How to Accept SnapScan Payments in Your South African Restaurant

How to Accept SnapScan Payments in Your South African Restaurant

Accepting SnapScan payments in your restaurant takes less than a day to set up from scratch. You need a SnapScan merchant account, a way to display your QR code to customers, and ideally a POS integration so payments are recorded automatically. This guide walks through every step — from merchant registration to taking your first SnapScan payment through MangoPOS.

Step 1: Register as a SnapScan merchant

Go to snapscan.co.za and click "Sign up as a merchant." You will need your South African ID or passport, proof of business registration (or proof of trading for sole proprietors), your business bank account details for settlement, and a contact email and mobile number. SnapScan reviews new merchant applications and typically approves them within one to two business days. Once approved, you receive your unique merchant ID, QR code, and access to the SnapScan merchant portal.

Step 2: Set up your SnapScan merchant account

In your SnapScan merchant portal, configure your business name (this appears in the customer's SnapScan app when they pay), your settlement bank account, and your notification preferences (email or SMS per transaction). Also set your merchant category, which affects how payments are categorised on the customer's statement. Take note of your Merchant ID — you will need this when connecting SnapScan to MangoPOS.

Step 3: Connect SnapScan to MangoPOS

In MangoPOS, go to Settings > Payment Integrations > SnapScan. Enter your SnapScan Merchant ID and API key (available in your SnapScan merchant portal under API settings). MangoPOS will verify the connection and confirm that the integration is active. Once connected, MangoPOS will generate a dynamic QR code per transaction — pre-loaded with the exact bill amount — every time a SnapScan payment is selected.

Step 4: Choose how you display the QR code

MangoPOS gives you two main display options. Counter display: MangoPOS shows the QR code on-screen when a SnapScan payment is selected — the customer holds their phone up to the screen to scan. Receipt print: MangoPOS prints the QR code on the customer's receipt — the customer scans the printed QR code from their copy. For table service restaurants, the receipt print method is more elegant — waiters drop the bill with the SnapScan QR code, the customer scans at the table, and payment is confirmed in MangoPOS without the waiter needing to return.

Step 5: Process your first SnapScan payment

When a customer is ready to pay via SnapScan in MangoPOS: select the table or transaction, tap Pay, select SnapScan as the payment method, and confirm. MangoPOS generates a QR code with the exact bill amount. The customer opens the SnapScan app, scans the QR code, and approves the payment. MangoPOS receives the payment confirmation from SnapScan and closes the bill automatically. The payment appears in your shift report immediately.

What to do if a SnapScan payment fails

Common SnapScan payment failure reasons: the customer has insufficient funds in their linked account, the customer's SnapScan app is outdated (ask them to update it), or your internet connection dropped during the payment. In all cases, the payment will show as failed in both the SnapScan app and MangoPOS — the bill remains open. Offer an alternative payment method (cash or Yoco card). SnapScan payments do not partially process — either the full amount is confirmed or nothing is charged.

SnapScan at cashup: what it looks like in MangoPOS

At end of shift, your MangoPOS cashup report shows a SnapScan line item with the total amount received via SnapScan during the shift. This total should match the amount shown in your SnapScan merchant portal for the same date. Because MangoPOS records every SnapScan payment in real time (no manual entry), the totals should agree exactly. If there is a discrepancy, the MangoPOS transaction log lets you trace every individual SnapScan payment to identify the cause.