Your payment gateway is the last thing a shopper sees before they become a customer. Choose the wrong one and you’ll lose sales at the very last step. Choose well and paying becomes the easiest part of shopping with you.
Here’s what to look for when choosing a payment gateway for a South African online store.
What a payment gateway does
A payment gateway securely takes a shopper’s payment details, checks them with the bank, and tells your store whether the payment went through. It’s also where your money is held before it’s paid into your bank account.
The payment methods South Africans expect
Before comparing providers, decide which payment methods you need to offer. For most South African stores, that means:
- Card payments: credit and debit cards, including tap-to-pay wallets on mobile.
- Instant EFT: paying straight from a bank account without a card. Many South Africans prefer it, especially for bigger purchases.
- Buy now, pay later: splitting a purchase into instalments with providers like Payflex, PayJustNow or Mobicred.
- QR and wallet payments: useful if you also sell in person or on social channels.
The more of these your checkout offers, the fewer shoppers leave because their preferred way to pay isn’t there.
The gateways South African stores use
Local options include PayFast, Peach Payments, Yoco and Ozow (for instant EFT), among others. Each supports a different mix of payment methods, platforms and pricing. Rather than recommend one for everyone, we suggest comparing them on the points below.
How to compare payment gateways
- Payment methods. Does it support card, instant EFT and buy now, pay later, or will you need more than one provider?
- Fees. Look at the transaction fee, any monthly fee, and the cost of refunds and chargebacks. Work out the total on a typical month’s sales, not only the headline rate.
- Payouts. How quickly does money reach your account, and does it cost extra for faster payouts?
- Checkout experience. Does the payment page feel like part of your store, or does it send shoppers to an unfamiliar page? Test it on your phone.
- Platform support. Is there a well-maintained plugin or app for Shopify or WooCommerce?
- Support. When a payment fails on a Friday night, how quickly can you reach someone?
Show your payment options early
Whichever gateway you choose, don’t hide the payment options until checkout. Show payment logos in the footer and near the Add to cart button, and if you offer buy now, pay later, show the instalment price on the product page. Knowing they can pay the way they prefer gives shoppers the confidence to keep going.
Test the whole flow
Before you go live, and after every change, place a real order on a real phone: card, instant EFT and buy now, pay later. Check the confirmation email, the refund process and the payout. It takes an hour and it can save a month of lost sales.
Want help choosing and setting up payments? We build stores with checkout designed to convert, and our free CRO audit checks your payment options, and much more.
