Payment requests

Payment requests let you collect payments from customers without writing a single line of code. You create and send them directly from the Ozow Dashboard or Request Portal. Each one carries a link the customer opens to pay. Customers click the link, select their preferred payment method, and complete the payment; no integration required on your side.

Before you start#

• You need an active Ozow merchant account. If you don't have one, sign up at ozow.com/merchants
• Log in to your Ozow Dashboard at dash.ozow.com
• You need access to the Payment Requests section of the Dashboard. If you don't see it, contact support@ozow.com or your account manager

How to create a single payment request#

Step 1: Navigate to Payment Requests#

In the left-hand navigation menu of the Ozow Dashboard, scroll down to Payment Requests and click Create.

Step 2: Select single payment request#

Click Create to create a single payment request.

Step 3: Fill in the payment details#

Complete the following fields:

Site: select the Ozow site you want to associate this payment with. If you have multiple sites, make sure you select the correct one. The list of your sites can be found under the Sites tab in the Dashboard.

Customer name: enter the name of the customer you are sending the payment link to.

Amount: enter the amount you want to collect.

• Fixed amount: enter a specific amount. The customer will not be able to change it.
• Variable amount: if Ozow has enabled variable amounts on your account, you can leave the amount blank and set a minimum and maximum range instead. The customer will be able to enter their own amount within that range. Contact support@ozow.com to request variable amounts on your account.

Payment reference: enter a reference for your own reconciliation purposes, such as an invoice number.

Delivery method: select how you want to send the payment link to the customer:

Step 4: Create the request#

Click Create Request. On the confirmation screen you will see:

• The payment link, which you can copy directly from the screen if required
• Confirmation that the payment link has been sent via your chosen delivery method

Step 5: Track the payment#

Once the request has been sent, you can track its status:

• Navigate to Payment Requests → View Requests to see all payment requests you have created, their status, and a direct copy of the payment URL
• Navigate to Transactions → View Transactions to see completed, pending, or cancelled payments

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How to create bulk payment requests#

If you need to send payment requests to multiple customers at once, you can upload them in bulk using an Excel template.

Step 1: Download the template#

Navigate to Payment Requests → Create → Bulk Payment Request. Click to download the Excel template.

Step 2: Complete the template#

Open the downloaded template and complete the required fields:

Step 3: Upload the template#

Save the completed template and return to Payment Requests → Create → Bulk Payment Request. Upload your file.

• If there are errors, an error message will be returned and you will be able to see exactly which lines have errors
• Fix the errors and re-submit the corrected entries
• If there are no errors, the requests will be sent immediately

Step 4: View bulk request results#

Navigate to Payment Requests → View File Bulk Payment Requests to see the status of your bulk uploads.

If your upload returns Completed with errors, download the result file. You will see three additional columns:

• Payment link: populated if the payment link was sent successfully
• Errors: populated with the error reason if the line failed
• Sent UTC: the date and time the payment link was sent, if successful

Fix the lines with errors and resubmit them either as a new bulk upload or as individual single payment requests.

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Message templates#

You can customise the message that is sent to customers when a payment request is delivered via email, SMS, or WhatsApp.

Creating a message template#

Navigate to Payment Requests → Message Templates → Add Message Template.

Email and SMS templates

Select Email and SMS as the template type. Choose your site, then customise:

• Your SMS message text
• Your email subject line
• Your email message body

Follow the instructions provided in the template fields. Email and SMS templates are generally approved immediately.

WhatsApp templates

Select WhatsApp as the template type. The recommended template type is Message with text header. You can also select Message with image header and upload a JPG of your logo.

Important notes on templates:

• If you do not create a template, Ozow's default template will be used
• Only one template per delivery method is supported, the approved template becomes the default

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The Request Portal#

The Request Portal is a simplified dashboard designed for payment collection teams who do not need access to the full Ozow merchant Dashboard. It allows team members to create and send payment requests without seeing any merchant account information.

Key differences from the main Dashboard:

Getting access to the Request Portal

Contact support@ozow.com to request access for your team members. Ozow will add the relevant users and provide login credentials.

Creating a QR code via the Request Portal

1. Log in to the Request Portal
2. Create a payment request as normal
3. Leave the delivery method and recipient fields empty
4. Create the request, the QR code will be displayed immediately on the confirmation screen
5. Download and save the QR code

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Tracking payment request status#

Payment request statuses can be tracked in two places:

Payment Requests → View Requests: shows all individual payment requests created, including:

• Payment reference
• Customer name
• Amount
• Status (pending, complete, cancelled)
• Payment URL for easy copying
• Option to resend the link

Transactions → View Transactions: shows all transactions initiated from payment requests once a customer has clicked on a payment method.

Support#

For assistance with payment requests contact support@ozow.com or reach out to your account manager.