Pay with USSD Ghana

Customers often prefer various ways to pay, and now in Ghana, you can offer them the convenience of offline payments via USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data). This means your customers can pay you directly from their mobile phones, even without an internet connection!

Paystack offers two powerful ways for Ghanaian businesses to accept payments via USSD:

1. Pay with USSD via Virtual Terminal: A quick and easy, no-code option.

2. Custom USSD Codes: For businesses needing advanced integration and customized payment flows.

Let's explore how each option works and which might be best for your business.

This is the simplest and quickest way to start accepting USSD payments without any code. It's perfect for face-to-face transactions, pop-up shops, or anytime you need a shareable offline payment option. Creating a Virtual Terminal from your dashboard automatically gives you a dedicated USSD code, alongside a QR code, which gives your customers more payment options.

1. Create Your Virtual Terminal: From your Paystack Dashboard, navigate to the Virtual Terminal section and create a new terminal. Please see this guide for more information about virtual terminals.

2. Get Your Poster: Once created, a unique poster will be generated for your Virtual Terminal. This poster clearly displays your dedicated USSD code.

3. Share with Customers: Print the poster for your physical locations or simply share the USSD code directly with your customers.

4. Customer Pays: Your customer dials the USSD code on their mobile phone, follows the simple prompts to enter the amount and other details, and completes their payment. It's that easy!

• Businesses with physical locations (stores, restaurants, kiosks)

• Delivery services and field agents

• Anyone needing a quick, shareable, and no-code offline payment method.

• Setting up a Virtual Terminal is free.

• Transaction Fee: A standard 1.95% is charged per successful USSD transaction via the Virtual Terminal.

For businesses with specific needs, large transaction volumes, or those who want to integrate USSD payments directly into their existing systems, our Custom USSD Codes offer maximum flexibility and control. This option allows you to generate and manage your own unique USSD codes (e.g., shorter, more memorable codes) and design bespoke interactive USSD menus for your customers.

This feature requires some technical integration. You will set up a USSD URL that acts as the backend for your USSD menu. This URL interacts with Paystack to:

• Collect necessary information from your customers, e.g., amount, product or service choice, additional info, etc.

• Initiate payment charges.

• Provide real-time feedback and conclude the payment session.

You can generate multiple custom USSD codes (both short and long) and tailor the customer's payment journey to your specific business logic.

• Businesses requiring deep integration with their existing systems.

• Merchants needing highly customized or interactive payment flows via USSD.

• High-volume businesses or those focused on brand memorability with very short codes.

Custom USSD codes are currently available on request and undergo a review and approval process to ensure they meet your business needs.

To express your interest and get started, please fill this form. You will then receive an email with all the necessary information and access to our dedicated developer documentation for integration.

Like the Virtual Terminal, setting up custom USSD codes via Paystack is free. However, there’s a monthly maintenance fee for the code extension—this depends on the type of extension as shown below. There’s also a per-session fee of GHS 0.05, in addition to the standard Paystack transaction fee of 1.95%.

• Custom Extensions (Optional): If you wish to request specific, branded, or unique extension numbers beyond the standard options, please contact us for bespoke pricing. This pricing will depend on availability, desirability, and the effort required for telco-level configuration.

• Standard Transaction Fee Applies: In addition to the monthly and session fees for custom codes, the standard 1.95% transaction fee is charged per successful payment.

• Session Fee Note: The GHS 0.05 session fee is charged every time a customer interacts with your custom USSD code, irrespective of whether a transaction is successfully completed or not.

Paystack's USSD service is built on a robust and secure infrastructure, ensuring reliability and high availability.

However, if you have any questions about getting started, integrating, or managing your USSD payments, our support team is always here to help. Reach out to us through your dashboard or email us suport@paystack.com.