Quick answer #
Pay@ Gateway processes all transactions in South African Rand (ZAR). If an international customer pays you with a non-ZAR card (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.), their bank handles the currency conversion at the point of purchase using their own exchange rate. You always receive the agreed ZAR amount — there’s no FX risk on your side, no separate currency account to manage, and no FX fees deducted from your settlement.
Why ZAR-only is the right setup for SA merchants #
For South African merchants, ZAR-only processing is generally the best setup for three reasons:
- No FX risk. Your settlement is always in the amount you agreed at the point of sale. The Rand can move 3% in a week, but your revenue is locked the moment the transaction completes.
- No bank charges for currency conversion. You don’t need a foreign currency account, and your bank can’t charge you FX margins on incoming settlements.
- Simpler tax and accounting. Everything in your reporting is in ZAR, which matches your SARS submissions and bookkeeping.
This is the standard model for SA payment gateways, and it works for the vast majority of South African ecommerce businesses.
What the international customer sees #
A customer paying with a US credit card from New York sees something like:
- Your checkout: “R 850.00”
- Their card statement: “$45.83 — PAYAT GATEWAY”
Their bank converts ZAR to USD using whichever exchange rate they offer (usually the daily card-network rate plus a small margin). The customer’s bank, not Pay@, decides the exact rate. Most international customers are used to this — it’s how online shopping in foreign currencies has worked for years.
Showing prices in multiple currencies #
While Pay@ processes in ZAR, you can display prices in other currencies on your website. Both Shopify and WooCommerce support multi-currency display: the customer browses your site in their local currency, sees prices converted at a rate you set (or live rates from a plugin), and at checkout the payment is processed in ZAR.
Showing prices in the customer’s currency reduces purchase friction — the customer doesn’t have to do mental currency conversion. This is worth doing if more than 5% of your traffic comes from outside South Africa.
When ZAR-only might not work for you #
If you’re operating predominantly internationally — billing US clients in USD on a recurring contract, for example — ZAR-only billing can be a friction. The customer’s bank-side FX margins compound across multiple charges, and statement entries in ZAR look unfamiliar.
For these use cases, Enterprise customers can discuss multi-currency processing options with our sales team. This isn’t an Online or Wholesale plan feature.
Related articles #
- Which payment methods does Pay@ Gateway support — Article 16
- What are the fees — Article 17
- When will I get paid — Article 30
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