SA tech startup partners with FlySafair 

Ozow, a South African digital payment tech startup has partnered with one of the country’s leading airlines, FlySafair. 

The new partnership will allow locals to purchase tickets to travel via FlySafair via an EFT transaction

The partnership between Ozow and FlySafair will enable customers to purchase their flight tickets without the use of a credit card, enabling South Africans to pay via an EFT. 

Thomas Pays, CEO and co-founder of Ozow explains that the partnership will allow South Africans to pay for flights with an alternative payment system developed by the tech startup. 

“There are more than 49 million bank accounts but only eight million active credit cards in South Africa. This poses the threat of locking millions out of digital and financial services. As an impact-driven and market-led company, Ozow is at the forefront of developing products, services, and partnerships that enable greater digital and financial inclusion for all consumers and businesses. The partnership with South Africa’s most innovative and consumer-friendly airline is one more step toward this goal.”

Ozow facilitates bank-to-bank automated and instant electronic funds transfers (EFTs) in a matter of seconds.

Although the impact of Covid-19 grounded travel in and out of the country, South Africans reportedly love to travel and the lifting of restrictions hopes to boost the tourism economy. 

According to reports by Airports Company of South Africa, in 2017 more than 40-million passengers travelled through the country’s nine largest airports. 

Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair comments on the new partnership with Ozow. 

“We’ve always respected the need to offer customers without credit cards various options to make payments both online and offline. We’re pleased to have partnered with Ozow who offers a safe, reliable, and easy-to-use option for our customers.”

Pays explains that the partnership represents both companies’ overall aims and goals to provide accessible services to South Africans. 

“As a business, we work to break down barriers that keep more consumers from enjoying the benefits of digital payments. Cash remains the most expensive and least secure method of payment, but most South Africans still rely on cash payments for most of their purchases. By partnering with like-minded, consumer-led businesses such as FlySafair, we can accelerate the decashing of the South African economy and bring digital and financial empowerment to all South Africans.”

Read more: Ozow nets follow-on funding from Kalon Venture Partners for Series-A round
Read more: SA software service tool launched to automate business payrolls

Featured image: Thomas Pays, CEO and co-founder of Ozow (Supplied)