Business guide
3 Best Card Machines for Churches and NGOs in SA (2026)
Giving once a week, volunteers on the machine and a board to report to. The card machine that signs up your organisation and costs nothing in a quiet month.
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.
Times are changing, and more of the people who come to church or to your events don't carry cash any more. Many would be glad to see a card machine at the door, so they can still give when the offering comes round or a fundraiser opens its table. It's a useful tool for a church or NGO, but you won't use it the way a shop does.
You don't sell anything. You receive gifts, often on one day a week or at a few events a year, through volunteers, for a board or committee that has to account for every rand. So how your people give decides the machine, and the fee on each gift comes after that.
This guide is for church treasurers and pastors, NPO and NGO coordinators, and anyone running a school or community fundraiser. I've only included Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint, because each one sets out how an organisation signs up, works whatever bank you're with, and runs on its own SIM in a hall or a tent with no Wi-Fi.
What a church or NGO needs from a card machine
That's where these four needs come from, most important first, and I've checked each machine against them.
Signs up the organisation, not the treasurer
A sign-up for a church, NPO, NPC or trust, paying into a bank account in the organisation's name.
Gifts in one person's account leave the board trusting that person instead of its own bank statementCosts nothing in a month with no giving
No rental, monthly fee or SIM charge in the weeks the machine sits in a drawer.
A lot of giving comes on one day a week or at a few events, and a monthly charge is due either wayThe giver chooses the amount, at the service and from home
Any amount keyed in at the door, and a link or QR code people can use to give from home.
A gift isn't a price on a list, and not everyone who gives is at the serviceVolunteers take the gifts, and the board can check them
A login for each volunteer that can't refund other gifts or change the bank details, and a report by date and volunteer you can download.
The count after the service has to match what the machine says, with a name against each giftHow the three measure up
At the service all three work the same way. The volunteer keys in the amount the giver names, and the giver taps. They differ in everything around that.
| Requirement | Yoco Khumo 2, R699 | iKhokha iK Flyer Lite, R699 | WAPPoint SquarePOS RX, R189 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signs up the organisation, not the treasurer | NPOs, NPCs and trusts, paid into the organisation's account | Its own sign-up for churches, schools, stokvels and clubs | Its contract forms list NPO and Trust; the online form doesn't ask |
| Costs nothing in a month with no giving | R0 a month on Yoco's Core plan, data included | R75 a month for SIM data, R0 on Wi-Fi | R239 a month below R15 000 on card |
| The giver chooses the amount, at the service and from home | A payment page Yoco suggests for donations; it doesn't say the giver types the amount | A donation link and QR code; the giver decides how much | A payment page at R49 a month; who sets the amount isn't stated |
| Volunteers take the gifts, and the board can check them | A PIN per volunteer; gifts by date and volunteer, as Excel or CSV | A staff ID typed at each gift, which can be skipped; an emailed cash-up | Its pages disagree on extra cashiers; transactions and statements on a portal |
← scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen →
For most organisations the second and fourth needs decide it. The Khumo 2 clears both in full, and iKhokha wins on giving from home.
Adumo isn't in the table, because its website doesn't mention churches or non-profits and its prices come in a quote. A large NGO, or a school with several sites, can ask Adumo for one.
Don't sign up in the treasurer's own name
Signing up as a sole trader is quicker, and Yoco and iKhokha both take sole traders. But then the organisation's gifts land in one person's bank account, and the board has to take that person's word for the total. Sign up as the organisation, with the account in its name, even though it takes a resolution and a few more documents.
Yoco, for most churches and NGOs
Yoco's sign-up lists non-profit organisations, non-profit companies and trusts, and its help centre names churches, schools and sports clubs as NPOs. The Khumo 2 is R699, and Yoco takes a generous R100 off if you use the discount link in this article. On Yoco CoreYoco's standard plan, and the one almost every small business is on. It costs R0 a month, charges 2.30% excluding VAT per local card sale, and includes unlimited mobile data on the machine's multi-network SIM at no extra cost. Instant Payout costs a flat R17.25 for a payout under R1 000 and 1.5% above that on Core, for up to R10 000, once a day.On a R250 gift by cardCore's fee on a R250 card gift is R5.75 plus VAT, and there's no monthly charge on top.Core is Yoco's free plan, and the one most churches and NGOs need. There's no monthly fee, the machine's app is included, and the fee is 2.30% excluding VAT on local cards. Plus (R249 a month) and Pro (R499) add tools, such as more than one site.See every term in the glossary there's no monthly fee, and data's included.
Yoco asks for your constitution or founding documents, and minutes or its resolution template naming the chairperson, secretary and treasurer, signed by all members. It also asks for the NPO certificate if you're registered with Social Development, and a bank letter in the organisation's name.
Those three then confirm their ID with a selfie, and Yoco reviews it all in about two business days. A non-profit company also gives its CIPC registration number, and a trust sends its Letter of Authority and trust deed.
Each volunteer gets their own PIN, and on Yoco's Staff Member profile can take gifts and reverse only their own last one. Other refunds need a manager, and only an administrator can change the bank details. Once cash is switched on, the treasurer can download Sunday's gifts by volunteer and payment type, as Excel or CSV.
Yoco keeps 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.On a R100 gift by cardYoco's 2.30% is R2.30, and with 15% VAT on top R2.65 comes off the gift, so R97.35 reaches the organisation's account. That's Yoco's own example, and iKhokha and WAPPoint quote their fees the same way.Card machine fees in South Africa are quoted before VAT, and what actually comes off each payment is the fee plus 15%. If your organisation is VAT-registered you claim that VAT back. If not, add 15% to every fee in this guide.See every term in the glossary of each gift. Its Weekly Payout is free and puts the week's gifts in the account by 8am on the day you pick. Pick Monday, and the treasurer has one sum to match to Sunday's count.
For giving from home, Yoco suggests its online payment page to NPOs for donations. You can fill an amount into the link, but Yoco doesn't say whether the giver can type their own, so try it from your phone before it goes in the newsletter.
Yoco Khumo 2
Signs up an NPO, NPC or trust, gives each volunteer a PIN, and lets the treasurer download every gift by date and volunteer. 2.30% a gift and R0 a month on Yoco's Core plan.
My quick review of the Khumo 2, for a church or NGO
For most churches and NGOs this is where I'd start. It's R699 once and nothing monthly on Yoco's free Core plan, with data included, so it costs nothing in the weeks it sits in a drawer. Each volunteer gets their own PIN, and the treasurer can download every gift by date and volunteer. It doesn't print, so a giver's slip goes by SMS or email. The full Khumo 2 review goes through it in detail.
Where it stands out
- Signs up an NPO, NPC or trust, paid into the organisation's own account
- Nothing to pay in a month with no card giving
- A PIN for each volunteer, and a download of every gift
- Up to 18 hours on a charge, for a long fete or conference
Buy it if
- Your giving happens at a service, or at a few events a year
- The board wants the count matched to a report
Skip it if
- People at your events want a printed slip: the Khumo Print 2 prints
- Most giving comes from home: iKhokha's donation link lets the giver choose the amount
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, and a donation link where the giver chooses how much, but its fee is 2.75% against Yoco's 2.30%, and data costs R75 a month where Yoco's is included.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe plans
You pay for the Khumo 2 once: R699, or R599 with the generous R100 off Yoco gives through the links in this article. Core costs nothing a month, and it's the plan most churches and NGOs need. Yoco's paid plans, from R249 a month, add tools such as more than one site.
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.
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.
Buy it if your giving happens at one service a week and the board wants the count matched to a report. The Khumo 2 doesn't print, so a giver who wants a slip gets it by SMS or email, and a machine that prints is below.
If your organisation issues section 18A receipts, SARS says on a page last updated in December 2024 that only an organisation it has approved may issue them, with its SARS reference number on each one, and it says nothing about card slips. A note on each Yoco gift, such as the giver's name, helps whoever writes the receipts.
So where does iKhokha fit in?
iKhokha is the better fit when much of your giving happens away from the service. Its iK Donations Payment linkA web link you send by WhatsApp, SMS or email. Whoever opens it pays by card on their phone, and the money reaches you the way a card machine payment does. Yoco and iKhokha both include payment links at no monthly cost; you pay a fee on each payment, which can differ from the card machine's (iKhokha's online rate is 2.85% excluding VAT, checked 21 October 2026).A pledge at the school feteA parent pledges R350 to the trip fund at the fete but has no card on them. You send a R350 link by WhatsApp, they pay it that evening, and it lands in the school's account with the rest of the day's card money.A web link you send by WhatsApp, SMS or email, or print as a QR code. The giver opens it and pays by card on their phone, with no card machine needed, and the money is paid out to the account the link belongs to. Most links are for one amount you set; iKhokha's donation link lets each giver choose.See every term in the glossary is the only one of the three whose maker says the giver decides how much. You can print its QR code for the noticeboard or the bulletin, and let givers leave a message with their gift.
iKhokha's donation page doesn't give a fee of its own. If it's charged like its other Pay Links, at 2.85%, each gift from home costs a little less than on Yoco's payment page, so check the first one on your iK Dashboard statement.
Its sign-up has a type for a school, church, stokvel or club. One of the members sets up the profile and emails iKhokha the constitution or founding document, with a resolution signed by all the members if whoever does it isn't one.
An NPO registered with Social Development, or an NGO, signs up as an Other Legal Entity, with its NPO certificate, and a trust sends its trust deed and its trustees' IDs. The payout account must be in the organisation's name.
The iK Flyer Lite is also R699, and iKhokha gives 10% off if you use the discount link in this article. It costs a little more to keep, though. iKhokha keeps 2.75% of each gift, data is R75 a month unless the hall has Wi-Fi, and each payout is R2.50.
If the organisation banks with FNB or Absa, Sunday's gifts reflect on Monday. Volunteers type a staff ID at each gift, which they can skip, and the day's total can be emailed to the treasurer.
iKhokha iK Flyer Lite
A sign-up type for a church, school or club, and a donation link with a QR code where each giver decides how much. 2.75% a gift.
My quick review of the iK Flyer Lite, for giving from home
If much of your giving happens away from the service, this is the one to look at. It's the same R699 as the Khumo 2, and it comes with iKhokha's donation link, where each giver chooses how much, by a link on WhatsApp or a QR code on the noticeboard. It costs a little more to keep: 2.75% excluding VAT a gift, and R75 a month for data unless your hall has Wi-Fi. The iKhokha review covers it in full.
Where it stands out
- A donation link and QR code where the giver chooses the amount
- Givers can leave a message with their gift
- A sign-up type for a church, school, stokvel or club
- Two SIM cards, and Wi-Fi in the hall
Buy it if
- Many of your members give from home, or from another town
- Your hall or office has Wi-Fi, so you skip the R75
Skip it if
- Most giving happens at the service: the Khumo 2 costs nothing in a quiet month
- Someone at the door still gives by the card's stripe: it takes tap and chip only
If you skip it, the best alternative
The same R699, with a lower fee on each gift (2.30% against 2.75%) and data included, so it costs nothing in a quiet month.
Read our full Khumo 2 reviewPrices from ikhokha.com on 21 Oct 2026; the struck price is iKhokha's own.
Get it if your members give from home as much as at the door, or the hall has Wi-Fi, so you skip the R75. If neither's true, the Khumo 2 costs less every month.
If you'd like to hand out a printed slip
Most givers are happy with a slip by SMS or email. But at a fundraiser dinner, a raffle or a bazaar, some people like paper in hand, and a printed slip helps whoever writes up the donations later. It isn't a section 18A receipt, though.
Yoco's Khumo Print 2 is the Khumo 2 with a printer and a bigger screen, at R1 399, on the same free Core plan. If you've gone with iKhokha, its iK Flyer prints too, at R1 499.
Yoco Khumo Print 2
The Khumo 2 with a printer and a bigger screen, on the same free Core plan. 2.30% a gift and R0 a month.
My quick review of the Khumo Print 2, for fundraisers and events
If people at your events like to leave with paper in hand, this is the one. It's the Khumo 2 with a printer and a bigger screen, for R1 399 once, and it costs nothing monthly on Yoco's free Core plan, at the same 2.30% excluding VAT a gift. It prints a slip for each gift, so a raffle, a fundraiser dinner or a bazaar doesn't need a separate printer.
Where it stands out
- Prints a slip for every gift
- A bigger screen than the Khumo 2
- Data included, and Wi-Fi
- Nothing to pay in the months between events
Buy it if
- You run fundraisers, bazaars or dinners where people like a slip
- Whoever writes up the donations wants paper to work from
Skip it if
- A slip by SMS or email is fine: the Khumo 2 does the rest for R700 less
- You need a tax receipt: a card slip isn't a section 18A receipt
If you skip it, the best alternative
It prints too, and comes with iKhokha's donation link, but it costs R100 more and its fee is 2.75% against 2.30%.
Read our full iKhokha reviewThe plans
You pay for the Khumo Print 2 once: R1 399, or R1 299 with the generous R100 off Yoco gives through the links in this article. Core costs nothing a month, and it's the plan most churches and NGOs need. Yoco's paid plans, from R249 a month, add tools such as more than one site.
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
The plan to start on, and the one most people stay on.
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.
iKhokha iK Flyer
A built-in printer and a touchscreen, with the same donation link as the iK Flyer Lite. 2.75% a gift.
My quick review of the iK Flyer, if you've gone with iKhokha
If your organisation has gone with iKhokha and wants printed slips, this is its machine that prints. It's R1 499 once, with a touchscreen and a printer, and it takes tap, chip and the card's stripe. It costs a little more to keep than a Khumo Print 2: 2.75% excluding VAT a gift, R75 a month for data unless you're on Wi-Fi, and R2.50 a payout. The iKhokha review covers it in full.
Where it stands out
- Prints a slip for every gift
- Takes tap, chip and the card's stripe
- iKhokha's donation link, where the giver chooses the amount
- Two SIM cards, and Wi-Fi
Buy it if
- You've chosen iKhokha and want printed slips at events
- Much of your giving also comes from home, through the donation link
Skip it if
- A slip by SMS or email is fine: the iK Flyer Lite costs R800 less
- Giving is mostly at the service: the Khumo Print 2 costs less to keep
If you skip it, the best alternative
R100 less to buy (R1 399 against R1 499), with a lower fee on each gift and data included.
Read our full Yoco reviewPrices from ikhokha.com on 21 Oct 2026.
WAPPoint, if you'd rather rent
WAPPoint rents its SquarePOS RX for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up, all excluding VAT. In any month above R15 000 on card the R189 falls away. Below that line you pay R239 every month, whether anyone gives by card or not.
Its online form doesn't ask what kind of organisation you are, but WAPPoint's help page lists NPO or trust certification among the documents, and its contract forms list NPO and Trust. It pays in one to two business days, and its payment page for giving from home is R49 a month.
You can also buy it, which ends the rental. Our WAPPoint review weighs renting against owning.
WAPPoint SquarePOS RX
Its own SIM in the rental, any bank, and no rental in any month above R15 000 on card. 2.75% a gift.
My quick review of the SquarePOS RX, for an organisation that would rather rent
If the organisation can't put R699 down right now, this is the way to start without it. WAPPoint rents it for R189 a month plus R50 insurance, after R200 to set up, all excluding VAT, and the R189 falls away in any month above R15 000 on card. In quieter months you pay R239 whether anyone gives by card or not, so it suits an organisation whose card giving is large and steady. The WAPPoint review explains the threshold in full.
Where it stands out
- R200 to start
- No rental in any month above R15 000 on card
- Its own SIM, for a hall or tent with no Wi-Fi
- An all-day battery
Buy it if
- You can't pay for a machine upfront this month
- More than R15 000 a month comes in by card
Skip it if
- Card giving is small, or only at events: you'd pay R239 in the quiet months
- You'd rather own a machine from day one
If you skip it, the best alternative
R699 once, then nothing a month on Yoco's free Core plan, and a lower fee on each gift (2.30% against 2.75%).
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 21 Oct 2026; machine prices exclude VAT.
Rent it if your organisation can't put R699 down this month and expects more than R15 000 a month in card gifts. Below that, a year of renting costs more than four times what a Khumo 2 costs once.
What each one costs to keep, when it's only used on Sundays and at events
A church or NGO uses its machine once a week, or only at events, so the cost that matters most is what it charges in the weeks it sits in a drawer. After that, it's how much of each gift reaches your account.
Each machine side by side, with VAT added where it comes out of the gift:
What each one costs to keep
| Khumo 2 | iK Flyer Lite | SquarePOS RX, rented | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To get it | R699 once | R699 once | R200 to set up, then rent |
| A month nobody gives by card | Nothing | R75 for data, nothing on Wi-Fi | R274.85 |
| What reaches you from a R100 gift | R97.35 | R96.84 | R96.84 |
By our sums, on local cards. VAT is added because, unless your organisation claims it back, the VAT on a fee comes out of the gift too. iKhokha also charges R2.50 for each payout, and its pages don't say whether the R75 is still taken in a month with no payout. WAPPoint's R189 rental falls away in any month above R15 000 by card. Machine prices are before the discounts from Yoco and iKhokha through the links in this article.← scroll sideways on a narrow screen →
In the weeks nobody gives by card, the Khumo 2 costs nothing, the iK Flyer Lite R75 for data unless you're on Wi-Fi, and the rented SquarePOS RX R274.85.
For an organisation that takes gifts once a week or at events, the Khumo 2 costs the least to keep, and more of each gift reaches you.
For Sunday's gifts, speed matters less than one sum a week the treasurer can match to the count, which Yoco's free Weekly Payout gives you. The fastest-payout ranking and our payout times guide cover every option.
Capitec's machine charges 1.85%, less than any of the three, but it pays only into a Capitec account, so it isn't one of the picks here. Capitec vs Yoco compares the two.
If your organisation takes gifts differently
Not every organisation gives at one Sunday service. Find the line that sounds like yours.
Pick by how your organisation takes gifts
So which card machine should a church or NGO get?
The Yoco Khumo 2, for most churches and NGOs. It's in the organisation's name, it costs nothing in the weeks nobody gives by card, and the treasurer can match Sunday's gifts, volunteer by volunteer, to the count. Yoco gives a generous R100 off, and iKhokha 10% off its machines, if you use the discount links in this article.
Get the iKhokha iK Flyer Lite instead if much of your giving comes from home. Rent WAPPoint's SquarePOS RX only if you can't pay upfront and expect more than R15 000 a month by card. And if your members give by EFT and nobody asks to tap, you may not need a machine yet.
Churches, NPOs, schools and community organisations that take gifts once a week or at events, through volunteers, for a board that checks the count.
Yoco Khumo 2
R699once-off
R699 once-off, R0 a month on Yoco's free Core plan, data included, 2.30% excl. VAT per local card gift
Get the Khumo 2 for R100 less Price checked 14 Oct 2026Questions churches and NGOs ask about card machines
Choosing
What is the best card machine for a church in South Africa?
For most churches and NGOs, the Yoco Khumo 2 at R699.Yoco signs up non-profits and trusts in the organisation's name, there's no monthly fee on its free Core plan, and every volunteer gets a PIN. Where giving from home matters most, iKhokha's iK Flyer Lite comes with a donation link. Prices checked 21 October 2026.
Signing up
Can an unregistered church get a card machine?
Yes. Yoco says an NPO can be registered or unregistered, and asks an unregistered one for a resolution signed by all its members and a bank account in its name.iKhokha's sign-up type for a school, church, stokvel or club is for informal bodies, and asks for a constitution or founding document.
Who in our organisation can sign up?
At Yoco, a director, or the chairperson, treasurer or secretary of an NPO, or one of the trustees of a trust.iKhokha says one of the members or trustees should ideally set up the profile, and anyone else needs a resolution letter signed by all the members.
Tax receipts
Is a card slip a section 18A receipt?
SARS doesn't mention card slips at all.On a page last updated in December 2024, it says a section 18A receipt may only be issued by an organisation SARS has approved, from the date it confirms that approval, with the SARS reference number on the receipt. Check your organisation's status and the receipt rules with SARS directly.
Charity rates
Do card machine companies give churches a lower rate?
Not that they show.When I checked on 21 October 2026, Yoco, iKhokha and WAPPoint had no charity or non-profit rate on their pricing, help or FAQ pages, and Adumo's prices come in a quote. Plan on the listed fee, which on Yoco's Core plan is 2.30% excluding VAT.
