Paying a payment reference at an agency: a step-by-step guide

A payment reference is the code you get when you choose cash on the page of a ChariPay payment link. To pay it, you go to an agency of the Chari network, give the reference and hand over the amount in cash; as soon as the network confirms the deposit, the link turns "Paid" and the merchant is notified. Here is the detailed journey — before, during and after your visit to the counter — and answers to the situations that most often raise questions.

What is a payment reference?

It all starts with a payment link. A payment link is an amount and a description; the customer pays on a page hosted by ChariPay, a Moroccan payment platform, a PSP operated by Chari Money, a payment institution licensed by Bank Al-Maghrib. The merchant sends it to you for an order, a deposit or an invoice.

On that page, you can pay by card with 3-D Secure or choose cash. If you choose cash, the page gives you a reference: the code you will present at the agency so that your deposit is matched to the right payment. Three things to remember:

• One reference matches one payment. Cash payment always relies on a single-use link — one reference per deposit. Two orders mean two links and two references.
• The reference belongs to the merchant who created the link. The money you deposit goes to them and to no one else.
• The reference follows the link. If the link expires or is canceled, it can no longer be paid.

A reference is therefore not an account number, nor a personal code to protect like a password: it identifies one specific payment, and you can show it at the counter without worry. What should alert you is a reference you did not obtain yourself, on the page of a link received from the seller.

Before you go

A few minutes of preparation save you a wasted trip:

1. Open the link the merchant sent you. Check the shop's name, the description of the purchase and the amount. If they do not match what was agreed, stop there and ask the seller.
2. Choose cash. If the merchant preselected cash, the page offers it directly; otherwise, you choose between card and cash.
3. Keep the reference handy. Take a screenshot of the page or copy the reference carefully: a reference copied wrong no longer matches your order.
4. Check the expiry. The merchant can set the link to expire — 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or an exact date — or not at all. Plan your visit before then.
5. Prepare the amount shown on the page. That is the amount the merchant requested for this reference.
6. Find out where to pay it. The payment page shows you the reference to present and the entity where you pay it: an agency of the Chari network.

At the agency counter

The visit to the counter is short, and it requires nothing more than what you have prepared.

What you hand over

The reference and the amount, in cash. The journey requires no bank card, no account and no app: that is what makes it accessible to everyone. Give nothing else — no password, no code received by text message, no card PIN. The journey does not ask you for them: if someone does, be wary.

What you check

Before the transaction is confirmed, go over the entered reference and the amount at the counter. It is the only moment when a typing error can be fixed without any hassle. Count the money at the counter, and wait for the transaction to finish before you leave.

What you keep

Keep any proof of the transaction the agency gives you, along with the screenshot of the reference and the conversation in which the merchant sent you the link. Those three items are enough to find your payment if a question comes up later.

After the deposit

As soon as the network confirms the deposit, the link turns "Paid" and the merchant is notified. They see the payment matched to your order, without having to reconcile it against a statement: the reference makes the connection.

What happens next depends on the merchant: order confirmation, preparation, shipping. If they have not replied after your visit, write to them in the usual conversation and mention the reference. Keep your proof until you receive your order: that is what settles any question without argument.

Why does this wait matter? Because, for an order paid in cash, the "Paid" status is the only reliable signal for the merchant: until the deposit is confirmed, they cannot know whether you have been to the agency. It is also your safeguard: an order shipped after confirmation is an order whose payment is unambiguously attached to your reference.

Special situations

The link has expired

Do not try to pay a reference whose link has expired. Ask the merchant for a new link for the same order: it will come with a new reference. That is also why it is better to pay the reference shortly after getting it.

The link has been canceled

A canceled link can no longer be paid. A merchant cancels a link when an order changes — an item removed, an amount corrected — or when the sale falls through. If they send you a new link, use the new reference and forget the old one.

You have several orders with the same merchant

Each order has its own link and its own reference. Pay them separately, even if you go to the counter only once: one reference per deposit is the rule that tells the merchant which order is paid.

The amount is not the one agreed

Do not pay in the hope of sorting it out later. Point out the difference to the merchant: they can cancel the link and send you a new one with the right amount. You only pay what was agreed.

What the merchant does on their side

For the merchant, everything starts from a single-use payment link, created from their portal or through the API for your order. They can leave the choice between card and cash, or preselect cash. As soon as the network confirms your deposit, the amount is available in their ChariPay payment account, and the link turns "Paid".

That is why a merchant waits for this status before preparing an order paid in cash. To place this payment method among the others — card, cash on delivery, payment link —, ChariPay's guide to online payment in Morocco reviews them, and our guide to paying for an online purchase in cash compares a reference paid at an agency with cash on delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my payment reference?

On the page of the payment link the merchant sent you. Open the link, choose cash, and the page shows the reference to present at the agency. Take a screenshot or copy it carefully. If you can no longer find the link, ask the merchant for it again: the reference is attached to their payment link.

Which agency can I pay the reference at?

At an agency of the Chari network. The payment page shows you the reference to present and the entity where you pay it: follow that information. If you have any doubt before you go, ask the merchant in the conversation where they sent you the link, rather than an intermediary.

How long does the reference stay valid?

As long as the payment link that produced it. The merchant can set an expiry — 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or an exact date — or none. An expired or canceled link can no longer be paid; in that case, ask the merchant for a new link, which will give you a new reference for the same order.

How do I know my payment went through?

As soon as the network confirms the deposit, the link turns "Paid" and the merchant is notified: it is up to them to confirm the next steps of your order. Keep the proof from the agency, the screenshot of the reference and the conversation with the seller. With those three items, the payment can be traced without difficulty.

Can I use the same reference for two orders?

No. Cash payment always relies on a single-use link: one reference matches one deposit, for one payment. For two orders, the merchant sends you two links, and you pay two separate references, even if you go to the counter only once. That is how each order is matched to its own payment.

I lost my reference. What should I do?

Reopen the payment link the merchant sent you, or ask for it again in the same conversation. The reference is attached to that link, and the merchant can find it. Never pay a reference that another person dictates to you "instead of" yours: only the link from the merchant counts.

Next step

Before your visit to the counter, take two minutes to read our tips for paying at an agency safely: they help you spot a fake link and false urgency. For your other cash payments — bills, top-ups, transfers —, ChariCash services and the ChariCash agency map show you what is available near you.