Credit Cards

Credit Cards

Credit Cards are well known and a de facto payment method the world round for both online and offline transactions. PayFast currently supports the use of Mastercard and Visa credit cards.

Benefits

  • Ease of use
  • Well understood means of payment
  • Can receive payment from international buyers
  • No delay in fulfillment process
  • Built in fraud protection

How it works

  1. The buyer selects items to buy on your site, and clicks Checkout when they are ready to pay.
  2. They select PayFast (or Credit Card) as their payment option and are redirected to PayFast.
  3. They either register or login to PayFast and select Credit Card as their payment option.
  4. They enter their credit card details, or select a pre-registered credit card to use.
  5. PayFast completes the transaction and then returns them to your site.

Note: Credit card purchases are faciliated through the purchase of a voucher from PayFast by the buyer, which is then redeemed for the purchase from you as a merchant. "PAYFAST" will appear on the buyer's statement statement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is liable for any fraudulant transactions?

As the end receiver of the funds, you as a seller are liable for any fraudulant transactions on your account. We will however, do everything we can to limit your exposure to fraud.

What fraud prevention mechanisms do you have in place?

We make use of a variety of mechanisms to prevent against fraud including:

  • 3D Secure
    • 3D Secure is a technical standard created by Visa and MasterCard to secure credit card transactions over the Internet. It requires cardholders to enter a PIN when paying via credit card, binding them to the transaction and preventing them from repudiating it (Read more below).
  • BIN/IIN restriction
    • The first 6 digits of a credit card number tell you which country it was issued in. This number is called the Issuer Identification Number (IIN) or Bank Identification Number (BIN). You are able to restrict which issuing countries' credit cards are able to be used for purchases from your site. This is a very effective means of fraud prevention.
  • Geographic location
    • We are able to identify where in the world a user is when they are transacting and dissallow users transacting from known fraud hotspots.
  • User history
    • With user registration, we are able to build up history on user practices and can use this history to identify and combat fraud.

In addition to this, there are a number of internal mechanisms we make use of to prevent fraudulant transactions and are constantly improving these mechanisms.

What is 3D Secure / Verified by Visa / Mastercard Securecode?

3D Secure is a technical standard created by Visa and MasterCard to further secure CNP (Cardholder Not Present) transactions over the Internet.

Mastercard brands their system as 'MasterCard SecureCode' and Visa call theirs 'Verified by Visa'.

3D Secure protects your credit card against unauthorised use when you shop online. This simple service enables you to validate transactions you make over the internet by supplying a personal code. It also helps protect your account from fraudulent use by an unauthorised individual.

» More about 3D Secure.


To find out more about credit cards, visit Visa's website or Mastercard's website.