Opening your Paystack account
Paystack is how your store collects card payments, bank transfers and USSD — and the money settles straight into your own bank account. You only need to do this once. It's free to open; Paystack takes a small fee per successful transaction.
You don't need Paystack to launch. You can start taking orders with “pay on delivery / transfer” and add online payments later. But doing this now means you're ready from day one.
What you'll need before you start
- Your phone number and an email address you check.
- Your bank account details (the account where you want to be paid).
- A valid ID (NIN, driver's licence, voter's card or international passport).
- If your business is registered: your CAC number (optional — see below).
Step by step
2
Choose your business typeStarter Business (no CAC) works immediately but has transaction limits. Registered Business (with CAC) unlocks full limits and features. You can start as Starter and upgrade later.
3
Add your settlement bank accountUnder Settings → Preferences / Settlements, enter the bank account where payments should land. This is where your money goes — enter it carefully.
4
Complete verification (KYC)Provide your ID and business details when prompted. Verification is usually approved within a day.
5
Send us your API keysOnce approved, open Settings → API Keys & Webhooks. You'll see a Public Key (pk_live_…) and a Secret Key (sk_live_…). Send both to us — we plug them into your store so payments settle to you.
Keep your Secret Key private. Share it only with us, over a channel you trust — never post it publicly. If it's ever exposed, you can roll it in the Paystack dashboard and send us the new one.
After it's connected
We wire your keys in, add the payment webhook, and run one real ₦100 test order on card and transfer to confirm the money reaches your Paystack balance — then refund it. After that, you're live.
Questions on any step? Note them in the questionnaire under “anything else” and we'll walk you through it.