Does payfast accept international payments?

PayFast is a popular online payment gateway based in South Africa. While PayFast primarily supports transactions in South African Rand (ZAR), it can also facilitate international payments in certain situations. Here is some key information on how PayFast handles international payments:

Is PayFast International?

PayFast only directly supports ZAR transactions and is designed for South African merchants. However, PayFast does allow international customers to make purchases if they have a South African bank account or credit card issued by a South African bank. The funds will be converted to ZAR before being deposited.

Payfast supported countries

Payfast is only designed for South African merchants for now. It is possible that more countries will be added in future.

Transaction Fees

PayFast charges fees for processing transactions. For credit cards, it charges 3.5% + R2 per transaction for Visa and Mastercard, and 4.5% + R2 for American Express. Debit card transactions are charged at 2.5%. Additional fees may apply for services like chargebacks and refunds.

Receiving International Payments

While PayFast only supports ZAR, you can receive international payments via Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued in other countries. The card provider will handle the currency exchange to ZAR.

Accepting Other Currencies

You can display prices in currencies other than ZAR on your website. However, the actual payment amount must be in ZAR on the PayFast platform for processing.

USD and Other Currencies

PayFast does not directly accept USD, EUR, GBP or other international currencies. Payments must be converted to ZAR by the customer's credit card provider before depositing into your PayFast account.

PayFast vs PayPal

PayPal facilitates international payments more seamlessly, but PayFast has lower fees for South African merchants (around 3.7% per transaction). PayFast also provides better local customer support.