Explainer
Switching Card Machine Providers in South Africa (2026)
Two of the three big providers will beat a rate you bring them, and one won't. What switching costs, what to get in writing, and the mistake that costs most.
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.
If you suspect you're overpaying on card fees, what stops you switching is rarely the money. It's the picture of a fortnight of admin, a machine that stops working mid-week, and a phone call with somebody trying to talk you out of it.
With Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint, it doesn't go like that. None of the three ties you to a long contract, and nothing has to be closed on day one. You get the new machine, start using it, and the old one goes in a drawer.
The money is in the twenty minutes before you order. So I'll walk you through them: the number to bring, the four things to settle, what moving really costs, and how to tell when staying put is the better answer.
Who will match or beat your rate
Of the three card machine companies you're most likely weighing up, two will negotiate, and they say so on their own pricing pages.
iKhokha puts it plainly: "We'll match or beat your rate to bring you to the #iKTribe." WAPPoint says much the same on its pricing page. Bring your fees when you switch, and it'll match or beat them. Yoco makes no such offer. Its switch page sells lower fees and up to 40% off point-of-sale bundles, and below R200 000 a month the fee on the page is the fee you pay. Above that, Yoco quotes a custom fee.
That's less of a loss than it sounds. Yoco starts at 2.30% 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 you're really comparing2.30% bills 2.645% and 2.75% bills 3.1625%. Both providers quote the same way, so the comparison holds. It only breaks when you put a bank quote next to them.Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint all quote their rates excluding VAT, so you can compare the three directly with no conversion. That stops being safe the moment a bank is in the comparison, because some banks quote including VAT, and the same rate then looks cheaper on one page than the other. Your statement shows VAT-inclusive money, so when you work your real rate off it, convert before you hand the number to anybody.See every term in the glossary where WAPPoint starts at 2.75%, so it's already below the number WAPPoint would be negotiating down from. iKhokha now starts lower still, at 2.10%. Its switch page still shows 2.5% to 2.7%. Its pricing page, under "New lower rates", lists 2.30% on the free Core plan, and that's the fee to hold it to.
Two more companies price you on your volume, without promising to beat what you pay now. Adumo, which works with growing businesses and large enterprises, agrees a fee with each business through an account manager. HelloPay lowers its fee as your card sales grow, from as low as 1.2% excluding VAT. If your card sales are high, send them your statements as well.
So bring the statement, not the quote.
What a rival can beat is your Merchant discount rateThe single percentage your provider quotes you. It contains interchange, the scheme fee and the provider's own margin.The number to bringOn a R500 sale at 2.75% the provider keeps R13.75, and only a small part of that is theirs to give away. The rest is interchange and the card scheme, fixed before anyone starts negotiating.This is the full percentage your provider keeps from each card sale, interchange and scheme fees included, and it's the number on your statement rather than the one you were quoted at signup. It matters when you switch because it's the only number a competitor can be asked to beat. It also explains why a match-or-beat is a real offer and a small one. A provider can only discount its own margin, so the floor is interchange plus the scheme fee and nobody goes under it.See every term in the glossary, the share of your card sales that actually left your account. Take three months of statements and work out what you really paid as a percentage of your sales.
A salesperson can argue with a rival's advert. Nobody argues with your own bank statement. Our fees guide shows how to work that percentage out.
And get the matched fee in writing before you move, because a fee agreed on a phone call isn't one you can hold them to.
Settle these four before you order anything
Twenty minutes, and it's the difference between a switch that saves money and one that just moves the problem.
What are you paying now?
Three months of statements. Total fees divided by total card turnover, as a percentage, including the monthly bits.
It's easy to guess this wrong, and to guess low. It's also the only number a rate match can be run against, so without it you've nothing to negotiate with.Are you renting, and what does leaving involve?
If you rent, ask for the notice period and whether the card machine has to go back. If you bought it, there's nothing to end.
Yoco and iKhokha sell you the machine, so nothing's owed when you leave. A rental is the one route where leaving has a cost, and it's the one thing to get in writing.What's plugged into your old provider?
Recurring invoices, payment links you have sent out, an online store plugin, a booking system, a QR code on your counter.
The card machine is the easy part. A payment link you sent a customer last week still points at the old account, and that's where switches go wrong.When does the money reach your bank?
Ask for it by name: how many business days, into which bank, and what each payout costs. iKhokha pays the next business day on FNB and Absa, and twice a day, same day, on Nedbank or its iK Debit Card.
Switching is when you have leverage on this, and it's easy to spend it all on the rate and forget to ask.The payment links need a plan of their own, because they keep working after you've moved.
If you invoice, the links in those invoices belong to your old provider. Money paid against them lands in the old account, which is fine as long as that account still exists and you're still watching it. Don't close anything for a month. Run the new machine, let the old links drain, and shut the old account when nothing has arrived in it for a few weeks.
What switching costs
"Free to switch" is true of the paperwork, but the move still costs you a machine and some of your time. The table sets out what each of the three charges you to start. If the switch means buying a new machine, what every card machine costs has the full price list with each deal.
What each of the three costs you to move to, if you own your current machine and aren't renting it.
What it costs to move
| Yoco | iKhokha | WAPPoint | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To get started | R699 for the machine | R699 for the machine | R200 setup, then rental |
| Will they beat your current rate? | No offer | Match or beat, on its pricing page | Match or beat, on its pricing page |
| Listed starting rate | 2.30% excl VAT | 2.10% excl VAT | 2.75% excl VAT |
| Charged to pay you | Nothing | R2.50 a payout | Nothing |
| Monthly, once running | R0 on Core | R0, or R75 for the SIMs | R189 rental, none above R15 000, plus R50 insurance |
| If it doesn't suit you | 30-day money back | 30-day money back | 30-day money back |
Switching costs you one machine and an afternoon. Where the three differ is afterwards. Yoco has nothing monthly and doesn't negotiate. iKhokha now lists the lowest fee and will negotiate, and WAPPoint negotiates from a higher start.
So the decision turns on whether your card sales are high enough for a negotiation to beat 2.30% in the first place.
Below roughly R40 000 a month there's nothing to negotiate with, so the comparison is just the fees on each price list, and of these three Yoco wins it.
Yoco Khumo 2
2.30% excl. VAT on the free Core plan, with nothing monthly and nothing charged to pay you.
If you make under R40 000 a month: the Khumo 2
For most small businesses this is where I'd start. It's R699 once and nothing monthly on Yoco's free Core plan, with 4G data included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on a local card sale. Payouts are free in one to two business days, or by 8am the next day with Fast Payout. It doesn't print, so receipts go by SMS or email. The full Khumo 2 review goes through it in detail.
Where it stands out
- Built-in 4G with unlimited data, and Wi-Fi, at no extra cost
- Up to 18 hours on one charge
- Tips, split bills, refunds and staff profiles on the machine
- Delivered free in up to 3 days, or collected from over 300 stores
Buy it if
- You want the lowest cost to own, with nothing to pay monthly
- Receipts by SMS or email suit your customers
Skip it if
- Customers expect a printed slip: the Khumo Print 2 prints
- Customers ask you for airtime or electricity, which iKhokha's machines sell
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, and it sells prepaid, with a slightly lower fee, 2.10% against Yoco's 2.30%. But data costs R75 a month and payouts R2.50 a day, where Yoco includes its data and pays out free, so on mobile data it costs a little more to run below about R61 000 a month.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe plans
You pay for the Khumo 2 once: R699 for the machine, or R599 with the R100 off Yoco gives through the discount links on this page. After that, the plan you choose decides two things, what you pay each month and what Yoco takes from each card sale. Most small businesses stay on Core, which costs nothing a month. The paid plans lower the fee a little and add tools, so pick one for the tools rather than the saving.
Core
R0a month
What you get
- 2.30% on local cards, up to R50 000 a month
- 1.35% on local debit cards above R50 000
- Yoco POS, payment links and invoices
- Payouts to any bank, free in 1 to 2 business days
Terms
- International cards 3.20%
- Instant Payout 1.5%, minimum R17.25
- Fast Payout, by 8am the next day, 0.75%, minimum R7.50
The plan to start on, and the one most people stay on.
Plus
R249a month per shop
What you get
- 2.10% on local debit, 2.20% on credit, up to R50 000
- A loyalty programme at checkout
- Appointment bookings
- More than one shop on one account
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.10%
On fees alone it saves R100 a month at R50 000 in debit sales, so choose it for loyalty or bookings.
Pro
R499a month per shop
What you get
- 1.95% on local debit, 2.15% on credit, up to R50 000
- Fast Payout by 8am, free for now
- Table-side ordering
- Advanced staff permissions and accounting links
Terms
- 30 days free
- International cards 3.05%
Built for restaurants that take orders at the table.
Prices and plans from yoco.com on 21 Oct 2026. Plan fees are per location and exclude VAT; card fees are on local cards up to R50 000 a month.
Above that, a match-or-beat becomes worth an email. iKhokha steps its fee down as your sales grow anyway, so you're asking it to start the step-down early rather than for something it never does. That makes it an easier conversation than it sounds.
Don't forget the machine you already own, either. Nothing stops you keeping it. Some businesses run two providers on purpose, and if you're switching for one specific reason, keeping the old one until you're certain costs you nothing. If you're choosing between Yoco and iKhokha, our head-to-head puts the two side by side.
One thing to check on iKhokha's own page
If you're switching to iKhokha for the same-day payouts, there's a detail worth getting right, because iKhokha's own pages disagree about it.
Its switch page says same-day payouts come when you bank with TymeBank and use the iK Debit Card. The iK Debit Card's own page says the card is backed by a GoTyme Bank EveryDay account, and names GoTyme throughout.
They're two different banks. The card's own page, the one that walks you through setting it up, names 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 a switcher has to get this rightIt's free to open in the GoTyme app. Open the wrong bank and the iK Debit Card's same-day payout doesn't happen, and nothing tells you why.A free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It isn't an iKhokha product. You open it yourself in the GoTyme app and list it on your iKhokha profile as the account the iK Debit Card pays into. Because it's a personal account, the card route is open to sole proprietors and closed to registered companies, who can get same day only by banking with Nedbank. iKhokha's own iK Debit Card page names GoTyme throughout. Its switch page says TymeBank, which is a different bank.See every term in the glossary as the account the card pays into, and that's the account its sign-up steps take you through.
The same page has one more detail that catches switchers out. The iK Debit Card is an online exclusive. Buy your machine in a retail store and the thing you switched for may not be in the box, so order online.
So same day through the card comes with three conditions: the right bank account, an online order, and sole-trader status, because the card is only for sole proprietors. Each is easier to settle before you order than after. Our payout guide sets the whole route out.
So should you switch
Work out your real fee from three months of statements first. Everything else follows from that number, and it's often higher than the one you think you're on.
If you're making more than about R40 000 a month on card, send that number to iKhokha and to WAPPoint and ask them to beat it. Both say they will, it costs you an email, and the worst case is a no. At higher turnovers, Adumo is worth asking as well, because it sets a fee for each business rather than working from a price list.
iKhokha iK Flyer Lite
2.10% excluding VAT, or 1.85% on Nedbank, and it says it'll match or beat the rate you bring.
If you want a rate matched: iKhokha's iK Flyer Lite
If customers often ask you for airtime or electricity, this is the machine that turns those requests into extra sales. It costs the same R699 as the Khumo 2 and sells prepaid airtime, electricity and gaming vouchers on the spot. Its fee is 2.10% excluding VAT a sale (1.85% if you bank with Nedbank), plus R2.50 a day for payouts and R75 a month for its SIMs unless you work on Wi-Fi. It's small and lasts all day, so it suits market stalls, food trucks and deliveries. The iKhokha review covers it in full.
Where it stands out
- Sells prepaid airtime, electricity and gaming vouchers
- Two SIM cards, and Wi-Fi
- An all-day battery
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
Buy it if
- Customers ask you for airtime or electricity
- You sell at markets, from a food truck or on deliveries
Skip it if
- You need printed receipts: the iK Flyer prints
- Some customers still pay by the card's stripe: it takes tap and chip only
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, with data included and free payouts, so it costs a little less to run below about R61 000 a month, even though its fee is slightly higher (2.30% against 2.10%). The iK Flyer Lite sells prepaid airtime and electricity, and its SIMs cost R75 a month.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewPrices from ikhokha.com on 4 Nov 2026; the struck price is iKhokha's own.
WAPPoint SquarePOS RX
Send it your statement. Rented for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, with no rental above R15 000 a month.
If you'd rather rent: WAPPoint's SquarePOS RX
If R699 upfront is out of reach right now, this is the cheapest way to start taking cards. WAPPoint rents it for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up, and the R189 falls away in any month you take more than R15 000 on card. So a busy month costs you R50 and a quiet one R239. You can also buy it for R3 199 excluding VAT. The WAPPoint review explains the threshold in full.
Where it stands out
- No rental in any month above R15 000
- R200 to start
- Vodacom or MTN 4G, and Wi-Fi
- An all-day battery
Buy it if
- You can't put R699 down today
- You take more than R15 000 a month on card most months
Skip it if
- Your card sales are small: below R15 000 you pay R239 a month
- You'd rather own the machine from day one for less
If you skip it, the best alternative
R499 less to start (R200 against R699), but below R15 000 a month it costs R239 every month, where the Khumo 2 costs nothing monthly.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewThe packages
- RentR200 setup, R50 a month insuranceR189 a monthNo rental in any month above R15 000
- Buyexcluding VATR3 199
Prices from wappoint.co.za on 4 Nov 2026; machine prices exclude VAT.
Adumo PAX A910S
An account manager and a fee agreed for your turnover, with no settlement fees into any bank.
If your card sales are high: ask Adumo for a fee
If your business has grown past the point where a fixed price list suits you, Adumo is worth a conversation. It works with growing businesses and large enterprises alike, and instead of a public price list you get an account manager and a fee agreed for your business. Small businesses start on adumo Flow with the PAX A910S, a 4G machine with a printer and two SIMs, and the money settles into any bank account with no settlement fees. Adumo names supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware and fashion stores and takeaways as its fit.
Where it stands out
- Settlement into any bank, with no settlement fees
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4G, two SIMs and a printer
- QR payments and card-linked instalments
- 24/7 support and an account manager
Buy it if
- You run a supermarket, pharmacy, hardware or fashion store, or a takeaway, which Adumo names as its fit
- You'd like a rate set for your business
Skip it if
- You want to order today without speaking to anyone: Yoco and iKhokha sell online
If you skip it, the best alternative
The Khumo 2 is R699 with a fixed 2.30% fee, and you can order it today. Adumo starts with a conversation, and in return you get a rate set for your business and an account manager.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewFrom adumo.com on 4 Nov 2026. The PAX A920 Pro comes with adumo Infinite.
If you're under that, don't bother negotiating. Just compare the fees on their websites. Yoco starts at 2.30% excluding VAT with nothing monthly and nothing charged to pay you, which is below where the other two begin, and at your volume that gap is the whole decision.
And if you're switching for a reason that isn't the fee, name the reason before you order. Same-day money, a phone number to call, commission on airtime sales, a printed receipt. Each one points at a different machine, and a rate card settles none of them. The small-business guide works that through by type of business.
If you're not sure which of those you are, don't order anything yet. Get your statements out and answer below: your card sales in a month, what's actually making you look, and whether the machine you have is rented or bought.
One of the answers they can give you is to stay where you are.
Interactive · 30 seconds
Is it worth switching?
Pick an answer for each, and the recommendation updates as you go.
1What are your card sales in a month?
2What's actually making you look?
3Do you rent your current machine?
Before you answer
Get your real rate off three months of statements
It's the only number a competitor can be asked to beat, and it's often higher than the one you were quoted at signup.
The trade-off: if it turns out you're on a good rate already, the right answer is to stay where you are.
Rates and switch terms last confirmed on 5 November 2026.
Questions people ask about switching
Is it hard to switch card machine providers in South Africa?
Not if you're with Yoco, iKhokha or WAPPoint.Yoco and iKhokha say they have no lock-in contracts, WAPPoint says it doesn't tie you to long, rigid ones, and a machine you bought is yours to keep. You buy the new card machine, start using it, and keep the old account open for a month so payment links and invoices you've already sent still clear. The work is in comparing correctly, not in the paperwork.
Will a card machine company beat my current rate?
iKhokha and WAPPoint both say they'll match or beat the rate you're switching from.Yoco makes no such offer, though it lists 2.30% excluding VAT, against iKhokha's 2.10% and WAPPoint's 2.75%. Adumo agrees a fee with each business, and HelloPay lowers its fee as your card sales grow. Bring three months of statements rather than a competitor's quote, because what actually left your account is the only number a rival can be asked to beat.
What do I need to check before switching card machine provider?
Four things. Your real rate from three months of statements, not the one you were quoted.Whether you rent your current machine and what ending that requires. What's plugged into the old provider, meaning recurring invoices, payment links, online store plugins and QR codes. And how fast you'll be paid into your own bank, in business days, with the cost per payout.
1 more question
What does it cost to switch card machine providers?
The price of the new machine and an afternoon.Yoco and iKhokha are R699 once-off, and WAPPoint is R200 to set up plus a monthly rental that falls away above its turnover threshold. All three offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you already own your current machine there's nothing to pay to leave, and nothing stops you keeping it as a backup.
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