Frequently Asked Questions
Immediate Payouts
What is Immediate Payouts? Immediate Payouts allow Payfast by Network merchants to receive funds from their wallet directly into their registered bank account within minutes of the payout request. Unlike standard payouts, which take up to two days to ...
Why has the branding on the Merchant Access Portal (MAP) and the Paygate Payment Pages changed?
Why has the branding on the Merchant Access Portal (MAP) changed? In the coming weeks, the branding on MAP will be updated to align closer with Payfast by Network. This forms part of the broader integration into our parent company, Network ...
Payfast rebrand to Network International
Why did Payfast rebrand to Network International? The rebrand of Payfast, the company, into Network International is the latest stage of its integration into its parent organisation, following the acquisition of Payfast by Network in 2021. The ...
Terms and Conditions update
Why have my Payfast agreement terms and conditions been updated? We have updated your agreement terms and conditions and is replaced with the General Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) available at https://payfast.io/. The T&Cs have been updated to ensure ...
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
What is multi-factor authentication (MFA)? When signing into online accounts be it banking apps, social media and/or email accounts, you must prove that you are who you say you are. Previously, we’ve done so through using a username and a password ...
Domain change to Network.Global
Why have Payfast emails changed to a network.global domain? As part of our ongoing commitment to align closer with Network International, as from 26 February 2024, all of our employee email addresses will change/ have changed from name@payfast.io to ...
How do I edit the auto-enable payment methods feature?
As new payment methods become available, they will automatically be activated on your merchant account if you are eligible. With this feature, your buyers will be able to pay you with up-to-date payment options. You can toggle this auto-enable ...
Why am I getting a 'Merchant is unable to receive payments from the same account' error?
This error is occurring because you are checking out using the same email address that is associated with your PayFast account. This is due to the fact that the payment engine will not allow you to make payments to yourself. To resolve this error, ...
How does a currency converter work?
This is specific to the shopping cart being used as there would most likely be a converter directly linked to the shopping cart available externally. The reason for a converter would be due to PayFast only working with ZAR and not providing a ...
What’s the difference between a display currency and a base currency?
The display currency is what will be seen on the merchant’s website. The base currency is what the plugin/shopping cart dictates what the currency needs to be set as in order for the payment gateway to process the transaction correctly.
What is two-factor authentication?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds extra security to your Payfast profile by requiring two things for a successful login: your password and a unique code (generated on your phone or sent to it via SMS). Even if your password is compromised, people ...
How do I get business funding through Easy Advance?
Easy Advance is a new business funding service that’s available to Payfast merchants in partnership with Retail Capital. If your business is pre-approved for funding, a real-time offer will be accessible via your Payfast Dashboard when you log in to ...
Can I link one PayFast account with more than one website?
Technically you can use the same PayFast account (that is the same PayFast Merchant ID and Key) on multiple websites. However, using the same PayFast account on multiple websites doesn’t cater for a good buyer experience because the same merchant ...
How can I avoid inactivity fees?
As we grow our services and customer base, we have introduced an inactivity fee to maintain accounts that are inactive. PayFast accounts that are considered inactive, i.e haven't been active within the past 12 months, will be charged an inactivity ...
How can I customise the PayFast landing page for my business?
You can add your company logo to the PayFast payment page where your buyers are redirected to by doing the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Settings > Display. Click Edit. Next to New Logo click Choose file and select your logo ...
Can I track what happens on the PayFast engine using my own Google Analytics account?
No, users are redirected to the PayFast engine to complete their payments. The engine is hosted on the PayFast domain, therefore you can only track activity on your own domain up until the point where users are redirected to the PayFast engine to ...
How does PayFast handle international payments?
You can receive international payments via Visa and Mastercard credit cards. A buyer can use a card that has been issued in any country. The amount will be in ZAR and the credit card provider will conduct the exchange, paying out ZAR to your PayFast ...
Why has PayFast discontinued support for “manual” Instant EFT and cash deposits?
Due to the ever evolving payments landscape, we've made the decision to discontinue the "manual" version of Instant EFT, where buyers load an EFT via their internet banking portal, outside of the PayFast payment process, and cash deposits. This is ...
Do you have a fax number?
Yes, we do. If you need to, you can send us a fax on 086 654 1549. Works within South Africa only.
Can I split a payment?
Yes, PayFast does support splitting a payment with a third party account with a custom integration. Split Payments is suitable for business models that need to, for example, split out commission, membership, listing or revenue sharing. When a ...
Why is there a withdraw delay on funds in my PayFast account?
The idea behind PayFast is to speed up ecommerce fulfilment through positive acknowledgment of funds received. There is also a reduction in admin overhead for the seller in terms of not requiring proof of payment, not doing manual reconciliation, ...
How do I find out what type of account I have?
To find out what type of account you have registered for on PayFast, do the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Account > Business Information. Scroll down to Account Details, here you will find your account type. Alternatively, ...
Is there a credit card limit? How do I increase it?
Yes, there is a per transaction limit on your PayFast account of R25,000 for credit card payments. You can view what your credit card limit is on your PayFast Dashboard by doing the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Settings > ...
Why does PayFast no longer support Bitcoin as a payment option?
Unfortunately there are a number of limitations and design flaws unique to Bitcoin that make it an impractical substitute for cash, including high transaction fees and long confirmation times for buyers. We've tried various ways to mitigate these ...
How do I sell downloadable/digital content?
Our suggestion in this regard is to implement one of the ecommerce systems we support which natively supports digital downloads, in conjunction with a payment module for the selected system. You will then be able to sell your digital content using ...
Can I use PayFast for crowdfunding?
What is crowdfunding? Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people. Well known crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Thundafund allow people to list projects on their site and then ...
Is PayFast a member of the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA)?
Yes, PayFast is registered with the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) as an operator involved in “payments to third persons” as required by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).
Are you a registered Financial Services Provider (FSP)?
Due to the nature of our business, we are not required to register as an FSP. We do however comply with the regulations set forth by the South African Reserve Bank(SARB) and the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA).
How do I reconcile payments?
The way to look at this is to consider the PayFast account as a second business bank account and payouts are just a transfer of funds from one account (the PayFast one) to another account (your bank one). This means that all you need to recon is to ...
How does Scode work?
SCode allows your customers to pay for their online purchases using cash, debit or credit card across a national network of over 6000 physical retail payment outlets. When customers choose to pay with SCode they will receive a barcoded email or SMS ...
Can I receive recurring payments?
Yes, PayFast does support recurring billing. PayFast recurring billing allows merchants to create two methods of recurring payments; one is a subscription model, the other is an tokenization model. The subscription model supports membership or ...
What ecommerce engines/shopping carts does PayFast have modules for?
PayFast has pre-built modules for a number of ecommerce engines/shopping carts. See our Shopping Carts page for a full list and to download.
Is there any interest paid on funds left in my account?
No interest is paid on funds in your PayFast account. Scheduled payouts can, however, be set up to pay funds out to your bank account on a scheduled basis.
Can you pay out the funds in my account to a credit card?
No, unfortunately not. We will only payout the funds in your PayFast account to a bank account registered with a South African bank. We can payout to any bank account in South Africa; it need not be with one of the big four banks and can be with the ...
How do I change my password?
To change your PayFast account password, do the following: Log in to your PayFast account. Navigate to Account > Security. Next to Password, enter your current password and click Reset Password. Enter your new password in the New Password and ...
When do the limits on my account get reset?
The various limits on your account (send limit, receive limit, withdrawal limit) get reset every 28 days (every 4 weeks) starting from the date of your registration. Should you require one of these limits to be increased please contact us.
Why am I not receiving email confirmation of payments?
Email confirmation of payments is only sent when payment is initiated from a Pay Now button or if you have turned Email Confirmation on, on your account. Most shopping carts can be set up to send you a summary of your orders. If you want to get an ...
Is my PayFast account a bank account?
No, your PayFast account is not a bank account. It is electronic money stored in an online stored-value account. Any funds in your account can be moved to your bank account by clicking the Payout button on your dashboard. If you have a high volume ...
Why is the credit card option not shown?
To receive credit card payments through PayFast you will need to first verify your account. Click here for more information on how to verify your account. There is also default minimum and maximum amounts for credit card payments set on your account, ...
Can I receive money from international buyers?
Yes, you can receive payments from international countries via Credit and Cheque cards and Masterpass. In order to receive payments by credit card, you will need to verify your account. Once you have verified your account you will be able to ...
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