Help & guides / PayFast
Setup guide
Let clients pay for bookings by card, Instant EFT, SnapScan and more. The money goes straight into your own PayFast account.
Time: about 10 minutes
For: South African (Rand) websites
You'll copy: 3 codes
PayFast is a South African payment gateway. When a client pays for a booking, PayFast takes the payment and pays it into your PayFast account, then out to your bank. You'll need three things: your Merchant ID, your Merchant Key and a Passphrase you create yourself.
No PayFast account yet? Sign up at payfast.io. PayFast asks for your ID, bank details and proof of bank account, so only you can do this part. You can follow the steps below straight away; PayFast pays out once it has verified you.
1
Log in at my.payfast.io. Both codes are shown at the top right of your dashboard. Copy them and keep them somewhere safe for now.
2
In the left menu click Settings, then Developer Settings at the bottom of the list.
3
Under Security Settings, type a passphrase in the Security Passphrase box and click Save. Use only letters and numbers, no spaces, e.g. BlueOcean2026Yoga. Write it down exactly, including capitals. You don't need to change the Notify URL; your website sends it with every payment.
4
Go to Nunkio Booking → Settings → Payments, scroll to PayFast, tick Enable PayFast and paste your Merchant ID, Merchant key and Passphrase. Make sure Sandbox mode is not ticked, then click Save settings.
5
Book a low-priced service and pay with PayFast. Check that you land back on your website with a success message, the booking shows as Confirmed under Nunkio Booking → All Bookings, and the payment appears under Transactions in PayFast.
“Signature mismatch”
The passphrase on your website doesn't match PayFast exactly. Copy it again, or set a new one in both places.
PayFast says the merchant is invalid
Check the Merchant ID and Key (no spaces) and that Sandbox mode is unticked.
PayFast isn't on the booking form
PayFast only works on websites priced in Rand. Check Enable PayFast is ticked and saved.
Payouts aren't arriving
Your PayFast account may still be awaiting verification. Check for messages in your PayFast dashboard.
Want the PDF with screenshots? If you have a Nunkio website, you'll find all the PDF guides in your account on nunkio.com or inside your plugin dashboard. Still stuck? Email support@nunkio.com. Please never send us your passphrase.
