The verdict in three sentences
The headline rate always hides extra costs: per-transaction commission, fixed fees, settlement delay and payout charges. On the same revenue, moving from 3.5% to 1% can mean over 400,000 FCFA in annual savings for a mid-sized store. The right choice depends on your average basket, your volume and how fast you need your cash.
Real aggregator fees in 2026
The figures below are a 2026 order of magnitude for local mobile money and card payments collected by each platform. Always check your actual contract grid.
| Aggregator | Commission | Fixed fee / txn | Settlement | Payout fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local rail (direct API) | 1.0% | 0 FCFA | T+1 | Included |
| Paystack | 1.5 – 2.9% | 0 FCFA | T+1 to T+2 | 0 – 1% |
| Flutterwave | 2.0% | 50 FCFA | T+2 | Included |
| Flutterwave (intl. card) | 3.5% | 100 FCFA | T+3 | Included |
| Stripe (intl. cards) | 2.9% | 100 FCFA | T+2 to T+7 | Included |
Two takeaways: a direct local rail is cheapest on mobile money, but does not cover international cards. For a diaspora audience, a local rail + Stripe mix is often cheaper than a single 3.5% aggregator.
Annual cost by volume
Simulation on a 15,000 FCFA average basket, mobile money only, over 12 months.
| Monthly volume | Annual revenue | Fees at 1% | Fees at 2% | Fees at 3.5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 orders | 36,000,000 | 360,000 | 720,000 | 1,260,000 |
| 500 orders | 90,000,000 | 900,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,150,000 |
| 1,000 orders | 180,000,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,600,000 | 6,300,000 |
| 2,000 orders | 360,000,000 | 3,600,000 | 7,200,000 | 12,600,000 |
At 1,000 orders/month, the gap between 1% and 3.5% reaches 4,500,000 FCFA a year — enough to fund a developer or an acquisition campaign.
Mini case study
Adjoua runs a cosmetics store, 15,000 FCFA average basket, 800 orders/month. She currently pays 3% via an aggregator: 12,000,000 FCFA revenue × 12 = 144,000,000 FCFA/year, and 4,320,000 FCFA in fees. By moving 90% of payments to a 1% local rail and keeping the aggregator for the 10% of international cards, her fees drop to about 1,700,000 FCFA/year. Net saving: 2.6 million FCFA a year, without changing a single product.
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FAQ
Which processor is cheapest in 2026?
For local mobile money, a direct rail integration is the most competitive at around 1%, versus 2 to 3.5% for multi-channel aggregators. The gap widens sharply above 500 orders a month.
Why not route everything through one cheap rail?
Local rails do not natively process international bank cards. To sell to the diaspora, pair the local rail with Stripe or an aggregator accepting Visa/Mastercard, paying 2.9 – 3.5% on that fraction only.
Is T+3 settlement a problem?
Yes, if cash is tight. T+1 returns your money in 24h; T+3 locks up three days of sales. On 6,000,000 FCFA of weekly sales, that is nearly 2.5 million permanently frozen.
Do 50 to 100 FCFA fixed fees really matter?
On small baskets, yes. A 50 FCFA fixed fee on a 2,000 FCFA basket adds 2.5% — almost as much as the commission itself. For micro-baskets, favour a no-fixed-fee model.
Can these rates be negotiated?
Above 1,000 transactions/month, most aggregators grant a discount. Show your real volumes and a competing quote: a 0.3 to 0.5 point cut is common.
Let's talk about your project. We integrate local mobile money rails, Orange Money and Stripe into a single architecture to minimise your fees. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
