Offering cash payment to your customers without handling cash yourself

To offer cash payment to your customers without handling cash yourself, send them a single-use ChariPay payment link: the customer chooses cash, receives a reference and pays it at an agency of the Chari network, and you are notified as soon as the network confirms the deposit. The technique fits in one sentence; success depends on how you explain it. This guide gives you the moments to offer it, ready-to-send messages and the follow-up to put in place.

Why have customers pay at an agency rather than collecting cash yourself

Collecting cash yourself means keeping a till: counting, giving change, securing the money, depositing it, explaining every gap. For a remote sale, it is worse: the money travels with the courier and only comes back at the end of the round, sometimes along with a refused parcel.

Having customers pay at an agency moves all of that out of your shop. The customer deposits the cash at an agency counter; on your side, what arrives is a record attached to a reference. For merchants who sell online, the Chari group's payment solution is ChariPay, a Moroccan payment platform, a PSP operated by Chari Money, a payment institution licensed by Bank Al-Maghrib. ChariPay is the only payment gateway in Morocco that also collects cash at agencies, and the amount deposited is available in your ChariPay payment account the instant the deposit is made.

The full merchant-side mechanics — journey, traceability, reconciliation — are described in ChariPay's guide to collect cash by reference. Here, we focus on what makes the difference day to day: how you offer it to your customers.

What you need to set up

A ChariPay account

Test mode opens as soon as your account is activated, with no approval to wait for: Start in test mode asks for three fields — name, work email, company —, then an activation link received by email lets you choose your password. Your business verification runs in parallel and only gates the move to production.

One single-use link per order

This is the rule to remember. Cash payment at an agency always relies on a single-use link — one reference per deposit. A checkout session created through the API only takes cards; a reusable link, a poster or a counter QR code does not take cash either. For an order to be paid in cash, you therefore create a dedicated link from your portal or through the API. The options are detailed on ChariPay's page to create payment links.

A suitable expiry

A link can expire after 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, on an exact date, or never. For a payment at an agency, set an expiry: a customer who comes back three weeks later should find an expired link and a reminder, not a ghost order. Choose a duration that gives the customer time to stop by an agency without tying up your stock indefinitely.

An "awaiting payment" status

Between sending the link and the deposit, hours or days can go by: the customer chooses when to go to the agency. Your order tracking must accept this waiting state, and you do not prepare the order before the "Paid" status.

When to offer cash

Payment at an agency does not have to replace cards: it is for the customers cards do not serve.

• The customer has no card, or does not want to use it online. Many Moroccan cards are, by default, closed to online payments: offering cash keeps you from losing the sale at the last moment.
• You want to move away from cash on delivery. Rather than having couriers carry cash, have the order paid at an agency before shipping.
• A deposit or a booking. A deposit paid at an agency against a reference is dated and attached to the right order, with no cash at your counter.
• Payments on a schedule. Membership fees, school fees, invoiced services: one single-use link per due date, payable in cash.

How to explain it: ready-to-send messages

Your customers have not necessarily paid a reference at an agency before. A clear message, sent at the right time, does half the work. Here are three templates to adapt to your tone.

When the order is placed

Hello, thank you for your order. To pay in cash, open this link: [link]. Choose "cash": the page gives you a reference and tells you where to pay it, at an agency of the Chari network. Present the reference at the counter with the amount shown. As soon as your deposit is confirmed, we will prepare your order.

As a reminder, before the expiry

Hello, your order is still awaiting payment. The link remains valid until [date]. If you lost the reference, simply reopen the link: [link]. Any questions? Just reply to this message.

On confirmation

Hello, we have received your payment. Your order is being prepared. Thank you for your trust.

Three tips to make these messages work. Send the link in the conversation where the customer ordered, so they recognize the sender. Never ask a customer to pay a reference you dictate over the phone: the link must remain the only source. And share our guide to paying a payment reference at an agency with customers who are new to the journey.

Seen from the counter: what your customer goes through

Understanding the visit to the agency helps you answer questions. Your customer arrives with the reference and the amount; they need no card, no account and no app. They give the reference, hand over the money, go over the transaction at the counter, and leave. For them, the effort is that of paying a bill.

The questions that come up are therefore simple: "where do I pay?" — the payment page tells them; "how long do I have?" — until the link's expiry; "how will you know I paid?" — you are notified as soon as the network confirms the deposit. A customer who gets these three answers when ordering pays with more peace of mind.

Tracking payments and sending reminders

As soon as the network confirms the deposit, the link turns "Paid" and you are notified in the portal; on the server side, the link's state can be read through the API. That status triggers order preparation, and the confirmation message reassures the customer.

The amount deposited may differ from the reference amount: the difference must be visible on your side, and it is worth checking before shipping. For links still waiting, a reminder before the expiry tells the customer they still need to stop by an agency. If a customer changes their mind or the order changes, cancel the link: a canceled link can no longer be paid, and you send a new one if needed.

Mistakes to avoid

• Printing a poster or a QR code for cash. The poster takes card payments; cash goes through a single-use link, one reference per deposit.
• Leaving a link with no expiry for a cash sale: the order stays open indefinitely.
• Shipping before the "Paid" status. A payment at an agency only exists once the deposit is confirmed.
• Explaining too late. A customer told when ordering knows what to do; a customer who discovers the reference with no explanation may give up.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to handle cash?

No. Your customer deposits the cash at an agency of the Chari network by presenting the reference of your payment link. On your side, you only see a payment attached to the order: the amount is available in your ChariPay payment account the instant the deposit is made. No till to keep, no cash to collect from a courier.

Does my customer need a card or an account?

No. The journey requires no card, no account and no app. Your customer opens the link you send, chooses cash, gets the reference, then pays it at the counter with the amount shown. That is exactly what lets you sell to customers who do not have a card or do not want to use it online.

Can I offer cash on my website's checkout?

Not with a checkout session: a session created through the API only takes cards. For an order to be paid in cash, create a single-use payment link, from the portal or through the API, and send it to the customer. You can leave the choice between card and cash, or preselect cash.

How am I notified of the payment?

As soon as the network confirms the deposit, the link turns "Paid" and you are notified in the portal; on the server side, the link's state can be read through the API. Wait for that status before preparing the order, then confirm to the customer that their payment has arrived: that is the message they expect after their visit to the agency.

When is the money available?

The instant the deposit is made: the amount is available in your ChariPay payment account, usable right away. The payout to your bank remains a separate operation, automatic every night once a settlement account is configured, or by transfer on demand. ChariPay is not a bank: your payment account is held by Chari Money. It complements your bank; it does not replace it.

Can I try it before offering it to my customers?

Yes. Test mode is free, with no time limit and no commitment: you create your payment links there and track their statuses in the portal, with no real money moving. Your business verification only gates the move to production, when you are ready to collect payments from your first customers.

Next step

Open your test account: Start in test mode. Prepare your three message templates, then send your customers our guide to paying for an online purchase in cash along with your first link. To reassure the most cautious, also share our tips for paying at an agency safely.