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What is Yoco?
Updated over 4 months ago

Yoco is a platform that empowers business owners and the self-employed to get paid, run their businesses better, and thrive. We offer a variety of tools and payment solutions to suit any business, no matter the size: from the fastest and smartest card machines on the market; to getting paid online (no card machine needed) in any way you can imagine; and access to speedy, flexible, risk-free funding to grow.

With Yoco, your business can accept all MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards. This includes international cards like AMEX, swipe cards, chip and PIN, and SASSA cards, from any bank. Yoco also accepts digital payments like Apple and Google Pay. Find out more here.


You can order your favourite card machine and we'll deliver for free. It's quick and easy, and you can join as a business or an individual! 🙌 Check out our different card machines now.

How much will it cost?

Our Visa/Mastercard transaction fees range from 2.5% to 2.7% (ex. VAT) and International and American Express card fees between 3% and 3.4% (ex. VAT), depending on your monthly sales and fees package. This includes free settlement, every business day.

For online payments, our transaction fees range from 2.6% to 2.95% for Visa/ Mastercard payments, and for international cards it ranges between 3% and 3.4% - depending on your turnover and fees package.

Instant EFT has a fixed 2% (ex VAT) fee - with same day settlement.

The more you transact, the less you pay.

Get more details about how Yoco fees work here.

If your business processes over R200 000 per month in card payments, you can request custom transaction fees here, and we'll be in touch.

What is signup?

To join Yoco, you'll need a South African bank account, and either a business registered in SA, or a South African ID or passport (any nationality). You'll need to upload a copy of your ID or passport (and valid work permit), after which our team will perform a Basic Credit Check.


To get your Yoco Payouts settled into your bank account, you’ll need to first complete your profile, and submit your original ID and bank details, as well as any verification documents requested by Yoco (per South African law). Depending on your vetting scenario, it may take some time to finalise this process, but not to worry — we’ll keep your payout total safe in the meantime.

💡 Get more details on what you need to complete setup for payouts here.

Is it safe?

There are over 200 000 businesses across South Africa using and trusting Yoco to get them paid. Yoco Tap is as secure as regular Chip and PIN card payments. Every card also has a built-in security check. The entire Yoco ecosystem is internationally recognised and certified as secure by Visa, MasterCard, and EMVCo (the official certifiers of Tap, Chip and PIN card readers worldwide). We're also fully PCI compliant. We're proud of our sophisticated risk monitoring, to detect and deal with fraud. All online payments through Yoco are backed by 3D secure.

💡 Get more information about payment security at Yoco here.

Which cards do Yoco card machines accept?

All Yoco card machines support Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Samsung Google Pay and Apple Pay.

This allows you to accept:

  • Visa Credit Cards

  • Visa Debit Cards

  • Visa Electron

  • MasterCard Credit Cards

  • MasterCards

  • Debit Cards

  • American Express Debit Cards

  • American Express Credit Cards

  • Maestro Cards

  • SASSA Cards

Cards not accepted?

Unfortunately, you're not able to process payments for the following cards yet. If this changes in any way, we'll let you know:

  • Diners Club

  • Discover Card

  • China UnionPay

  • Entrust Bank

  • Japan Credit Bureau

  • Fleet Cards

  • Petrol Cards

Can I accept budget payments with Yoco?

Yoco only offers straight payments and does not facilitate transactions that are budgeted over several months. All transactions paid through Yoco are processed in full, immediately.

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