How to Safely Shop Online without a Bank Card

It has been widely assumed that making online payments is unsafe. While many have hesitations about online transactions, global markets are swiftly transitioning into a fully digital economy and society may inevitably soon be cashless. Financial inclusion is a priority and several company’s are offering services to cater to this need.

Digital transformation is reshaping our global economy as it permeates every sector and aspect of daily life – changing the way we learn, work, trade, socialize, access public and private services and information.

This presents a challenge for South Africa, where 19 million adults are excluded from digital transactions. A survey conducted by PwC shows that cash is still considered a preferred method of payment by 50% of South Africans.

To address this challenge of a wide digital divide, African fintech company Mukuru and online payment gateway Payfast have partnered in providing consumers with an alternative solution to transacting without having to use a bank card. Individuals who prefer cash, now have an alternative means of making online purchases other than Cash on Delivery.

The question is how can consumers access this new payment option? The new feature available to merchants using payfast’s online payment gateway to receive payments is accessible to consumers in a few simple steps. Here’s how to use it:

1. Select the Mukuru Pay option at checkout: After selecting the item you want to purchase, proceed to check and select the Mukuru Pay option. You will then be prompted to enter your mobile phone number.
2. Receive your Unique Code: After you’ve entered your mobile number you will receive a unique code  that will be displayed on the screen, sent to you via an sms or by email. You can then save this code that will later be used to make your cash purchase.
3. Make a Cash Payment at Any Mukuru Outlet: You can then visit your nearest Mukuru outlet, present the code to the cashier, and make the payment for your online goods in cash. You can find your nearest Mukuru outlet here. Currently there are over 250,000 outlets across the country.
4. Payment Processing: After you have made the cash payment it will reflect in your Payfast account on the website you made the purchase from and you can proceed to complete the order.