PayFast Payment Gateway
If you sell Memberships in South Africa, your members can pay through PayFast, the South African payment gateway. The PayFast add-on is the PayFast WordPress plugin for Ultimate Membership Pro: members pay once on a secure PayFast page, in rand, and their Membership is activated as soon as PayFast confirms the payment.
It’s made for one-time payments, so it fits lifetime Memberships, Memberships that last a set time and Memberships with fixed start and end dates.
What the PayFast WordPress plugin handles
- A secure PayFast checkout. Members are sent to the PayFast payment page and return to your site afterwards.
- Order details carried over. The Membership name and description, plus the member’s name and email, go to PayFast with the payment.
- Automatic activation. PayFast notifies your site about each payment. When it’s complete, the order becomes Completed and the Membership becomes active.
- Nothing to paste into PayFast. Ultimate Membership Pro gives PayFast your site’s notification address with every payment.
- Sandbox first, then live. Test in the PayFast sandbox, then switch to live. The PayFast card on your Payment Gateways screen shows which mode you’re in.
- Coupons and your own label. Coupon codes work with PayFast payments, and you choose the gateway name members see and its place in the list.
How PayFast works with Ultimate Membership Pro
- Set your site currency to ZAR and price your Memberships in rand.
- Switch on the PayFast gateway and paste the Merchant ID and Merchant Key from your PayFast Dashboard.
- Choose the page members return to after paying.
- Members pay on PayFast, and their Membership is activated when PayFast confirms the payment.
Step-by-step setup, including a test payment in the PayFast sandbox, is in the PayFast setup guide.
When one-time PayFast payments fit
- Lifetime access. A course library or members’ archive that people buy once and keep.
- Access for a set time. A Membership that lasts a fixed period, paid in full up front.
- Programs with fixed dates. A cohort, course intake or season with set start and end dates.
To bill members every month, quarter, six months or year through PayFast, add PayFast Pro. It builds on this add-on and uses the same settings and PayFast connection.
Works well with
- PayFast Pro, to sell recurring Memberships through the same PayFast account.
- Payment Reminder, to email members who left the payment page before paying.
- Payment gateways, to offer a second gateway to members outside South Africa.
Questions about the PayFast add-on
How do I add recurring payments with PayFast?
Add PayFast Pro. It brings recurring PayFast payments for subscription Memberships and comes with the Full Package and Agency plans, together with all 46 Pro add-ons.
What do I need to start with PayFast?
A PayFast merchant account, a South African bank account for PayFast to pay your funds into, and your site currency set to ZAR.
Can I test PayFast before taking real payments?
Yes. The sandbox option is on when you install the add-on, so you can pay with your PayFast sandbox details first. Untick it and enter your live merchant details to go live.
Do members pay on my site or on PayFast?
On the PayFast payment page. Afterwards they return to the page you chose, or to your home page.
More Pro add-ons like this one
From the same category, and all included in Full Package and Agency.
Get every Pro add-on with Full Package or Agency
All 46 Pro add-ons, the 41 add-ons in every plan and 13 payment gateways. Full Package covers 3 sites, Agency 10.