How to accept payments on WooCommerce in South Africa
To accept payments on WooCommerce in South Africa, you need a local payment gateway plug-in that supports the methods South African shoppers use. This guide walks through setup step by step and shows how Stitch Express gets South African WooCommerce stores accepting local payment methods in as little as a day.
To accept payments on WooCommerce in South Africa, install a South African payment gateway plug-in, connect it to your merchant account and choose which payment methods to show at checkout. WooCommerce doesn’t process payments itself, so the gateway you pick decides which methods your customers see, how quickly you’re paid and what you pay in fees. The fastest route is to accept WooCommerce payments with Stitch Express, which adds card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Capitec Pay and Pay Later to your store without a developer.
What you need before you start
- A live WooCommerce store on WordPress
- A registered South African business or sole proprietorship
- Your business and identity documents for verification (KYC)
- A South African bank account for withdrawals
How to set up WooCommerce payments in South Africa: step by step
- Create a Stitch Express account. Sign up for Stitch Express with your name, contact details and business information.
- Get verified. Upload the documents requested for your business type. Verification takes a maximum of one business day.
- Install the Stitch Express plug-in in WooCommerce. Add the plug-in from your WordPress dashboard and activate it.
- Connect your store. Link your WooCommerce store to your Stitch Express account.
- Choose your payment methods. Switch on the methods you want to offer. The plug-in name is pre-configured to show the methods it supports, so customers recognise them at checkout.
- Run a test order and go live. Place a test purchase, check it appears in your dashboard, then start selling.
- Automate withdrawals. Set up automatic withdrawals so money moves to your bank account with no extra clicks.
Which payment methods should a South African WooCommerce store offer?
| Method | Why offer it |
|---|---|
| Local and international cards | Accepted by almost every shopper, including overseas customers |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | One-tap checkout on mobile, where most shopping happens |
| Capitec Pay | Lets South Africa’s largest bank customer base pay straight from their account |
| Pay Later | Lets shoppers spread the cost, which can increase basket size |
Stitch Express is the easiest way to accept payments on WooCommerce in South Africa
Stitch Express brings the same enterprise payment infrastructure that powers brands like MTN, Bash and Takealot to every WooCommerce store, and it’s built for South African shoppers.
The payment methods South Africans want. In one checkout, you can add Apple Pay to WooCommerce with Stitch, add Google Pay to WooCommerce with Stitch, accept Capitec Pay on WooCommerce with Stitch, accept card payments on WooCommerce with Stitch and offer Pay Later on WooCommerce with Stitch.
Live in as little as one day. No developer is needed, and the Stitch WooCommerce team advises on checkout best practice to help you convert more customers.
Sell internationally. Accept most international cards without a separate integration or forex account.
Refunds and withdrawals made simple. Process full or partial refunds with no refund fee, and withdraw your sales whenever you need to.
Secure by default. Stitch is ISO 27001 and PCI DSS Level 1 certified, and every card payment is 3D Secure.
Transparent WooCommerce pricing. Stitch Express pricing for WooCommerce stores (excl. VAT):
| Fee | Rate |
|---|---|
| Local cards | 2.95% |
| International cards | 3.4% |
| Capitec Pay | 2% |
| Pay Later (online) | 5.7% |
| Standard payouts | R2 |
| Instant payouts | R10 |
Stores processing over R200,000 a month can get custom WooCommerce pricing from Stitch. Enterprise businesses on WooCommerce can also get a custom build, 24/7 support and a dedicated client success team.
For more ways to grow your store, read the five plug-ins every South African WooCommerce store needs.
FAQs
Start accepting payments on WooCommerce with Stitch Express
