Whether you are setting up an online store or are simply looking to get the ball rolling on an e-commerce website, it is important to choose a payment gateway that will best suit your needs. The features are an important aspect to look at, as they can improve the user experience and customer journey. A positive customer journey will ensure that you have return customers and improved brand loyalty.
Another important consideration for any payment gateways in South Africa is the safety of transactions. After all, you will be dealing with people’s hard-earned money during these transactions. You will need to perform a payment gateways comparison in order to find one that will best suit your needs.
Keep reading below for a list of the best South African payment gateways.
PayU
PayU is one of the largest and most robust payment gateways worldwide. It is also one of the most-used payment gateways in South Africa, largely due to its ease-of-use and smooth functionality. It also offers the largest array of payment methods in the country.
The enterprise system is comprehensive and offers transaction queues for businesses that might need to manage a large number of transactions at once. The PayU wallet allows people to pay directly form their wallet, rather than needing to enter their credit or debit card details every time. It is an ideal choice for any sized industry and PayU Easy does not require a merchant account.
Paygate
Paygate is a popular South African payment gateway and has been in operation since 1996. It offers a variety of payment gateway options for Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, and American Express.
There is also a functionality known as Payweb, which can add a payment option to your website, done via a transferal to their payment page. Paygate also offers unique features which allow you to host the payment page on your own site using unique integration options as well as the ability to allow customers to pay any bill online. It is a comprehensive tool but does require a merchant account to use.
Wirecard
Wirecard is a payment gateway that allows customers to have only one point of contact for all of their payment and collection needs. It offers a variety of payment solutions, including credit card, debit card, EFT, as well as online, recurring and call centre payments.
Some of the features of this payment gateway include the ability to process payments across a variety of African countries, assistance with PCI compliance, as well as in-depth reporting. You will need a merchant account for this but Wirecard provides all the help you will need for setting this up. The range of payment methods is extensive, and there is no setup fee or fee for any refunds you might have to perform.
Peach Payments
Peach Payments is a recent payment gateway in South Africa and it is rising in popularity due to its ease-of-use and developer-first approach. Users can also complete their purchases without having to leave your checkout page, making for positive user experiences.
You will need a merchant account to sue Peach Payments but this can easily be arranged with their help. The platform allows clients to process payments across the globe as well as store credit card details safely and securely in a vault. They are PCU compliant and can help your business to reach this same requirement. You are also able to process payments without a website.
PayFast
PayFast is a great solution for e-commerce startups and can even be used by medium-sized businesses who need a simple and easy way to process payments. One of the major benefits is that it does not require an internet merchant account to be setup.
Once the payment gateway has been set up, you will be able to start receiving and processing payments. It also has an impressive app and platform integration tools. There are no setup fees, which makes it an affordable option for smaller businesses. Visa and Mastercard are both accepted, as well as other major international brands. There are also several checks in place to ensure transaction safety for both consumers and businesses.
Final thoughts
Choosing a payment gateway can be difficult, especially with so many on the market to choose form. You will need to consider how efficient and easy the gateway is to use, as well as how secure it is for both your business and your consumers. However, in today’s technological world, most offer highly secure transactions.
You can choose from newer options such as Wirecard (previously MyGate) and Peach Payments, or opt for more established brands such as PayU and Paygate. Whatever you choose, the payment gateway should provide you with an easy-to-implement software package and the ability to accept a multitude of card types.