QR payments for South Africa
youPAY lets your customers pay you straight from their phone, in-store, online or inside WhatsApp. No card machine, no waiting days for your money.
Built for you
All you need is a QR code. Display your youPAY code and take payments through the app or WhatsApp.
Your customers pay from their own bank account, whichever of South Africa's major banks they use.
No card details change hands at the till. Customers approve every payment themselves, in their own banking app.
From one stall to many branches, the same account and the same code grow with your business.
Pay via WhatsApp
No new app to download. A customer scans the youPAY code at your till and finishes the payment right inside WhatsApp. You get set up quickly and watch payments land in real time, 24/7, weekends and public holidays included.
The customer scans your youPAY code with their phone camera.
WhatsApp opens with your payment details ready to go.
They check your business name and the amount in the chat.
They approve it securely from their own bank account.
You both get instant confirmation. Sale complete.
One platform
Merchants
Sign up, receive your youPAY code and start accepting payments from customers at any major South African bank. No card machine to buy or rent.
For merchantsAgents
Introduce youPAY to businesses in your community, help them get set up and earn commission as they trade.
Become an agentConsumers
Scan a merchant's code with the youPAY app or straight through WhatsApp, and approve the payment from your bank account.
For consumersFor merchants
Card machines take a cut of every sale and make you wait for your money. With youPAY, customers pay you by QR code, straight from their bank account, and you watch the money reflect as it happens, any day of the week.
See every payment the moment it happens. Your merchant dashboard gives you a live view of incoming transactions, settlements and daily totals, so you always know exactly where your business stands.
Your balance is available around the clock. Build it up and withdraw to your bank account when you choose, or settle automatically once you reach your payout limit.
Simple reports on transaction history, volume trends and your busiest trading periods, from your phone or desktop, whenever you need them.
Process refunds from your merchant dashboard, with the full trail kept on the original payment.
How it works
Pricing
Pick the plan that matches your monthly turnover. No card machine to buy or rent, and your rate improves as your volumes grow.
For new and smaller businesses finding their feet.
Monthly fee + low per-transaction rate.
Final rates confirmed at sign-up.
For established businesses with steady monthly turnover.
Lower per-transaction rate as volumes grow.
Final rates confirmed at sign-up.
For high-volume merchants who want the sharpest rate.
Our lowest transaction rate.
Final rates confirmed at sign-up.
Cash-out and payout fees may apply. Your agent or our team will take you through the full fee schedule when you sign up.
Enter your numbers and see what a QR payment rate could save you. Estimates only, based on the rates you type in.
For agents
youPAY agents sign up merchants and help them get set up to accept QR payments. You earn commission on every merchant you bring on board that trades actively through youPAY.
Introduce youPAY to businesses in your area, sign them up and help them start accepting payments with their QR code. New sign-ups can be captured from your phone, even offline, and sync when you are back in coverage.
Earn commission on every active merchant you sign. The more merchants you bring on, the more you can earn, with the freedom to work your own hours and grow your own network. Commission terms are shared when you apply.
Tell us a bit about yourself and we will be in touch. We review every application, and approved agents receive training before they start.
For consumers
Scan a merchant's QR code and pay straight from your bank account. Use the youPAY app, or pay through WhatsApp if you would rather not download anything.
Scan the code, confirm the amount and approve the payment in your banking app. Manage your account and earn rewards on qualifying payments.
App Store & Google Play - coming soonNo app? No problem. Scan the merchant's code, confirm the amount in WhatsApp and approve the payment from your bank account.
See the 5 stepsYou never type a card number, CVV or expiry date. You approve every payment yourself, in your own banking app, so no card details are ever shared with merchants.
About youPAY
Everyday payments carry costs most people never see: card fees, settlement delays and hardware rentals that chip away at small businesses. youPAY exists to take that weight off. We are building a low-cost, instant way to pay and get paid, using a QR code and the phone people already carry, so money moves between customers and businesses as easily as sending a message. From informal traders to growing SMEs, youPAY is designed for the real South African economy.
Paying and getting paid should take seconds, not paperwork. We strip out every step that does not need to be there.
Lower costs for merchants, no surprises for customers. More of every rand stays in the business that earned it.
Payments are approved by the customer in their own banking app, and merchants see every cent as it lands.
Built in South Africa, for South Africa: for taxi ranks, spaza shops, market stalls, salons and every growing business in between.
Team and company details to be added.
Guides
Pay a youPAY merchant without downloading anything.
What happens behind a QR payment in South Africa.
Get the most from the youPAY app.
Track sign-ups and commission.
From sign-up to your first payment.
Your money, at a glance.
Insights
Card terminals have been the default for decades. QR payments remove the hardware, the rental and the wait for settlement, and South African merchants are starting to notice.
Most South Africans already chat to businesses on WhatsApp. Letting customers finish the payment inside that same conversation removes the last bit of friction at the till.
Settlement delays feel normal until you add them up. Here is what faster access to your own takings means for stock, wages and cash flow.
Approving a payment in your own banking app is a small habit change with a big security payoff. Here is how it works and why it matters.
FAQs
youPAY is a QR-based payment platform that lets merchants accept instant digital payments without a traditional card machine, in-store, online or through WhatsApp.
Customers scan your unique youPAY QR code with the youPAY app or their phone camera, confirm the amount and approve the payment from their bank account. You see it reflect straight away.
No. youPAY removes the need for a card machine. A printed QR code, a display stand or any phone is enough.
youPAY uses simple tiered pricing with a monthly fee and a low per-transaction rate that improves as your turnover grows. Final rates depend on your business and are confirmed when you sign up.
Payments reflect as they happen, 24/7, including weekends and public holidays. Withdraw whenever you choose, or set a payout limit and settle automatically.
Yes. youPAY supports in-person QR payments and online checkout experiences on the same account.
No card data is stored at merchant level and every payment is approved by the customer in their own banking app, which removes the most common card fraud risks.
Refunds are processed from your merchant dashboard, with the full trail kept on the original payment.
Customers pay from their account at any of South Africa's major banks.
Complete the contact form below, sign up through a youPAY agent, or use the merchant portal. Once verified, you receive your QR code and can start trading.
Yes. You get an instant confirmation every time a payment completes.
Agents are people who introduce youPAY to businesses, help them sign up and grow the youPAY network in their communities.
Agents earn commission on every merchant they sign up that trades actively through youPAY. Commission terms are shared when you apply.
Yes. Many agents work flexibly alongside other work or businesses.
Every agent receives a unique agent code at onboarding. It tracks your merchant sign-ups and commissions in the agent portal.
Yes. Approved agents get branded marketing assets, QR demos and onboarding resources, plus sales training.
Agents help with basic onboarding questions. Dedicated support teams handle technical issues.
Complete the agent application form in the Agents section above. We review every application and train approved agents.
Scan the merchant's QR code with the youPAY app or your phone camera, confirm the amount and approve the payment from your bank account. You can also pay through WhatsApp, with no download needed.
No. You can pay through WhatsApp. The youPAY app adds a payment history, account management and rewards on qualifying payments.
You never share card numbers, a CVV or an expiry date with anyone. You approve each payment yourself, in your own banking app.
No, only a bank account. youPAY payments move directly between bank accounts.
At any merchant displaying the youPAY QR code, and at participating online checkouts.
Seconds. Both you and the merchant get instant confirmation.
Speak to the merchant first, or contact youPAY support and we will help resolve it.
Yes. You receive a confirmation for every payment, and the app keeps your full history.
Merchant and agent portals are on the way. Once live, you will log in here to manage transactions, settlements, payouts, sign-ups and commissions.
Tell us about your business and we will help you get set up.
Last updated: [date to be added]
This policy explains how youPAY ("we", "us") collects, uses and protects personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
We share information only where needed to provide the service: with banking and payment partners who process the transactions, with service providers under confidentiality obligations, and with regulators or authorities where the law requires it. We do not sell personal information.
We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access.
We keep information for the periods required by financial and tax legislation, after which it is deleted or de-identified.
You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information where the law allows, and you may object to certain processing. Contact us at [privacy email to be added].
Last updated: [date to be added]
[Registered company name to be added] ("youPAY", "we", "us") provides digital payment processing technology that lets merchants receive electronic payments from customers by QR code and related payment methods. By using this website or our services you accept these terms.
youPAY facilitates the transmission of payment instructions between customers and merchants through regulated banking infrastructure. youPAY is not a bank, does not take deposits from the public and does not provide credit.
Customers authorise their own bank to process each payment and confirm they are entitled to use the account. A payment authorisation is final once submitted. Disputes about goods or services are resolved with the merchant directly.
Funds collected for merchants are held with a licensed South African bank and settled in line with the merchant agreement. Settlement may be delayed where needed for fraud prevention, regulatory compliance or risk management.
youPAY operates under applicable South African frameworks, including the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, the National Payment System Act and POPIA. We may verify identities, screen transactions, monitor for suspicious activity and report to authorities where required. Using the service means consenting to these measures.
Fees are set out in each merchant's agreement and may include transaction, settlement and payout fees. We may amend fees with reasonable notice.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, youPAY is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, losses from merchant disputes, or delays caused by banking network interruptions. Our liability is limited to the value of the payment in dispute.
We may suspend or terminate access where the law requires it, where fraud or suspicious activity is detected, or where these terms are breached.
All intellectual property in the youPAY platform, website and brand belongs to youPAY. Do not copy or reuse it without written permission.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and disputes fall under the jurisdiction of South African courts.
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