Paying on Piazam: what happens when you tap Pay, and what to do if it's slow

Paying is the last step of a Piazam order, and the one that makes people nervous, especially when Mobile Money takes its time. Here's what happens when you tap Pay, and what to do if it doesn't go the way you expected.

What you can pay with

Checkout shows what's accepted: Visa, Mastercard, MTN MoMo and Vodafone Cash.

What you're paying for today

Before you pay, the summary splits your order into a few lines:

• Subtotal: your items, with any discount code taken off.
• Shipping: free by sea, or the air price shown on each product. Here's how to choose.
• Estimated delivery fee: GHS 30 to 100, after arrival. "Nothing is charged today." It depends on your location and parcel size, and you pay the confirmed fee in My Orders before delivery.
• Pay today: the amount you're paying now.

The button shows that same amount: Pay GH₵…. If a price changes while you're on the page, you won't be charged the new amount without knowing. You'll see "Your order total changed", with the old and new totals, and you can check it and tap Pay again.

The payment window

A window called Complete payment opens over the page, so you stay on Piazam. In the Piazam app, the payment page opens full-screen instead. Enter your details there. With Mobile Money, you then approve the payment on your phone.

When it works

Piazam moves on by itself as soon as the payment is confirmed. You'll see your order with Payment verified, and get a text saying we've received your payment for your order number, with a link to track it.

Once a payment clears, the order can't be cancelled, so go through the checklist before you pay.

When Mobile Money is slow

An approval can take a minute or two. While it does, you may see Checking your payment…, with this note: "If you completed payment, it will be confirmed automatically. If you cancelled, use the button below to go back and try again."

• If you approved it, wait and don't pay again. The page checks every 30 seconds and moves on when the payment is confirmed.
• If you cancelled, tap Return to checkout. No order was made, and your cart is as you left it.

If nothing has been confirmed after about 3 minutes on that screen, the window closes and you're back at checkout. That doesn't mean the payment failed. It only means the page has stopped waiting.

If you closed the page or lost your network

An approved payment doesn't depend on your page staying open. We keep checking on our side for the next two hours, and every night we go back over unfinished payments from the past 48 hours. When one turns out to be paid, your order is created and the text goes out, even if you left long ago.

So before you try again, check your texts and My Orders. Closing the payment window and tapping Pay again on the same page reopens the same payment, not a new one.

If your discount code says it's on hold

A code is held while a payment that uses it is in progress, so you may see: "On hold for a payment you started. If you approved it, wait for the confirmation. If not, it frees up in a few minutes." A hold lasts up to 10 minutes.

If money left your wallet and there's no order

Check your texts and My Orders first. If there's still nothing after a few hours, email support@piazam.com or call the numbers on the contact page. Have the number you paid from and your network's payment message ready, so we can find it quickly.

Ready to order? Head to piazam.com.