateway:

No you do not need to be a registered merchant with a bank to use a Payment Gateway.

Mobile Payment Gateways:

Allow the client to pay via their mobile/cell phone, mobicred is a simple & convenient credit facility that allows a cellphone to safely shop online or make payments.
We integrate Mobicred or Snapscan into an ecommerce solution, mobicred is a simple & convenient credit facility that allows your users to safely shop online with our participating retailers.
For more info read mobicred.co.za or snapscan.co.za

What is the advantage of an internet merchant account?

You would pay less transaction fees but because you need to pay your bank a monthly fee, it would only be advisable on large amounts of sales per month.

Blockchain Payment Gateways

You can use the bitcoin payment gateway to sell your goods or services using a standard online store.
What benefits may use cryptocurrencies offer?
These advantages include ease of use, affordable costs, security, privacy, and more control. In contrast to conventional currencies, cryptocurrencies enable consumer transactions devoid of the involvement of a middleman like a bank or credit union. Read more Cryptocurrency Payment Gateways

Receive US and EU Payments:

Faster Payments - Receive your payments as quickly as if you were in the US or EU
Low Fees - Keep more of your earnings with a fee of only 2%

How can I apply for the service?
Also receive a 2checkout prepaid Mastercard? Your funds will automatically be loaded to your 2checkout card, which can be used to withdraw money via any ATM worldwide or for online/ in-store purchases where MasterCard® is accepted.

Payment Gateways in South Africa: Complete Guide for Online Stores

The main payment gateways for South African online stores are PayFast, Yoco, SnapScan, Ozow, PayPal, Peach Payments, PayFlex, and iKhokha. PayFast and Yoco are the most widely used for WooCommerce stores, supporting ZAR pricing, card payments, and EFT with straightforward plugin integration. Below is a full comparison to help you choose the right one.

Payment gateway comparison

Gateway	Best for	Typical fee	Payment methods	WooCommerce plugin
PayFast	Standard WooCommerce stores	~2.9% + R2	Card, EFT, Instant EFT	Free official plugin
Yoco	Stores with a physical location too	~2.6%-2.95%	Card, online + in-person	Yes
Ozow	Lower fees on higher-value orders	Flat fee (not %)	Instant EFT only	Yes
SnapScan	Mobile-first, QR-code checkout	~2.95%	QR code / app	Yes
PayPal	International customers	~3.9% + fixed fee (varies by currency)	PayPal balance, card	Yes
Crypto gateways	Niche/early-adopter stores	Varies by provider	Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies	Third-party plugin

How does a payment gateway work?

A payment gateway securely captures a customer's payment details at checkout, encrypts them, and sends the transaction to the customer's bank for authorisation. Once approved, the gateway confirms the sale to your store and the funds are settled to your merchant account, typically within 1-3 business days for South African providers.

What are the transaction fees for payment gateways in South Africa?

South African payment gateway fees typically range from 2.0% to 3.5% per transaction. PayFast charges around 2.9% + R2 per transaction, Yoco charges around 2.6%-2.95%, and Ozow (Instant EFT) charges a flat fee rather than a percentage, which can be cheaper for higher-value orders.

Can I accept cryptocurrency payments on my South African online store?

Yes. Crypto payment gateways can be integrated into a WooCommerce store to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies alongside standard ZAR payment methods. This is not yet mainstream in South Africa, so it is usually added as an additional option rather than a replacement for card and EFT payments.

Is Instant EFT better than a card payment gateway?

Instant EFT services like Ozow are popular in South Africa because many shoppers don't have credit cards but do have bank accounts. Instant EFT often has lower fees than card processing and reduces fraud risk, but it depends on the customer's bank supporting real-time payment confirmation.

Which payment gateway should I choose for my WooCommerce store?

For most South African WooCommerce stores, PayFast is the standard choice because it supports card, EFT, and Instant EFT in one integration with a free WooCommerce plugin. Yoco is a strong alternative if you also need an in-person card machine for a physical location alongside your online store. Not sure WooCommerce is the right platform in the first place? See our WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison.

Ready to set up your store with the right payment gateway from day one? See our ecommerce website pricing and packages, or get in touch for a quote.

Last updated: September 2026.

South African payment processors [2026 Guide]

Comparison table of 6 popular payment gateways in South Africa: