Request to Pay (RTP) is a PayInc (BankservAfrica) payment initiation service that allows a business (or individual) to send a digital payment request to a debtor, who then approves and pays through their own banking app. Unlike a traditional debit order, RTP does not require a pre-existing mandate — the debtor receives a payment request and actively approves it in real time. The payment settles via PayShap infrastructure, making it near-instant on approval. RTP is particularly useful for once-off invoice payments, professional services payments, and any situation where the business wants to request payment without requiring the customer to log into a portal or share card details.

PayShap is a push-payment system — the sender initiates the payment and it goes directly to the recipient. Request to Pay (RTP) is a pull-payment request system — the receiver initiates a request, the debtor receives a notification, and then approves the payment via their bank. From the recipient's perspective: with PayShap, someone sends you money. With RTP, you request money from someone, and they approve the payment. Both use PayInc (BankservAfrica) infrastructure and both settle in real time via the PayShap rail. RTP is more appropriate for business invoicing and accounts receivable scenarios; PayShap is more appropriate for peer-to-peer transfers and instant disbursements.

Common South African business use cases for Request to Pay (RTP) include: invoice settlement (send a request directly to a debtor for the exact invoice amount); professional services payments (lawyers, accountants, consultants requesting payment from clients); e-commerce checkout (customer selects RTP, receives bank notification, approves payment in their banking app); once-off service payments (plumbers, electricians, contractors); and split-bill scenarios for hospitality businesses. RTP is especially effective where the payer prefers not to enter card details online or where the business wants a payment trail linked to a specific reference.

When a Request to Pay payment is approved by the debtor, the funds settle to the business's bank account via the PayShap rail in real time. The payment will appear in the business's bank statement with a reference linked to the RTP request ID. For reconciliation, the business must match each RTP credit on the bank statement to the corresponding invoice or order in their accounting system. Best practice is to use a unique, immutable reference per RTP request that can be cross-referenced during settlement reconciliation. Most RTP API integrations allow businesses to include invoice or order references in the payment request, simplifying automated matching.