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SnapScan logoMoreta Pay

South Africa · Mobile wallet

Works with Moreta Pay

Pay SnapScan codes without a South African bank

Yes. Moreta Pay lets visitors pay SnapScan codes in South Africa without a South African bank account. Add money from the bank or card you already have, scan the SnapScan code at the counter and slide to pay in South African rand. The merchant is paid the same way as when a local scans it.

Cape Town in blue line art: Table Mountain above the city and bay, with a king protea in front

The network

What is SnapScan?

SnapScan is a South African QR payment app, powered by Standard Bank and managed by FireID Payments. Customers scan the merchant’s SnapCode at the counter and pay with a linked card.

Currency
South African rand (ZAR)
Type
Mobile wallet
Run by
Standard Bank
How locals pay
They open the SnapScan app and scan the code
With Moreta
Pay it from your Moreta balance
SnapScan logo

How to spot it

A SnapCode at the counter: a QR code, often on a small perspex or metal stand.

Can tourists pay SnapScan?

SnapScan takes some international cards, but only through its own app and only when the card has 3D Secure switched on, so it’s hit and miss for visitors.

Moreta closes that gap. It pays the SnapScan code itself, from a balance you top up with your own bank, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and converts at the live rate at the moment you pay. One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay.

Card or cash

  • A foreign transaction fee on most cards
  • Your bank's rate, or the terminal's worse one
  • ATM fees from your bank and the operator
  • Leftover South African rand to change back

Moreta

  • One flat fee, shown before you slide to pay
  • The live rate at the moment you pay
  • No ATM and no card to hand over
  • What you do not spend stays for the next country

How to pay a SnapScan code

Set Moreta up once, at home or on the plane. After that, paying a SnapScan code in South Africa is a scan and a slide.

  1. Identity verification screen asking you to capture your selfie, with a face inside a round frame, tips for good lighting, no glasses and no hats, and a Take photo button
    01

    Verify your identity

    Download Moreta, scan your passport and take a selfie. Verification usually takes a few minutes, and your account can move money as soon as it passes.

  2. 02

    Load funds to your Moreta Pay wallet

    Link a US bank through Plaid, or send a SEPA, Faster Payments, Interac or PayID transfer. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and USDC work too, and you can top up from the road.

    Payment methods

    Every way to top up, with live fees.

    Bank transfers

    MethodSpeed and currencyFee
    Bank account1-3 business daysUSD1 USD feeFree over 250 USD
    SEPA transferUsually instantEUR1.50 USD feeFree over 225 EUR
    Faster Payments transferUsually instantGBP1.50 USD feeFree over 200 GBP
    Interac e-TransferInstantCAD1.5% + 1 USD fee
    PayIDInstantAUD1.5% + 1 USD fee

    Instant methods

    MethodSpeed and currencyFee
    Apple PayInstant2.5% fee
    Google PayInstant2.5% fee
    CardInstant2.5% fee
    CryptoInstantFree

    Money added with crypto can't be spent in Thailand or China.

    Your first deposit is on us. Availability depends on your country, the payment method and the app version.

  3. 03

    Scan QR codes at local shops & restaurants

    Tap Scan and point your camera at the SnapScan code on the counter. Moreta reads it the way a South African bank app would.

    Supported payment networks

    Scan any merchant QR on these networks and Moreta pays it locally.

  4. 04

    Get seamless payments on the go

    Check the amount in South African rand, what it costs in your own currency and the fee, then slide to pay. The merchant sees the payment in their own app the moment it clears.

Costs, limits and tips

Paying in South Africa

Your currency
Transaction fee
1.5%per payment, at the live rateEvery fee
Exchange rate today
16.50ZARfor 1 USDLive rate, updated recentlyCompare rates
Max payment
52,500ZARabout 3,180 USD
Weekly limit
105,000ZARabout 6,360 USD

The app always shows the live rate and the exact cost before you pay.

Guide updated

Local tips

  • Look for the Zapper, SnapScan or Scan to Pay mark on the bill, the stand or the window.
  • Keep a little cash for car guards, township tours and rural markets.
  • Load shedding can knock out a merchant's signal. If a scan stalls, the app tells you before anything is charged.

SnapScan questions

What visitors ask before paying SnapScan in South Africa.

Showing 6 of 9 questions

Payment methods

Every way to top up, with live fees.

Bank transfers

MethodSpeed and currencyFee
Bank account1-3 business daysUSD1 USD feeFree over 250 USD
SEPA transferUsually instantEUR1.50 USD feeFree over 225 EUR
Faster Payments transferUsually instantGBP1.50 USD feeFree over 200 GBP
Interac e-TransferInstantCAD1.5% + 1 USD fee
PayIDInstantAUD1.5% + 1 USD fee

Instant methods

MethodSpeed and currencyFee
Apple PayInstant2.5% fee
Google PayInstant2.5% fee
CardInstant2.5% fee
CryptoInstantFree

Money added with crypto can't be spent in Thailand or China.

Your first deposit is on us. Availability depends on your country, the payment method and the app version.

Activate your Moreta Pay account before your trip

Set up Moreta, add money and land in South Africa ready to scan. No cash to change, no card to worry about, and one flat fee at the live rate on every payment.

Also works in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, South Korea, Mongolia, China, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Venezuela