💳 Payments & Invoicing
Learn how to configure payment methods, make payments, manage payment terms, download invoices, and handle refunds on the Africa Conglomerate platform.
- Verified account and, for B2B, an approved company
- For sellers: banking details ready for payouts
- B2C buyers: at least one saved payment method — checkout is not reachable without one
Part 1 — Configure Payment Methods
There are two different "Payment Methods" pages. Sellers configure the gateways they accept; buyers save the methods they pay with.
Open the Right Payment Settings Page
- Sellers (B2B accounts) — side nav (hamburger menu on mobile) → Finance → Payment Methods. This is where a seller on a subscription plan enables and configures Stripe, PayPal, MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, M-Pesa or Bank Transfer with its own credentials. Sellers on a commission plan do not configure gateways — the platform collects payment for them — and are redirected to the Billing overview instead.
-
Buyers (B2C accounts and B2B buyers) —
Payments → Payment Methods (
/payments/saved/), titled My Payment Methods. B2C buyers must have at least one saved method here before the checkout page will open; without one, checkout redirects to this page with the message "You need to add a payment method to your account before checking out."
Add a Saved Payment Method (Buyers)
Click Add Method and choose one of:
- Mobile Money — MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, Vodafone Cash or M-Pesa (phone number)
- Credit / Debit Card — Visa, Mastercard, saved securely via Stripe
- Bank Account — a reference (bank, account holder, last 4 digits) shown to you at checkout; no automated debit is ever made
Net terms (pay on invoice) is not something you add here — it is granted to your company. See Part 3.
Enter Details, Set a Default, Manage Methods
Fill in the fields for your chosen method and click Save Number, Save Card Securely or Save Account. Tick Set as my default payment method to have it pre-selected at checkout (your first saved method becomes the default automatically). Use Set Default, the pencil icon (edit) or the trash icon (delete) on any saved method. A deleted method disappears immediately and is no longer offered at checkout — even if you press the browser Back button.
Part 2 — Make a Payment
Payment happens as part of checkout. There is no separate "pay later" list for B2C orders — once you click Place Order you are taken straight to the payment step for the method you chose.
Choose a Payment Method at Checkout
On the checkout page (/checkout/) the Payment Method
card lists what the seller accepts. Which methods appear depends on the
seller's plan:
- Commission-plan sellers — platform-collected methods: Credit/Debit Card (Stripe), PayPal, and for sellers in African countries paid out via Flutterwave, Flutterwave Credit/Debit Card and Mobile Money (MTN, Airtel or M-Pesa).
- Subscription-plan sellers — the seller's own configured methods. B2B-type sellers additionally offer Cash on Delivery and Invoice / Bank Transfer once at least one method is configured.
Your saved default method is pre-selected and marked "Your saved default". For mobile money, enter (or pick a saved) phone number in Mobile Money Phone Number; tick "save" to keep it for next time. If the seller has configured nothing, a red notice says the seller has not configured any payment methods yet and the order cannot be placed.
Place the Order & Complete Payment
Click Place Order. Your order is created immediately and you continue to the payment step:
- Card — enter the card on the payment page and click Pay <amount>. A declined card shows "Card declined: …" and lets you try another card.
- PayPal — you are redirected to PayPal to approve, then returned to the platform.
- Mobile money — a prompt (STK push) is sent to your phone; enter your PIN to approve. Your order is confirmed automatically once the provider calls back.
- Cash on Delivery — no payment step; you go straight to the confirmation page.
Confirmation & Records
On success you see the order confirmation page and the order status becomes Awaiting Dispatch. You receive an Order #N confirmed notification (also emailed) and the seller receives New Order #N. Your payment records are listed under Payments → Payment History.
Part 3 — Net Terms (B2B Invoice Payments)
B2B companies with approved credit can purchase on Net Terms — receiving goods now and paying the invoice within an agreed period (e.g. Net 30). Net terms is always granted; a buyer cannot select it at checkout.
How Net Terms Is Granted
There are two independent layers:
- Platform grant — set by platform staff on your company's billing profile. It applies to purchases from every seller. Contact platform support to apply.
-
Seller grant — a seller on a subscription plan can
extend net terms to your company for its own goods under
Finance → Customer Credit Terms (
/payments/credit-terms/): select the buyer, set net days and a credit limit, click Grant Net Terms. Commission-plan sellers do not have this link — the platform collects for them and bears the credit risk, so a seller grant is only honoured when the seller is on a subscription plan.
As a buyer you can see your terms read-only on Company Profile in the Payment Terms card (platform grant) and the Seller Credit Terms card (per-seller grants). Make sure the Net Terms (days) field on your Company Profile is greater than zero — it is used for the invoice due date and by the submit-for-approval check.
How B2B Orders Are Paid
B2B checkout creates a Draft order; nothing is charged at checkout. Prepaid companies (no net terms) must have a saved payment method before checkout and before Submit for Approval — otherwise you are asked to add one. Companies on net terms can proceed with no saved method.
After the approver approves the order:
- Net terms — an invoice is generated with the due date and the order moves straight to Awaiting Dispatch; nothing is charged.
- Prepaid — your default saved method is charged. Cards settle immediately (Awaiting Dispatch); mobile money shows Invoiced until the provider confirms.
- Charge failed — the order shows Payment Failed; open it and use Retry Payment to pick another saved method.
Where the seller-acceptance step is enabled, a net-terms order from a subscription seller first shows Awaiting Seller Acceptance and is invoiced once the seller accepts.
Part 4 — View & Download Invoices
Open the Invoice List
Go to Finance → Invoices (/invoices/). Invoices
are created automatically when a B2B order is approved and are listed with
their status: Draft, Sent, Paid, or Overdue. You are notified in-app
("Invoice Created - <number>") when one is generated.
Download an Invoice PDF
Click an invoice to open its detail view. Click Download PDF to save the invoice to your device. The PDF lists the line items, tax breakdown, totals and due date. Sellers can also email it from the detail page.
Part 5 — Refunds
Ask for a Refund
Refunds are issued by the seller (or platform support) against the original payment — there is no self-service refund button on the order. Open Orders → [Order Number] and use the order's conversation thread to request a refund, stating the items and reason. The seller then processes the refund from their side.
Track Refund Status
Track refunds under Payments → My Refunds
(/payments/refunds/). Approved refunds are returned to your
original payment method within 3–10 business days depending on the payment
provider; mobile money refunds are processed manually by the seller.
Part 6 — How Sellers Get Paid (Payout Setup)
If you sell on a commission plan, the platform collects the buyer's payment and pays you automatically, keeping only the agreed commission. Which payout rail you use depends on your company's country — set in your Company Profile:
- Stripe Connect — for sellers in Stripe-supported countries (e.g. US, UK, EU/EEA, Canada, Australia and others). You complete Stripe Express onboarding once.
- Flutterwave — for sellers in supported African countries that Stripe Connect can't onboard. You complete a short Flutterwave payout setup (bank account or mobile money).
Set Your Company Country
Go to Company Profile and make sure your country is set correctly. This is what decides whether you're paid via Stripe Connect or Flutterwave — the platform never assumes a country for you.
Complete Payout Onboarding
Open Billing → My Plan (the billing overview) and click the Set up Stripe Connect / Set up Flutterwave prompt in the payouts panel. You'll be taken to the right flow automatically:
- Stripe countries — you're redirected to Stripe's secure onboarding to add your bank details and identity. Once Stripe confirms, payouts are active.
- Flutterwave countries — choose Bank account (bank code + account number) or Mobile money (network + number), add a contact number, and submit. A payout sub-account is created for you and your sales are split to it automatically.