Everything Ecommerce

Well, almost. Ukash is a new voucher based payment system that allows users to pay cash for a Ukash voucher at a shop in their area (there’s a nifty Google map on their website that helps you find participating shops, kiosks, post offices and petrol stations near you).

It’s pretty much like buying airtime at Pick ‘n Pay and then uploading it to your phone at home: users use the 19-digit Ukash number on their vouchers to buy stuff or pay for services online.

It’s a great system for online shoppers who don’t have access to credit cards or online banking: think minors and socially disadvantaged, here. It’s also for those who have safety issues with disclosing their banking details online.

Merchants will appreciate it because it eliminates payment fraud – and no charge backs are possible! It’s also a hassle free way of accepting funds from overseas, as Ukash vouchers are for sale throughout Europe and can be used by Europeans to buy from South African online stores.

Currently, Ukash is only available for use by bidorbuy merchants or merchants making use of PayFast’s payment gateway services. The charges are also quite high, at 7% of every item’s sale price (excl. VAT).

It does appear however, from the Ukash website, that MWEB’s Safeshop will also be offering it as a payment method soon.

Could Ukash be the solution to South African online shopping’s crowd sourcing frustrations?