Review
iKhokha Card Machine Review (2026): Worth It?
Our iKhokha review: the transaction fee, the R2.50 payout fee, what iK Prepaid can earn you, and what a year costs. Confirmed 5 November 2026.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
iKhokha's fee is now lower than Yoco's. It starts at 2.10% Excluding VATThe rate before 15% VAT is added, which is how almost every South African provider quotes. A rate of 2.30% excl. VAT actually bills you 2.645%, so two quotes are only comparable once you know which basis each is on.What 2.10% comes to with VAT2.415% with VAT on it. On R30 000 a month that is about R725 rather than R630, so the year this review prices costs R1 134 more than the rate on the page suggests.iKhokha shows its prices excluding VAT and so does Yoco, so the one-year comparison below is already like for like. Take care when you compare either one with a bank's quote, because some banks quote including VAT, and the same rate then looks cheaper on one page than on the other. If your business is VAT-registered, you claim the VAT back and the excluding number is your real cost. If it is not, add 15% to every rate here.See every term in the glossary, down from 2.75% in October, where Yoco starts at 2.30%. But it charges R2.50 every time it pays you, and R75 a month for its SIMs, so it isn't always the cheaper machine over a month.
But hold that thought for a minute, because there is a twist. There are two kinds of shop where iKhokha works out cheaper than Yoco: the one that takes its money out every day, and the one where customers already ask for airtime and electricity. And on HelloPeter it has a TrustIndex of 8 out of 10, third in Payments & Fintech, against Yoco's 6.2.
So the two things to work out about iKhokha are who is it for and what iKhokha has to earn you each month to cover its SIMs and payouts.
Therefore, in this iKhokha review I'll work that number out against your own business and show you when iKhokha comes out cheaper. By the end, the decision makes itself.
Who iKhokha are, and what they are actually selling
iKhokha is a South African payments company, started in 2012, with over 380 staff, and by its own description one of the fastest-growing fintechs in Africa. It also has over 16 600 five-star reviews on HelloPeter, which is not a thing you accumulate by being cheapest.
Every company in this market will sell you a card machine. iKhokha actually sells convenience at the counter, and the whole product line makes sense once you see it that way.
A card machine gets money from a customer who was already buying. A counter that also sells airtime, electricity, a DStv payment and an OTT voucher gets a person through the door who was not buying anything at all, and then that person is standing in front of your shelves while they pay.
You can see that in the rest of what iKhokha offers. Prepaid brings people into your shop. The support line answers around the clock, so you can get help at 7pm on a Saturday. And there is funding for when you sell faster and need to restock more often.
The verdict, and what it rests on
The scores in this review measure what iKhokha does for your shop as a whole, not only how its card machine compares with another.
Support is a strength: iKhokha has a phone number on its site and answers it around the clock.
Where it loses is in the conditions. Same-day money and prepaid income, the two things iKhokha advertises most, both come with terms you need to know first. I cover both below, in the prepaid income and who qualifies for same-day money.
The range, and which one to buy
Start with the machines. The main thing to decide here is whether you need to hand customers a printed slip.
All three run the same rates and the same iK Prepaid menu. What separates them is the hardware.
Every iKhokha card machine, priced
| iK Tap on Phone | iK Flyer Lite | iK Flyer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | R699 | R1 499 |
| Prints receipts | No | No | Yes |
| Takes | Tap only | Tap and insert | Tap, insert and swipe |
| Prepaid vouchers | No | Sells them | Sells and prints them |
| Connectivity | Your phone's | Wi-Fi, or SIMs at a flat R75/mo | Wi-Fi, or SIMs at a flat R75/mo |
| Downside | Android only, and your phone is the card machine | No printed slip | Twice the price |
Prices and features from iKhokha's own shop pages.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
For most shops the iK Flyer Lite at R699 is the one to buy. The iK Flyer is worth its extra R800 only if you hand customers a printed slip, or if you want to print prepaid vouchers rather than reading numbers off a screen.
iK Tap on Phone is a useful free backup rather than a main card machine, and it is Android only.
In terms of card machines, iKhokha has two you can hold. The cheaper one is the iK Flyer Lite: a touchscreen card machine with two SIM slots that takes tap and chip, sends receipts by SMS or email and sells prepaid, now R699, down from R999. The second is the iK Flyer at R1 499, which adds a built-in printer and a swipe reader, so it hands your customer a printed slip and prints the prepaid voucher instead of showing its number on screen. Buy either through us and iKhokha takes 10% off, about R629 for the Lite and R1 349 for the Flyer.
Why most shops should start here
- Sells airtime, data, electricity, water and gas, OTT and Hollywood Bets vouchers, DStv and traffic fines off the same card machine
- A same-day route with no percentage fee, on Nedbank or on the iK Debit Card for sole traders
- 24/7 support by phone, plus WhatsApp
- A fee of 2.10%, below Yoco's 2.30%, and 1.15% on debit cards above R50 000 a month
Where it falls shortwhat to know first
Where it falls short
- Up to about R60 000 a month, its SIMs and payouts outweigh its lower fee
- No printer and no swipe: the customer reads a prepaid voucher off the screen
- R75 a month for its own SIM data unless you run it on Wi-Fi, and R2.50 on every payout
The numbers in fullspecs & terms
- PriceR699, down from R999; about R629 with the 10% off on this page
- MonthlyR75 SIM, or R0 on Wi-Fi
- Rate2.10% excl. VAT, or 1.85% on Nedbank
- SettlementNext business day on FNB and Absa, same day on Nedbank; R2.50 a payout
Best for
Spazas, salons, car washes and market stalls where people already ask for airtime, and anyone testing prepaid for the first time.
Who should avoid it
A shop that needs to hand over a printed slip, or one that will never sell prepaid and can wait for its money.
Look at insteadYoco Khumo 2, for the simpler billThe daily-payout sums
Quick verdict
If you are not sure the prepaid demand is there, this is the cheapest way to find out: everything iKhokha offers for R699, and nothing monthly on shop Wi-Fi.
10% comes off automatically at signup, on top of everything iKhokha already includes.
Start with the Lite
Why it is worth the extra R800
- Prints receipts and prepaid voucher slips, so a queue moves faster than reading a number off a screen
- Takes tap, chip and swipe, so an older card is never turned away
- Same rates, same prepaid menu and same 24/7 support as the Lite
Where it falls shortwhat to know first
Where it falls short
- R1 499 takes a long time to earn back in a quiet shop; under about R15 000 a month on card, the printer is the only thing you are paying for
- Its SIMs and payouts outweigh its lower fee up to about R60 000 a month
- R75 a month for SIM data unless you run it on Wi-Fi
The numbers in fullspecs & terms
- PriceR1 499; about R1 349 with the 10% off on this page
- MonthlyR75 SIM, or R0 on Wi-Fi
- Rate2.10%, or 1.85% on Nedbank
- SettlementNext business day on FNB and Absa, same day on Nedbank; R2.50 a payout
Best for
Busy shops and restaurants that print slips all day and sell prepaid just as often.
Who should avoid it
A quiet shop under about R15 000 a month, where the Lite does the same job for R800 less.
Look at insteadYoco Khumo Print 2, head to headThe one-year cost
Quick verdict
Buy it when your customers are asking for receipts, not in case they might.
10% comes off automatically at signup, on top of everything iKhokha already includes.
Need the printed slip?
iKhokha also sells a full till. The iK POS is R7 499, down from R9 999: a point-of-sale system with a built-in printer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and its own 3G/4G SIM, made to run a product range rather than just take payments. It runs on a monthly package from R660 excluding VAT (R960 for two tills), and iKhokha sells it together with the iK Flyer.
iKhokha iK POS
A full till with a built-in printer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and its own SIM, for a shop with staff and a product range. R7 499, down from R9 999, plus a monthly package from R660 excl. VAT.
If you run a restaurant, a bottle store or a supermarket with staff and stock, that is the one to look at.
Apart from the hardware, iKhokha also has software and money services that come with the account, and a few of them matter more than the card machine:
iK Pay Link sends a customer a payment link from anywhere, which is how you take a deposit from someone who is not standing in front of you. iK Invoice is a free invoice generator on the dashboard.
iK Pay Gateway takes card payments on a website you built on Wix, WooCommerce or Shopstar, at 2.85% excluding VAT for local cards. And iK Accounting tracks money in and out and links your bank account so it reconciles itself, with a free trial to see whether you would use it.
For a growing shop, iK Cash Advance is the most useful of these. It advances up to R1 million against your card turnover and takes it back as a percentage of daily sales, so you repay more in a busy week and less in a quiet one.
There is no fixed monthly instalment and no compound interest. Offers under R200 000 need no credit check, the money lands within 24 hours, and the size of the offer is set by what you have already sold through the machine.
That last part is a good reason to stay with one company for years rather than switch to save on fees. The advance is based on your sales history, and iKhokha only sees the sales you made through iKhokha.
What it costs over a year
To see what all of this means in rands, I've priced a full year on the iK Flyer Lite for a small shop making R30 000 a month on card. I've done it twice: once on iKhokha's SIMs, and once on the shop's own Wi-Fi.
iKhokha quotes its fees excluding VAT, and our card machine fees guide explains why that is the first thing to check on any quote.
R360 000 in card sales across the year, on one iK Flyer Lite bought once-off, with fees excluding VAT.
One year on the iK Flyer Lite at R30 000 a month
| On iKhokha's SIMs | On your shop Wi-Fi | |
|---|---|---|
| The machine | R699 | R699 |
| Transaction fees for the year | R7 560 at 2.10% | R7 560 at 2.10% |
| SIM data | R900, at R75 a month | R0 |
| Payout fees | About R780, at R2.50 a payout | About R780, at R2.50 a payout |
| Year one, all in | About R9 939 | About R9 039 |
| What prepaid can earn back | Commission on airtime, electricity and vouchers | Commission on airtime, electricity and vouchers |
Our sums. Payout fees assume six trading days a week.
Running it on the shop Wi-Fi saves R900 a year. Either way, prepaid commission is what pays back the SIMs and payouts.
Prepaid is what turns iKhokha's running costs around.
So beyond the machine and the transaction fees, iKhokha's running costs come to about R65 a month on your shop Wi-Fi, or about R140 a month on its SIMs. That's the R2.50 payouts, plus the SIM data if you use it.
Prepaid is how iKhokha pays those back. Once your prepaid commission passes that amount, the SIMs and payouts have cost you nothing, and every sale after that is a second stream of income on a machine you needed anyway.
iKhokha's help centre gives the commission: 3% on airtime, data and gaming vouchers when the customer pays cash, 2% when they pay by card, and 1% on electricity. So R65 a month means selling about R2 200 of airtime for cash, and R140 means about R4 700.
What you can do is test it against what you already know. If people ask you for airtime ten times a day and you currently send them across the road, you're past that long before month end. Our spaza shop guide is written for exactly that kind of shop.
When iKhokha is the cheaper machine
Those sums assume you're happy to wait 1-2 business days for your money.
Not every shop can. If you buy stock every morning, you need yesterday's money in your account today, and that changes the sums. Yoco will pay you the same day, but it charges 1.5% a payout with a minimum of R17.25 on Yoco's free Core plan, on top of its 2.30%. iKhokha's same-day route charges no percentage at all, only its flat R2.50 a payout.
So here iKhokha has a real edge: the more often you need your money, the more you save. This is what that looks like for a shop that takes its money out every trading day, against Yoco's Instant Payout.
Both columns assume the same thing: you take your money out every trading day, about 26 times a month, and run the machine on shop Wi-Fi. Yoco's Instant Payout is 1.5% a payout with a minimum of R17.25 on Yoco's free Core plan, on top of its 2.30%. iKhokha pays the same day, twice a day, with no percentage, and I have charged it the R2.50 fee on both payouts, 52 times a month, which is the worst case for iKhokha.
Drawing your money every day
| Yoco, paying for Instant Payout | iKhokha, same-day on the card | |
|---|---|---|
| A stall making R5 000 a month | About R564 a month | About R235 a month |
| A shop making R25 000 a month | About R1 024 a month | About R655 a month |
| A counter making R40 000 a month | About R1 520 a month | About R970 a month |
| What that saves over a year |
|
R3 948 at R5 000, R4 428 at R25 000, R6 600 at R40 000 |
Our sums. Yoco 2.30% plus Instant Payout at R17.25 a payout up to R1 000, then 1.5% on Core; iKhokha 2.10% plus R2.50 a settlement, twice a day. 26 trading days, shop Wi-Fi, all rates excluding VAT.
For a shop that takes its money out every day and runs on Wi-Fi, iKhokha is cheaper at every turnover here, even with its R75 SIMs added, and by the most in the smallest shops, because Yoco's R17.25 a payout is most of a small shop's fee.
This is where iKhokha's lower fee and flat payout add up the most.
That table has one condition: same day means banking with Nedbank, or using the iK Debit Card, which is for sole proprietors only. A registered company on another bank waits 1-2 business days, like most machines.
But if you are a sole trader who buys stock every day, as many spaza shops, market traders, car washes and food stalls do, iKhokha is the cheaper machine.
iK Prepaid: a second stream of income, and the cash it ties up
iK Prepaid is the reason to buy this brand. The card machine sells airtime and data on all four networks, electricity, water and gas, DStv, Pay@ and Easypay bill payments, traffic fines, and gaming vouchers. iKhokha says over a thousand service providers and municipalities are on it.
Prepaid income is not free income, and the timing matters
You fund it before you earn from it. You top up the prepaid balance yourself, in cash at an Absa ATM or by EFT, so every voucher you sell is paid for with your own money first. And your profit does not arrive with the sale: iKhokha holds it in a pending prepaid balance and releases it into your available balance in the first week of the following month. If your shop runs week to week, that is a real gap in your cash flow, and it is the most important thing to know about iK Prepaid before you start.
Two practical notes. The gaming vouchers are OTT and Hollywood Bets, which matters if your customers ask for betting vouchers. A customer who bets on Betway is covered too: an OTT voucher loads a Betway account, and Betway lists it among its own deposit methods.
And only the iK Flyer prints a voucher. On the Lite you read the number off the screen and the customer writes it down or you send it digitally, which works fine but is slower when there is a queue.
Getting paid, and who qualifies for same-day
iKhokha pays out on the next business day if you bank with FNB or Absa, and twice a day on the same day if you bank with Nedbank. For other banks its FAQ says one to three business days, so don't plan your cash flow around a next-day payout. Either way, iKhokha charges R2.50 for every SettlementWhen the money actually lands in your bank account — not when the payment is approved. The gap is one to three business days depending on provider.What iKhokha charges for itR2.50 a payout, whatever the amount. Take one every trading day and that is about R65 a month, or R780 a year, on top of your transaction fees.Settlement is when the money lands in your account, not when the payment is approved on the machine. iKhokha pays out on the next business day if you bank with FNB or Absa, twice on the same day if you bank with Nedbank, and in one to three business days for other banks, by its FAQ. The R2.50 is charged per payout rather than per sale, which means how often you take your money out matters more than how much you sell.See every term in the glossary, whatever the amount.
Getting paid the same day without Nedbank is harder. It runs on the iK Debit Card, into a GoTyme Bank EveryDay accountA free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It is not an iKhokha product: you open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list it on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It is the only account iKhokha's same-day iK Debit Card pays into. iKhokha also pays Nedbank customers twice a day, the same day, with no GoTyme account involved.Why same-day is narrower than it looksIt is a personal account, so the card route is open to sole proprietors and closed to registered companies. Without it, same day on iKhokha means banking with Nedbank.A free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It is not an iKhokha product: you open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list it on your iKhokha profile as the account the iK Debit Card pays into. Two things come with it. It is personal, which is why registered businesses cannot get the card, though a Nedbank account gets them same-day payouts anyway. And it is a second bank to run alongside the one you already have, which means extra admin, even though the account itself is free.See every term in the glossary you open yourself, and only sole proprietors can get it. If your business is registered and does not bank with Nedbank, same day is not open to you. Our payout-times guide compares when every card machine company pays out.
Do people ask you for airtime, data or vouchers?
Not whether they would, but whether they already do, this week. Count the people you send across the road, and count voucher requests as well as airtime.
If the answer is yes, stop reading and buy it. Yoco's machines do not sell airtime, and the only other machine in this comparison that can is a WAPPoint rental at R299 a month plus a R50 add-on. At R699 once-off, there is very little to compare this against.Who do you bank with?
FNB or Absa, and iKhokha says it pays you the next business day; Nedbank, and it pays twice a day on the same day. Any other bank, and its FAQ says one to three business days.
It is the difference between a payout you can plan stock around and one that arrives when it arrives.Is your business registered?
If it is a registered company, the iK Debit Card is closed to you, and same-day payouts mean banking with Nedbank.
Same-day money is one of iKhokha's main selling points, so check it applies to you before you count on it.Wi-Fi or SIM?
On the shop Wi-Fi the machine costs R0 a month. With the two 4G SIMs it is R75.
R900 a year, and it is the single biggest line in the gap against a machine that includes data free.Which iKhokha machine suits your business?
iKhokha sells two card machines and a full till, and the right one depends on how your business runs: whether customers want a printed slip, whether people ask you for prepaid, and how often you need your money out.
From our research, iKhokha fits most shops where people wait, or walk in for something small, and it fits a few badly. So rather than make you read six descriptions to find yours, I built a quick tool: tap the business closest to yours, and it tells you which iKhokha machine to start on, why, and the one thing to watch.
Interactive · pick your business
Which iKhokha machine suits the business you run?
Tap the one closest to yours. The answer uses the same sums as the rest of this review.
Strong fit
Customers already ask you for airtime and electricity, you buy stock every day, and as a sole trader you can get the same-day card even if you do not bank with Nedbank. Our spaza shop guide works out the numbers.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite, R699 (about R629 with the 10% off on this page)
- Watch for
- You pay for the prepaid balance yourself, and the profit is released the following month.
Good fit
People wait here, and someone waiting may buy airtime, data or a voucher. If you take your money out every day, iKhokha's same-day payout costs only R2.50.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite, R699
- Watch for
- It only pays off if clients ask for prepaid. Count the requests for a week before you buy.
Good fit
You need a printed slip and a product range, and you restock often. A bottle store where customers ask for vouchers is close to the ideal iKhokha shop.
- Start with
- iK Flyer at R1 499 for the printed slip; the iK POS at R7 499 plus R660 a month when you need a full till
- Watch for
- The iK POS is a till sold alongside a card machine, and its monthly package only pays off when you have staff and stock to manage.
Good fit
Prepaid can earn you commission, but you pay for the prepaid balance upfront, and money in that balance is money you cannot spend on stock.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite, R699, so the amount you test with stays small
- Watch for
- Stock comes first. Top up the prepaid balance only with money you will not need this week.
Good fit
You work on the move, so you want a machine that fits in a pocket and works away from Wi-Fi. The iK Flyer Lite does both, at a lower transaction fee of 2.10%. Plumbers and electricians rarely get asked for airtime, so its value here is the lower fee and free digital invoices through iK Invoice.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite, R699, with the SIMs at R75 a month
- Watch for
- Away from Wi-Fi you need the SIMs, so count the R75 a month into your sums.
Good fit
The same-day iK Debit Card is for sole traders only. But with a Nedbank business account, iKhokha pays you the same day, twice a day, and the transaction fee drops to 1.85%.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite at R699, or the iK Flyer at R1 499 if customers want a printed slip
- Watch for
- On another bank you wait 1-2 business days for each payout, and each one costs R2.50.
Matched on this review's own numbers: printed slips, prepaid demand, how often you take your money out, and whether your business is registered. Confirmed 5 November 2026.
As you can see, most businesses should start on the iK Flyer Lite, move to the iK Flyer when customers want a printed slip, and to the iK POS once staff and stock need a proper till. iKhokha pays for itself fastest where customers already ask for prepaid, and where a sole trader takes the money out every day.
Where iKhokha loses
For some shops, another machine is the better buy.
What works
- A card machine that also earns you commission on prepaid, on hardware you were buying anyway
- 24/7 support by phone, plus WhatsApp
- A lower fee per sale than Yoco, at 2.10% excl. VAT against 2.30%
- You own the machine, with no rental and no contract
What does not
- SIMs and payouts that can outweigh that lower fee, up to about R60 000 a month
- R2.50 on every payout, which stays the same in a quiet month
- R75 a month for SIM data that Yoco includes at no extra cost
- Its same-day card is closed to registered companies, which need a Nedbank account for same day
If you will never sell prepaid, iKhokha's SIMs and payouts cost you more than its lower fee saves, for a feature you will not use. Check the daily-payout table first, though, because that gap only holds if you can wait for your money.
If that sounds like your business, our Yoco vs iKhokha head-to-head shows which of the two costs less at your card sales.
So, should you buy iKhokha?
Its lower fee is a good reason to look at iKhokha, but don't buy it hoping the prepaid income will appear on its own. Buy it for the convenience it creates, and for the shelf sales that follow someone through the door who only came in to buy electricity.
Go in knowing that you pay for the prepaid balance yourself and only get the profit the following month, so make sure your cash flow can carry that first.
Start with the iK Flyer Lite at R699. It's the whole product on the cheapest hardware, and the only thing you give up is the printed slip. Move up to the iK Flyer at R1 499 when customers start asking for receipts, or to the iK POS at R7 499, plus its R660 monthly package, if you're running staff, stock and a real till rather than a counter.
Not sure the demand is there yet? Count how often people ask you for airtime, data or electricity over one week. If it's several times a day, that commission should cover the R65 a month in payout fees, and anything above it is extra income. And iKhokha takes 10% off both machines through the discount in this article.
Questions people ask about iKhokha
How much does an iKhokha card machine cost?
The iK Flyer Lite is R699 once-off, down from R999, and the iK Flyer, which prints receipts, is R1 499.iK Tap on Phone is free and runs on an Android or Huawei handset. You own the machine, with no rental and no monthly fee unless you take its SIMs at a flat R75 a month. Confirmed 5 November 2026.
What is iKhokha's transaction fee?
iKhokha charges 2.10% excluding VAT on South African debit and credit cards up to R50 000 a month, or 1.85% if your business banks with Nedbank.Above R50 000, debit cards drop to 1.15%, or 0.85% on Nedbank. International cards and Amex are 3.00%, or 2.50% on Nedbank. Online local cards are 2.85% and instant EFT is 2%, all excluding VAT.
How much commission does iKhokha pay on airtime?
iKhokha's help centre lists it: 3% on airtime, data and gaming vouchers when the customer pays cash, 2% when they pay by card, and 1% on electricity, water and gas.Two other things matter as much: you top up the prepaid balance yourself before you can sell, and your profit is held in a pending balance and released in the first week of the following month.
3 more questions
Is iKhokha better than Yoco?
It depends on whether your shop can make money from more than card sales.iKhokha now has the lower fee, 2.10% excluding VAT against Yoco's 2.30%. Yoco includes SIM data at no extra cost and charges nothing per payout, which comes to about R960 less over a year at R30 000 a month. iKhokha wins if iK Prepaid earns you roughly R80 a month, or if you draw your money every day.
Is there an iKhokha Mover card machine?
No. The iKhokha Mover appears in a number of articles and comparison pages and has never appeared on iKhokha's own site.As of 14 October 2026 iKhokha sells the iK Flyer Lite and the iK Flyer as card machines, the free iK Tap on Phone app, and the iK POS as a full point-of-sale.
Does iKhokha pay out the same day?
Yes, twice a day, in one of two ways.Bank with Nedbank, or use the iK Debit Card, which needs a GoTyme Bank EveryDay account you open yourself and sole-proprietor status, so a registered company cannot get the card. Standard payouts land the next business day if you bank with FNB or Absa, and in one to three business days for other banks, by iKhokha's FAQ. There is a R2.50 fee on every payout.