Online payments from WhatsApp and web: coming soon in South Africa
Coming soon: your customer will tap Pay in WhatsApp and approve in their own banking app, and the money will go straight to your account.
Cards and wallets are planned too, so every customer can pay the way they like. Your invoices show your bank details so customers can pay by EFT today.
Face ID or fingerprint
paid by bank
How it will work: four taps, straight to your bank
No card numbers, no new app and no account to create. Your customer will pay from the WhatsApp message you already sent.
Tap Pay in WhatsApp
Your invoice will arrive with a Pay button, VAT already worked out.
Choose pay by bank
Bank, card and wallet will sit on one simple page.
Approve in their bank app
Your customer confirms with Face ID or fingerprint. Details are filled in.
Money lands in your account
The invoice is marked paid and a receipt goes out on WhatsApp.
Straight from their bank to yoursComing soon in South Africa
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Faster cash flow for your businessComing soon in South Africa
Instant, coming soon, not daysComing soon in South Africa
Pay by bank will run on instant EFT, so money will reach your account in seconds instead of days. Until then, invoices show your bank details for a standard EFT.
Lower fees on every payment
Pay by bank will skip the card networks, so there’ll be no card processing fee on top. Pricing will be published when payments launch.
No chargebacks eating your profit
Your customer will approve each bank payment in their own banking app, with no card chargeback process.
More invoices paid first time
Nothing to type and no card details to get wrong or expire. Customers will approve with the Face ID or fingerprint they use every day.
Every payment matched for you
When online payments launch, invoices will be marked paid automatically and your customer will get a receipt on WhatsApp. Today you mark an invoice paid with one WhatsApp reply.
Customers pay the way they like
Pay by bank and cards will sit on one simple page. Your customer chooses and you get paid either way.
Easy to pay, so you get paid sooner
The easier it is to pay, the sooner you’re paid. WaPay removes every step that makes customers put an invoice off until later.
Pay by bank vs cards at a glanceComing soon in South Africa
| ● Pay by bank | Cards and wallets | |
|---|---|---|
| Money arrives | In seconds | Usually a couple of working days |
| Chargebacks | None | Possible |
| What you pay | One platform fee | Platform fee plus card processing fee |
| Customer confirms with | Face ID or fingerprint in their bank app | Card details or saved wallet |
| Money route | Straight to your bank | Through card networks, then to your bank |
| Customer needs | A bank account and banking app | A card, Apple Pay or Google Pay |
You don’t have to choose. WaPay offers both on every invoice and shows pay by bank first.
Secure payments, approved at the bank
Approved at the bank
Every payment uses Strong Customer Authentication, so your customer confirms with two checks, like Face ID plus their phone, inside their own bank.
Your money is never held
Payments go straight from your customer’s bank to yours. WaPay sits outside the payment chain and never holds your funds.
Regulated payment partners
In South Africa, bank and card payments will be processed by regulated payment partners, named when payments launch.
Data handled under GDPR
Bank logins and card numbers will never be shared with you or WaPay. Customer data is handled by WAPAYSA (PTY) LTD.
Payment questions, answered
How fast do I get paid?+
Online payments are coming soon in South Africa. Until then, your invoices show your bank details and customers pay you directly by EFT.
What is pay by bank?+
It’s a payment straight from your customer’s bank account to yours, using the banking system’s own instant rails. Your customer approves it in their banking app, with no card involved.
Can a customer charge back a pay by bank payment?+
No. There’s no card chargeback process for bank payments. If a customer has an issue, you sort it out directly, and photos on your invoices help.
Do my customers need to download anything?+
No. When payments launch, they will tap Pay in your WhatsApp message and approve in the banking app they already have.
Is it safe to start a payment from WhatsApp?+
Yes. WhatsApp only carries the link. The sensitive steps happen inside your customer’s own bank or a regulated partner’s secure checkout, and logins and card numbers will never be shared with you or WaPay.
What does it cost?+
There’s no subscription. Pricing for online payments in South Africa will be published when they launch.
