How South Africans actually pay for online shops
Two checkout options, built for two different kinds of business — not a technical decision, a product decision.
PayFast — a full online checkout.
Not sure what it costs per sale? Use the free PayFast fee calculator.
PayFast is South Africa's most widely used payment gateway for small and medium online shops. It aggregates most of the payment methods South African shoppers already use — EFT, credit and debit card, Instant EFT, and SnapScan — into one checkout, so you don't need to integrate each one separately.
Cost is roughly 3.5% + R1 per transaction, on top of a free PayFast merchant account (registration takes 1–3 business days for ID and banking verification).
Fits best: fixed-price, ready-to-ship retail products — the customer knows exactly what they're paying before they check out, and the sale is complete the moment payment clears.
WhatsApp orders — no fixed checkout at all.
A full product catalogue where, instead of paying online, the customer's order is sent straight through to your WhatsApp as a clear, itemised message. You confirm details, quote if needed, and arrange payment however suits that specific order — EFT, cash, or in person.
Fits best: personalised, made-to-order, or quote-based products, where the final price depends on choices a fixed checkout can't calculate on its own.
More on WhatsApp-order shops, including the real running cost →
South African buying habits aren't fully online-native yet.
According to World Wide Worx and Mastercard's Online Retail in South Africa 2025 report, in-store payment and collection still play a large role even in "online" retail — in-store payment (73.6%), cash on delivery (37.3%), and collection points (35.8%) all bridge the gap between online browsing and offline habits many South African shoppers still trust more than a card entered into an unfamiliar site.
That's part of why a WhatsApp order flow works for so many small SA businesses — it lets a customer commit to buying without having to trust a checkout page they've never used before, from a shop they may not fully know yet. Trust builds through a conversation first, payment second.
What people ask about checkout options.
What payment methods does PayFast support?
EFT, credit and debit card, Instant EFT, and SnapScan, among others — PayFast aggregates most of the payment methods South African online shoppers already use into one checkout, at roughly 3.5% + R1 per transaction.
Is a WhatsApp order flow less "real" than a payment gateway?
No — it's a different fit for a different kind of product. A fixed-price retail product suits a PayFast checkout. A custom or made-to-order product, where the final price depends on the customer's choices, often suits a WhatsApp order flow better, because a fixed checkout can't quote a price that isn't fixed yet.
Can I offer more than one payment option?
Yes — a full PayFast checkout for standard products alongside a WhatsApp flow for custom or quote-based items is a common setup, scoped as the Extended Shop tier.
Not sure which fits your products?
A short WhatsApp conversation about what you sell is usually enough to work out which checkout makes sense.