Set up PayFast

0:00 7:20
10 minIntermediatePayFast add-onUltimate Membership Pro 14.2+

In Ultimate Membership Pro, the PayFast add-on lets members pay for a Membership through PayFast, the South African payment gateway. Members are sent to a secure PayFast payment page and pay in South African rand (ZAR); when PayFast confirms the payment, the Membership is activated.

This guide explains the two PayFast add-ons, every setting on the screen, how to test in the PayFast sandbox, and how to go live.

Before you start

PayFast or PayFast Pro?

PayFast (Standard)

Payments
One-time only
Good for
LifeTime, Limited Time and Date Range Memberships
Currency
ZAR

PayFast Pro

Payments
One-time and subscriptions
Periods
1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year
Needs
The Standard add-on, active at the same time

PayFast Pro builds on the Standard add-on: the settings screen, the connection to PayFast and the payment page all come from Standard, so keep both add-ons active. When Pro is active, the screen title changes to “PayFast Pro Payment Service”.

What PayFast supports

Checkout

Redirect. The member is sent to the PayFast payment page and returns to your site afterwards.

One-time payments

Yes, with both add-ons.

SubscriptionsPayFast Pro

Yes. The subscription is created on PayFast when the member pays.

Billing periodsPayFast Pro

1 month (monthly), 3 months (quarterly), 6 months (biannually) or 1 year (annual). Set the Membership’s Subscription Cycle to one of these.

Number of paymentsPayFast Pro

Limited: 2 to 52 payments.

Free trials

Not supported.

Currency

ZAR only. Payments are recorded in ZAR, so price your Memberships in rand.

Coupons

Yes.

Switch on the PayFast gateway

  1. Go to Ultimate Membership Pro›Payment Gateways.
  2. On the Payfast card, click Complete setup (or Manage if it’s already set up).
  3. In the first box, turn on Activate PayFast Payment Service and click Save Changes.
PayFast Pro Payment Service box with the activation switch on and highlighted, and the PayFast Pro Capabilities list
The first box of the PayFast screen, with PayFast Pro active.
Activate PayFast Payment Service

Turns the gateway on. Members see PayFast at checkout only when this is on and both Merchant ID and Merchant key are filled in.

Default: Off

Enter your merchant details

  1. Log in to payfast.co.za (or to your PayFast sandbox account while testing).
  2. Your Merchant ID and Merchant Key are on the Dashboard, at the top right of the page.
  3. Copy them into the PayFast Settings box and click Save Changes under the box.
PayFast Settings box with Merchant ID and Merchant key filled in, Enable PayFast Sandbox ticked, and the two redirect page dropdowns, numbered 1 to 5
PayFast Settings, set up for testing in the sandbox.
1Merchant IDRequired

Your PayFast Merchant ID. A new install shows 0 in this field: replace it.

2Merchant keyRequired

Your PayFast Merchant Key. A new install shows 0 in this field: replace it.

3Enable PayFast Sandbox

Sends payments to the PayFast sandbox, where no real money moves. While it’s ticked, use your sandbox Merchant ID and key. Untick it, and enter your live merchant details, to take real payments. The Payfast card shows a Sandbox or Live badge.

Default: Ticked

4Redirect Page after Payment:

The page members return to after paying. With … selected, they return to your home page.

5Redirect Page after Cancel Payment:

For members who cancel on the PayFast page instead of paying.

Check the payment notifications

PayFast confirms each payment by sending a notification (ITN) to your site. Ultimate Membership Pro gives PayFast this address with every payment, so there’s nothing to enter in your PayFast account:

Notify URL

https://yoursite.com/?ihc_action=ump_payfast

When the payment status is COMPLETE, the order becomes Completed and the Membership becomes active. With PayFast Pro, each subscription payment adds a renewal order and extends the Membership. Make sure no maintenance mode, firewall or security plugin blocks requests from PayFast to this address.

Passphrase

The PayFast settings screen connects with your Merchant ID and Merchant key; it has no passphrase field. If PayFast rejects payments, check the passphrase setting in your PayFast integration settings.

Set how PayFast appears at checkout

Extra Settings box with Label PayFast and Order 10, numbered 1 and 2
Extra Settings.
1Label:

The gateway name members see when they choose how to pay.

Default: PayFast

2Order:

The position of PayFast in the list of payment methods at checkout. Lower numbers come first.

Default: 10

Short Description

Optional text about the gateway, saved with its settings.

Test a payment, then go live

  1. Keep Enable PayFast Sandbox ticked and enter your sandbox Merchant ID and Merchant key. Save.
  2. Log out, or use a private browser window, and buy your Membership with PayFast as the payment method.
  3. Complete the payment on the PayFast sandbox page.
  4. Check Ultimate Membership Pro›Payment History: the order should be Completed and the member’s Membership active.
  5. To go live: untick Enable PayFast Sandbox, enter your live Merchant ID and Merchant key, and save. The Payfast card now shows Live.

Opening the notify URL in a browser shows “No Payments details sent. Come later”. That means the URL is reachable.

Limits

  • Enable PayFast Sandbox is ticked on a new install. Untick it before you launch, or no real payments are taken.
  • PayFast works in ZAR only.
  • The Standard add-on takes one-time payments only. A Recurring Subscription Membership needs PayFast Pro.
  • PayFast Pro bills every 1, 3 or 6 months or every year. Weekly or daily plans can’t be sold through PayFast.
  • Free trials aren’t supported.
  • To stop the billing, cancel the subscription in your PayFast account, then update the member’s Membership in Ultimate Membership Pro.
  • Handle refunds in your PayFast account, and update the member’s Membership in Ultimate Membership Pro when needed.

Price in rand

  • Set your site currency to ZAR before you create the Memberships you sell through PayFast, so prices, invoices and Payment History all match.
  • Selling outside South Africa too? Offer a second gateway. See Let members choose a payment method.

Example: quarterly plan with PayFast Pro

Coaching ClubA South African version of the club sells a quarterly plan through PayFast.
Add-ons
PayFast and PayFast Pro, both active
Site currency
ZAR
Activate PayFast Payment Service
On
Merchant ID / Merchant key
Live merchant details from the PayFast Dashboard
Enable PayFast Sandbox
Unticked (Live)
Redirect Page after Payment:
… (members return to the home page)
Membership
Pro Quarterly, Recurring Subscription, 3 Months, Limited to 4 payments, no trial

Troubleshooting

Why doesn’t PayFast show up at checkout?

PayFast appears only when Activate PayFast Payment Service is on and both Merchant ID and Merchant key are filled in (not 0). Save the screen and check the Payfast card on Payment Gateways. If your Membership allows only some payment methods, check that too. See Allow only some payment methods for a Membership.

PayFast says the merchant is invalid. What’s wrong?

The merchant details don’t match the mode. With Enable PayFast Sandbox ticked, use your sandbox Merchant ID and key; with it unticked, use your live ones.

The member paid but the Membership is still not active. Why?

Your site didn’t receive PayFast’s payment notification. Check that the site is public (not in maintenance mode or behind a password) and that no firewall or security plugin blocks https://yoursite.com/?ihc_action=ump_payfast.

Members are paying in the sandbox. How do I take real payments?

Untick Enable PayFast Sandbox, enter your live Merchant ID and Merchant key, and click Save Changes. The Payfast card on Payment Gateways then shows Live instead of Sandbox.

Can PayFast bill a membership every 2 months or every week?

No. PayFast Pro supports subscriptions of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. Set the Membership’s Subscription Cycle to one of these.

What’s next

Connect a payment gatewaySee all gateways and pick a default.Set your currencySwitch your site to ZAR.Let members choose a payment methodOffer PayFast next to other gateways.Create coupon codesOffer discounts on PayFast payments.

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