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Payfast down?
Payfast by Network International is a South African online payment gateway that helps businesses and individuals accept payments on websites, apps and social media. It supports credit and debit cards, instant EFT, Mobicred, SnapScan, Zapper, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and other methods, with features like recurring billing, payment links, payment requests and plugins for platforms such as WooCommerce and Shopify. Payfast is known for easy setup and no monthly fees. South African merchants of all sizes use Payfast to get paid online securely.
I have a problem with Payfast
Select the type of problem you're facing to help us and other users.
Recent User Report Trends for Payfast
Aggregated reports in the last 48 hours.
What is Payfast's current status?
All systems are operational
No active incidents reported.
Incident history: past 7 days
times in UTCToday
Yesterday
Oct 30, 2026
Oct 29, 2026
Oct 28, 2026
Oct 27, 2026
Oct 26, 2026
User Reports for Payfast
Recent issues reported by users from around the world.
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How to fix Payfast not working
PayFast is a payment gateway for online businesses in South Africa. Merchants use it to take card and instant payments on their websites, and to manage payouts and withdrawals. Find your symptom below. Most problems come from a sign-in, a checkout or payment setting, a declined or delayed payment, or the platform itself. Never send card numbers, one-time codes or passwords in a support message. Check the payment's status before a customer pays again.
Jump to what you are seeing
- Payment Failed
- Login Failed
- Website Down
- API Down
- Checkout Error
- Dashboard Unavailable
- OTP Not Received
- Withdrawal Delayed
Payment Failed
A payment is declined, or it does not complete.
- Read the decline reason shown, which usually names the cause.
- Ask the customer to try another payment method or card.
- Check the payment status before the customer pays again, so they are not charged twice.
Login Failed
Sign-in is refused.
- If the password is refused, reset it through the official route and check spam.
- Check you are using the merchant account that owns the integration.
- Try a private window to rule out an old session.
Website Down
The PayFast website does not load for you.
- Open the page in a private window and on another network.
- Check status.payfast.co.za for an active incident.
- If only your network is affected, ask IT to check the firewall.
API Down
Calls to the PayFast API fail or return an error.
- Check the status code. An access error usually means the key is wrong, too many calls means you should slow down, and a server error means a service-side problem.
- Confirm the key is for the right environment, test or live.
- Retry with a growing delay, and check status.payfast.co.za if several calls fail together.
Checkout Error
The checkout page shows an error, or a customer cannot pay.
- Reload in a private window, and try another browser or device.
- Check the checkout is set up for the right amount and currency.
- Check status.payfast.co.za, and send the page address and the time to your developer.
OTP Not Received
A one-time code does not arrive by text or email.
- Check the phone number or email address on the account is correct.
- Wait a short time, then ask for a new code once.
- Check status.payfast.co.za, and contact support if the code still does not arrive.
Withdrawal Delayed
A payout or withdrawal has not arrived when expected.
- Check the withdrawal status and the bank details on the account.
- Allow for the bank's own processing time before you contact support.
- Check status.payfast.co.za, and report the withdrawal reference and the time.
Still not working?
Contact your organisation's PayFast administrator or your finance lead first, since they manage the account and its payouts. For a platform-wide problem, contact PayFast support through the help option in the dashboard or on the PayFast website. Have your merchant name, the payment or withdrawal reference, the exact error text, and the time with your time zone. Never send card numbers, one-time codes, bank passwords or API keys in a support message. Live incident updates are on status.payfast.co.za.
Most payment-gateway problems come from a declined card, a checkout setting or a payout that is still processing, and they usually clear once that is checked. The status page shows live incidents, so you can see whether the problem is on PayFast's side.
Frequently asked questions about Payfast
Is Payfast down right now?
No. Based on the latest status data on this page, Payfast (payfast.co.za) is up and running normally. The most recent incident, "Nedbank EFT problems resolved", was resolved (last update Oct 28, 2026).
What should I do if Payfast is not working for me?
First rule out your side: reload the page, try another browser or device, clear the cache and cookies for payfast.co.za, flush your DNS cache and turn off any VPN or proxy. Then compare with this page: if the status shows an incident, or many users reported problems in the last 48 hours, the issue is on the service's end and usually clears up without any action from you. The troubleshooting steps on this page go through each check in order.
What was the most recent Payfast incident?
The most recent incident on record is "Nedbank EFT problems resolved", last updated on Oct 28, 2026. It has been resolved.
How do I report a problem with Payfast?
Use the report buttons at the top of this page, or describe the problem in the user reports section. Every report is counted in the 48-hour trend chart and helps other people see whether the problem is widespread.
Where is the official Payfast status page?
The official status page for Payfast is status.payfast.co.za.
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