Accept mobile money payments at your captive portal via Vodacom M-PESA

How it works

Vodacom M-PESA connects to Powerlynx via credentials from your Vodacom merchant account: a Service provider code, an API key and the Platform public key. Navigate to Config / Finance / Payment gateways / Vodacom M-PESA in Powerlynx, enter the values, and choose the Production or Sandbox environment. The gateway appears in the list only when one of the five supported countries is selected under Config / System / Localization.

Each market settles in its own currency, taken from the country setting: TZS in Tanzania, MZN in Mozambique, USD in DR Congo, LSL in Lesotho and GHS in Ghana. Mozambique runs on a different Vodacom platform, and Powerlynx adjusts the configuration form automatically based on the selected country.

Vodacom M-PESA can be set as the default account for all locations or linked to a single location, and is then enabled per location in the Payment Gateways tab.

What this integration provides

• Voucher purchase from an M-PESA wallet at the captive portal.
• Payment prompt pushed to the customer’s handset, with no separate payment website.
• Five markets: Tanzania, Mozambique, DR Congo, Lesotho and Ghana.
• Currency set automatically from the country: TZS, MZN, USD, LSL or GHS.
• Configuration form adjusted automatically for the Mozambique platform.
• Per-location account configuration, so different locations can collect into different merchant accounts.
• Payment confirmed by transaction status check with Vodacom, so a voucher is issued even if the customer closes the page.
• Production and Sandbox environments.

Credentials required

Service provider code (the merchant paybill or till number), API key and Platform public key from your Vodacom merchant account. Tanzania, DR Congo, Lesotho and Ghana credentials come from the M-PESA OpenAPI developer portal, and Mozambique credentials come from the Vodacom Mozambique developer portal.

Who uses this

Hotspot operators in Tanzania, Mozambique, DR Congo, Lesotho and Ghana who sell Wi-Fi vouchers and want customers to pay from their M-PESA wallet.

Requirements

• One of the five supported countries selected under Config / System / Localization.
• Vodacom M-PESA merchant account with a Service provider code, API key and Platform public key.
• Vodacom M-PESA enabled for the location in the Payment Gateways tab.
• Powerlynx domains added to the Walled Garden on the hotspot router.
• Configuration saved again after any later change of country under Localization.

How to connect Vodacom M-PESA to Powerlynx and accept payments from Wi-Fi hotspots — step-by-step guide.