Payment gateways in South Africa: the complete 2026 guide
Every major South African payment gateway in one place: what each one charges, which payment methods it supports, how it is regulated, which platforms it works on, and how to choose the right one for your store. Seven providers, verified rates, and the maths on a real store.
A payment gateway is the part of your store that turns a customer’s card, bank app or cash into money in your account. In South Africa the choice is wider than it was two years ago: PayFast, Yoco, Peach Payments, Ozow, Stitch, PayGate and, since October 2026, Pay@ Gateway all compete for online stores, with fees ranging from 1.5% to more than 3.2% plus a rand fee per payment.
We have built more than 400 South African online stores since 2014 and set up every gateway on this page on live stores. This guide pulls together what we have learned, links to our detailed comparisons, and gives you a straight answer at the end of each section.
Rates verified against each provider’s own published pricing on 21 October 2026. All fees ex VAT unless stated.
The short answer
There is no single best payment gateway in South Africa. The right one depends on your platform, your average order value and how your customers want to pay.
On published rates, Pay@ and Ozow share the lowest card rate at 2.85% with no per-transaction rand fee, and Ozow and Peach have the lowest EFT rate at 1.5%. For WooCommerce stores selling to a broad South African market, Pay@ Gateway is our top pick: cards, wallets, instant EFT and Capitec Pay in one plugin and one settlement, with cash payment at retail tills coming soon. On Shopify, PayFast, Peach and Yoco have the most mature apps. EFT-heavy and B2B stores should look hard at Ozow.
What a payment gateway does
When a customer checks out, the gateway securely collects their payment details (or sends them to their bank app), asks the bank or card network to approve the payment, tells your store whether it succeeded, and later pays the money into your bank account minus its fee. You never see or store the customer’s card number.
How an online payment moves
From checkout to your bank account.
Step 3 is where most WooCommerce problems happen. Our WooCommerce gateway guide covers how to test it.
Three terms get mixed up a lot:
- Payment gateway: the technology that takes the payment at checkout and talks to the banks.
- Merchant account: a bank account set up to receive card payments. Large merchants sometimes hold their own; most South African online stores use a gateway that aggregates payments under its own, so you do not need one.
- Payment service provider (PSP) or third-party payment provider (TPPP): the company that collects money on your behalf and settles it to you. In South Africa, PayFast, Ozow, Peach, Yoco, Stitch and Pay@ all play this role.
How payment gateways are regulated in South Africa
Before you trust a provider with your revenue, check these four things. Every gateway on this page meets them.
| What to check | What it means | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Registered with PASA as a TPPP | The Payments Association of South Africa, under the South African Reserve Bank’s National Payment System rules, requires anyone collecting payments for third parties to register through a sponsoring bank. | Your money is handled inside the regulated banking system, not by an unlicensed middleman. |
| PCI DSS compliant card processing | The card industry’s security standard for storing and handling card data. | With a hosted checkout, card data never touches your site and your own compliance work stays small. |
| 3D Secure on cards | South African banks ask customers to approve most online card payments with an OTP or in their banking app. | On authenticated payments, fraud liability generally shifts away from you. It also adds a step that can cost conversions. |
| FICA and KYC checks on merchants | Gateways must verify who you are before they pay you out. | Expect to submit ID, proof of address, a bank confirmation letter and business documents before going live. |
Some providers add further credentials. Pay@, for example, is an authorised financial services provider (FSP 29423) and ISO/IEC 27001 certified; Stitch is PCI DSS Level 1 and ISO 27001 certified.
All seven South African payment gateways compared
Published entry-level rates for online payments. Larger stores can negotiate lower rates with most of these providers.
| Gateway | Cards | EFT / bank | Rand fee per payment | Monthly fee | Settlement | Cash at tills | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay@ GatewayNEW | 2.85% | 1.95% | None (min R1.85) | R0 | T+2, one settlement | Coming soon (R6.50 + 0.5%) | Payment links; app coming | Official plugin |
| PayFast | 3.2% + R2 | 2.0% (min R2) | R2 on cards | R0 | 1–2 working days | No | App | Official plugin |
| Yoco | 2.55–2.95% | Not published | None | R0 | T+2 | No | App | Official plugin |
| Peach Payments | 2.95% + R1.50 | 1.5% + R1.50 | R1.50 | R0 (Growth) | T+1 (daily after 2 weeks) | No | App | Official plugin |
| Ozow | 2.85% (tiered, min R1) | 1.5% (min R1) | None | R0 | Next day | Vouchers only | App | Official plugin |
| Stitch Express | 2.95% | 2.0% (Capitec Pay) | R2 per payout | R0 | Within 24 hours | No | App | Plugin |
| PayGate (DPO) | Negotiated | Negotiated | Varies | Varies | T+1 to T+3 | No | App | Plugin |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone. For the full working on each of these numbers, see our cheapest payment gateway breakdown.
The providers, one by one
Pay@ Gateway
2.85% cards · 1.95% EFT · no monthly fee
Pay@ has run bill payments through South African tills, banking apps and wallets since 2007, across more than 40 networks. Its online gateway launched in October 2026 with the joint-lowest published card rate and no rand fee per payment. Cards, wallets, instant EFT and Capitec Pay arrive in one consolidated settlement. Coming soon: cash payment for online orders at Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, PEP and many more tills, which none of the others offer, plus vouchers and BNPL.
Best for: WooCommerce stores selling to a broad SA market. Our review · Pay@ Gateway site
PayFast
3.2% + R2 cards · 2.0% EFT
The most widely used gateway in SA, now part of Network International. The widest range of methods, including Mobicred, MoreTyme and store cards, and plugins for almost every platform. The R2 card fee makes it the most expensive published option on small baskets.
Best for: Shopify stores and anyone who wants the broadest method list.
Yoco
2.55–2.95% cards · T+2
Started as a card-machine company. Clean pricing that steps down automatically as your volume grows, with no rand fee. A good fit if you also sell in person and want one dashboard.
Best for: card-heavy stores that also trade in person.
Peach Payments
2.95% + R1.50 cards · 1.5% + R1.50 EFT
Strong on bank-direct EFT, recurring billing and tokenisation, with an Enterprise tier for high-volume merchants. The R1.50 fee per payment weighs on low order values.
Best for: growing stores, subscriptions and stores that sell internationally.
Ozow
2.85% cards (tiered) · 1.5% EFT
SA’s instant EFT specialist, now also taking cards. The lowest published EFT rate, and EFT payments cannot be charged back the way cards can.
Best for: EFT-heavy, high-value and B2B stores, often alongside a card gateway.
Stitch Express
2.95% cards · 2.0% Capitec Pay
The self-serve version of the infrastructure behind several of SA’s largest retailers, with direct bank connections and failover. Custom pricing starts earlier than most.
Best for: stores where uptime and payment success rates matter most.
PayGate (DPO)
Negotiated
One of SA’s oldest gateways, now in the same group as PayFast. No public rate card; quotes depend on volume and risk.
Best for: established brands already on it.
Two to watch
PayShap · BNPL
PayShap, the industry’s instant bank payment rail, is reaching online checkouts through providers such as Ozow. Buy now, pay later is offered by Payflex, PayJustNow, Mobicred and others, and is coming to Pay@. See our BNPL guide.
For a side-by-side of the established four plus Pay@, read PayFast vs Ozow vs Peach vs PayGate vs Pay@.
Payment methods South Africans use, and who offers them
The single biggest conversion lever in a South African checkout is letting people pay the way they already pay. A card-only checkout turns away everyone who prefers their banking app, does not trust typing card details into a website, or does not have a card at all.
| Method | Why it matters | Offered by |
|---|---|---|
| Credit and debit cards | Still the default online. Every 3D Secure step is a chance to lose the sale. | All seven |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay | One-tap payment on mobile, where most SA traffic is. | Pay@, PayFast, Peach and others |
| Instant EFT / Pay by Bank | Cheaper than cards and no card details needed. | Ozow, Peach, PayFast, Pay@ |
| Capitec Pay | Approve in the Capitec app; reaches SA’s largest retail bank customer base. | Pay@, Ozow, Peach, Stitch, PayFast |
| QR wallets (SnapScan, Zapper, Scan to Pay) | Familiar from in-store payments. | PayFast, Pay@ |
| Cash at retail tills | Opens your store to customers without a card or who prefer cash. | Pay@, coming soon (Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, PEP and more) |
| Buy now, pay later | Lifts average order value on items above about R1,000. | PayFast (Mobicred, MoreTyme), Stitch, BNPL providers directly; Pay@ coming soon |
What a payment gateway really costs
Headline percentages look close. Run them over a month of real orders and the gap is real money. Here is a store doing R200,000 a month: 333 orders at R600, 70% paid by card and 30% by EFT.
What R200,000 a month in sales costs in gateway fees
Monthly total, ex VAT. 333 orders at R600, 70% card / 30% EFT. Lower is better.
Card share R140,000 and EFT share R60,000 at each provider’s published entry rates, plus any per-transaction fees. Yoco EFT modelled at 2.0%; Yoco no longer lists an EFT rate on its public pricing page. Full working in our cheapest payment gateway breakdown.
Order value changes the ranking. Gateways that add a rand fee to every payment get proportionally more expensive as baskets shrink. On a R150 card order:
The fee on one R150 card order
Ex VAT, entry-level published card rates. Lower is better.
PayFast 3.2% + R2; Peach 2.95% + R1.50; Yoco and Stitch 2.95%; Ozow and Pay@ 2.85%.
We explain why your basket size decides your cheapest gateway in our average order value analysis. To run your own numbers, use the free Payment Gateway Comparator.
Fees that are not on the rate card
- VAT. Every rate here is ex VAT. If you are not VAT-registered, add 15%: a 2.85% rate costs you 3.28%.
- Shopify’s third-party transaction fee. Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so Shopify charges 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus on top of your gateway fee.
- Payout and refund fees. PayFast charges R8.70 per payout and R2 per refund; Ozow R3 for each; Stitch R2 per standard payout. Others settle automatically.
- Chargebacks. Disputed card payments typically cost R150–R300 each, win or lose. EFT payments cannot be reversed the same way.
- Settlement delay. Money that takes two days to arrive is working capital you cannot spend on stock.
- Reconciliation time. Running one gateway for cards and another for EFT means two payout streams to match every month. Single-settlement gateways such as Pay@ remove that.
- Failed payments. A declined legitimate payment costs you the whole order, not 3% of it. That outweighs any rate difference.
We trace every one of these through a real order in what you actually keep on a R500 sale.
Payment gateways by platform
WooCommerce
Every gateway here has a WooCommerce plugin, which makes WooCommerce the most flexible platform for South African payments. Pay@ is the newest, with cards, wallets, EFT and Capitec Pay from one plugin, and cash in store coming soon. The part that breaks is the callback that marks the order paid; our WooCommerce payment gateways guide shows how to test it before you take real money.
Shopify
Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so you install a third-party gateway app and pay Shopify’s transaction fee on top. PayFast, Peach, Yoco, Ozow, Stitch and PayGate all have Shopify apps; Pay@ works through payment links until its app launches. Our Shopify payments guide covers the setup and the fee maths.
Custom builds and headless stores
All the major providers offer APIs. Pay@ supports payment links or an embedded checkout with go-live in 1 to 8 weeks; Stitch and Peach are the strongest on advanced API features such as tokenisation and smart routing.
How to choose a payment gateway for your store
| If your store… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Runs WooCommerce and sells to a broad SA market | Pay@ Gateway | Cards, wallets, EFT and Capitec Pay in one plugin, no monthly fee, one settlement |
| Has customers without cards, or who prefer cash | Pay@ Gateway | The only gateway with cash payment at retail tills on its roadmap (coming soon) |
| Runs Shopify | PayFast, Peach or Yoco | Mature apps; watch the Shopify third-party fee |
| Sells mostly by EFT, or B2B | Ozow | Lowest EFT rate and no card chargebacks |
| Sells small baskets under R300 | Pay@, Ozow or Yoco | No rand fee per payment |
| Also sells in person | Yoco | One account for card machines and online |
| Sells subscriptions | Peach or Stitch | Strong recurring billing and tokenisation |
| Sends invoices or collects account payments | Pay@ | Pay@ Go invoicing and bill payments from the same provider |
| Processes R500,000+ a month | Negotiate | Every provider will beat its published rates at this volume |
Which setup fits your revenue
Monthly online sales.
Under R50k
per month
One gateway: Pay@ on WooCommerce, PayFast on Shopify.
R50k–R200k
per month
Pay@ on WooCommerce, or a card gateway plus Ozow.
R200k–R500k
per month
Review the mix; Peach or Stitch where subscriptions or uptime matter.
R500k+
per month
Negotiate custom rates with two or three providers.
Below about R50,000 a month the rand difference between gateways is small, so choose on platform fit, payment methods and support. Above that, the fee difference is worth optimising.
How to get a payment gateway in South Africa
- Get your store ready. Gateways check your website before approving you. Publish your terms and conditions, returns and refund policy, delivery policy, privacy policy and contact details. Our POPIA privacy policy guide covers the last one.
- Gather your documents. ID for the owner or directors, proof of address, a bank confirmation letter, and company registration documents if you trade as a company. Some providers accept sole proprietors; requirements vary.
- Sign up and complete KYC. Self-service plugins can go live within a day to two weeks once checks clear; custom API integrations and enterprise onboarding take one to eight weeks.
- Install and test in sandbox. Run a successful, a declined and an abandoned payment, plus a refund.
- Place one live low-value order. Confirm the order moves to paid on its own, the confirmation email arrives and the money settles.
Want your gateway set up properly the first time? We install and test gateways on live transactions, including callbacks, refunds and order status, on WooCommerce and Shopify. Get a quote within 24 hours.
Payment gateway FAQs
What is the best payment gateway in South Africa?
It depends on your platform and customers. For WooCommerce stores selling to a broad South African market, Pay@ Gateway is our top pick: a 2.85% card rate with no rand fee, instant EFT and Capitec Pay at 1.95%, one settlement, and cash payment at retail tills coming soon. On Shopify, PayFast, Peach and Yoco have the most mature apps. For EFT-heavy or B2B stores, Ozow has the lowest EFT rate.
Which payment gateway is cheapest in South Africa?
On a R200,000-a-month store with a 70/30 card and EFT split, Ozow is cheapest on published rates at about R4,890 a month, followed by Pay@ at R5,160. PayFast is the most expensive published option at R6,146. On small baskets, gateways without a per-transaction rand fee (Pay@, Ozow, Yoco, Stitch) are cheapest.
How much do payment gateways charge in South Africa?
Published card rates run from 2.55% (Yoco’s highest volume tier) to 3.2% plus R2 (PayFast). EFT runs from 1.5% (Ozow, Peach) to 2%. None of the self-service options charges a monthly fee. All rates are ex VAT.
Can customers pay for an online order in cash?
Soon, with Pay@ Gateway. Pay in store is listed as coming soon: the customer will choose pay in store, get a reference or barcode, and pay cash at a participating till such as Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar or PEP, and your store is notified when it clears. Pay@ has published the fee as R6.50 + 0.5%, and it will be open to SMEs as well as Enterprise merchants.
Does Shopify Payments work in South Africa?
No. South African Shopify stores use a third-party gateway and pay Shopify an extra 0.2% to 2% per transaction depending on their plan.
Can I get a payment gateway without a registered company?
Often, yes. Several South African gateways onboard sole proprietors with an ID, proof of address and a bank confirmation letter. Requirements differ by provider, so check before you apply.
How long does it take to set up a payment gateway?
For a plugin on WooCommerce or an app on Shopify, usually a day to two weeks including KYC checks. Custom API integrations take one to eight weeks.
Do I need more than one payment gateway?
Not necessarily. A gateway that covers cards, EFT and the other methods your customers use, such as Pay@ on WooCommerce, can do the job alone. Stores on gateways that are strong on one method often add a second, for example PayFast for cards and Ozow for EFT.
How quickly do gateways pay out?
Peach settles the next business day (daily settlement starts after your first two weeks), Stitch Express within 24 hours, PayFast within one to two working days, and Yoco and Pay@ within two business days. Pay@ pays all methods in one consolidated settlement.
Can I use Stripe or PayPal in South Africa?
Stripe does not onboard South African businesses directly. PayPal works but withdrawing to a local bank account is awkward. For customers paying in rand, a local gateway is almost always the better choice.
Our detailed payment guides
Pay@ Gateway reviewFees, cash in store and our verdict
PayFast vs Ozow vs Peach vs PayGate vs Pay@Features and recommendations side by side
Why basket size decides your cheapest gatewayThe average order value effect
WooCommerce payment gatewaysWhich to install and how to test them
Accepting payments on Shopify in SAThe Shopify Payments workaround
Buy now, pay later in South AfricaPayflex, PayJustNow, Mobicred and more
Payment Gateway ComparatorFree tool: run your own numbers
Sources
We have built 400+ online stores for South African businesses since 2014. Read more about eCommerce development in South Africa.
