YocoC62
Payment Processor · South African sole traders, market stalls, cafés, salons, food trucks and small retailers that want a card …
Overview
For a small South African business that wants to take cards at the counter this week, Yoco is the easy choice. It publishes its full rate tables, sells the hardware outright with no rental or contract, pays out free (two to three business days after the sale on the standard schedule) and includes decent point-of-sale software on its free plan. The catch is price. On the free Core plan the starting rate is 2.30% plus VAT on every local card until your rolling monthly average reaches R50,000, and even then local credit cards stay at 2.30% in person. A business turning over well beyond that should do the arithmetic on Plus or Pro, or ask for Yoco's custom rates, which start above R200,000 a month. And because Yoco underwrites merchants itself, it can pause payouts while it reviews an account. That is the complaint that comes up most in its reviews.
Best for: South African sole traders, market stalls, cafés, salons, food trucks and small retailers that want a card machine they own outright, free standard payouts to any major South African bank, and built-in POS, stock and staff tools without a monthly fee. It also suits multi-location hospitality businesses willing to pay R249–R499 a month per location for lower rates, table management and accounting integrations.
Strengths
- + The rate tables are published in full for every plan, card type and channel, and they state plainly that rates exclude 15% VAT. Rates drop automatically once the rolling three-month sales average reaches R50,000, with no application needed.
- + No contract, rental or monthly minimum on the free Core plan. The card machine is a one-off purchase (R699 for the Khumo 2 on promotion in September 2026) with SIM data included.
- + Standard and weekly payouts are free, with no settlement fee. Fast Payout by 8am the next day, weekends included, is free on Pro, and Instant Payout is available on demand.
- + Capable POS software comes free on every plan, with loyalty, multi-location, table service and accounting integrations on the paid tiers, so a small business need not buy separate till software.
- + An established operator: designated by the South African Reserve Bank as a clearing system participant in 2021 and, per that notice, registered with PASA as a third-party payment provider, and serving more than 200,000 merchants by its own count in May 2026.
Trade-offs
- – The entry rate is high for a growing business. Core charges 2.30% plus VAT on every local card in person until the rolling average reaches R50,000 a month, and local credit cards never get cheaper than 2.15% plus VAT in person on any plan.
- – Online payments carry a R2 fixed fee on top of the percentage (2.95% + R2 on Core), which is costly on small online tickets.
- – As a payfac, Yoco underwrites merchants itself and its terms let it pause payouts, hold a reserve or suspend an account during a review. Its help centre says payouts may be paused for up to seven working days, and held funds and sudden account reviews are recurring themes on HelloPeter.
- – Support has moved to chatbot-first contact, and several recent Trustpilot and HelloPeter reviewers complain of slow escalation to a human.
- – South Africa only: businesses registered elsewhere cannot sign up, and the terms limit processing to sales made in South Africa and charged in rand.
Fees in detail
- Online rate: 2.95% + R2 ex VAT (Core, local cards)
- International: In person, excluding VAT: international cards 3.20% on Core, 3.10% on Plus and 3.05% on Pro, falling to 2.75%, 2.65% and 2.60% once the roll
- Disputes: The disputed amount, plus any related card-network fees, penalties or fines, is debited from your balance, settlement or reserve under the P
Standard published rate for a domestic online card payment. Confirm current pricing on Yoco's pricing page.
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