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Payment Methods Overview

BirrLink supports multiple payment methods tailored for the Ethiopian market. This section provides details about each supported payment method.

Supported Payment Methods​

Mobile Money​

  • Telebirr: Ethiopia's national mobile money service
  • CBE Birr: Commercial Bank of Ethiopia's mobile money platform
  • Awash: Awash International Bank's mobile money service
  • Hibret: Hibret Bank's mobile money solution
  • Dashen: Dashen Bank's mobile money service

Cards​

  • Visa: International and local Visa cards
  • Mastercard: International and local Mastercard cards
  • Ethnicard: Local Ethiopian bank cards

Bank Transfers​

  • Direct transfers from Ethiopian banks
  • Inter-bank transfers via BirrLink

Choosing the Right Payment Method​

When integrating, consider the following factors:

  • Customer Demographics: Mobile money is most popular in Ethiopia
  • Transaction Limits: Each payment method has different limits
  • Processing Time: Some methods are instant, others may take time
  • Fees: Different payment methods have different fee structures

Integration Considerations​

Mobile Money​

  • Requires customer phone number
  • May require customer confirmation via SMS/USSD
  • Processing time is typically 10-30 seconds
  • Higher success rates in rural areas

Cards​

  • Requires card number, expiry date, and CVV
  • May require 3D Secure authentication for international cards
  • Processing time is typically instant
  • Lower success rates for international cards due to restrictions

Security Requirements​

Each payment method has specific security requirements:

  • PCI DSS compliance for card transactions
  • Mobile number validation for mobile money
  • Two-factor authentication for high-value transactions
  • Rate limiting based on payment method

Regional Considerations​

  • Mobile money is the dominant payment method in Ethiopia
  • Card payments are more common in urban areas
  • Different mobile money providers may have varying coverage
  • Consider offering multiple payment options for maximum reach

Transaction Flows​

Standard Flow​

  1. Customer selects payment method
  2. Payment request is sent to BirrLink
  3. BirrLink processes with the payment provider
  4. Result is returned to your application

Mobile Money Flow​

  1. Customer enters phone number
  2. Payment request is sent to mobile money provider
  3. Customer receives confirmation SMS/USSD
  4. Payment is processed after customer confirmation
  5. Result is returned to your application

Testing Payment Methods​

Each payment method should be tested in the sandbox environment with test credentials provided for each payment provider. The test credentials simulate real-world scenarios without actual money transfers.