How do I get a refund?

3 min read

Quick answer #

To get a refund for an online purchase, contact the business you bought from directly — not Pay@. Pay@ is the payment processor, like Visa or Mastercard. We move the money between you and the business but don’t decide who gets refunds. The business will check their records, approve the refund if it’s within their policy, and process it through Pay@. The money will be back in your account within 3–5 business days for card payments, or 1–2 business days for EFT.

Why Pay@ can’t refund you directly #

We process payments on behalf of thousands of South African businesses. We don’t know what you bought, whether you received it, or whether the business’s refund policy applies to your situation. Only the business can answer those questions — and only the business can authorise the refund.

This is the same reason Visa doesn’t refund you when you have a problem with a Takealot order; you go to Takealot.

Step 1 — Find the business that charged you #

Check your bank statement carefully. Look at the transaction detail in your banking app — the actual business name usually appears after “PAYAT GATEWAY”. If you can’t identify the business from the statement, check your email for an order confirmation around the date of the charge, or your SMS history for a payment confirmation.

See I see “PAYAT GATEWAY” on my bank statement — who charged me? for more detail.

Step 2 — Contact the business #

Reach out to the business directly. Most have:

A contact page or support email on their website
A WhatsApp number for customer service
A phone number on the order confirmation email

Be clear about what you want: explain what you bought, when, the amount, and why you’re asking for a refund. Most legitimate businesses will respond within a day or two.

Step 3 — The business processes the refund #

If the business agrees to the refund, they’ll process it through their Pay@ dashboard. You’ll receive an automated email confirmation from Pay@ once the refund is initiated.

You don’t need to do anything at this stage. The money is on its way.

Step 4 — Wait for the funds to arrive #

Refund timing depends on how you originally paid:

Card payments: 3–5 business days
EFT / Capitec Pay: 1–2 business days
PayShap: 1–2 business days

The delay isn’t Pay@ being slow — it’s how the card networks and banks process refunds. The funds always go back to the card or account you originally used.

When the business won’t refund you #

If the business refuses to refund you and you believe their refund policy applies, you have a few options:

Reply with a clear summary of why you’re entitled under their published refund policy or under the Consumer Protection Act
Escalate to the National Consumer Commission (NCC) if the business is in violation of the CPA
Dispute the charge with your bank as a last resort — this is a chargeback and the bank will review the evidence on both sides

Chargebacks are appropriate when a business genuinely failed to deliver or honour their policy. They’re not a shortcut for buyer’s remorse — banks generally side with the business if the refund refusal was within their published policy.