Question 1

What does ErcasPay do?

Accepted Answer

ErcasPay is a CBN PSSP-licensed, PCI DSS-certified, and NDPA-compliant multicurrency payment gateway built specifically for Nigerian businesses. The platform supports 8 currencies — NGN, USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, GHS, GMD, and KES — enabling Nigerian merchants to accept both local and international payments through a single API integration. ErcasPay processes transactions from 5,000+ businesses and has offices in Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan.

What the API Does

The ErcasPay REST API enables developers to: initiate and process local card payments (Verve, Visa, Mastercard), bank transfers, USSD, and QR code payments; accept international card payments in 7 foreign currencies; issue and manage virtual account numbers for NGN collections; generate payment links; and create invoices. The API uses separate sandbox and live environments with distinct base URLs.

How Developers Use It

Developers create an account at ercaspay.com, obtain API keys from the dashboard under developer settings, and integrate using the documentation at docs.ercaspay.com. Authentication uses Bearer tokens with secret keys prefixed ECRS-TEST-SK (sandbox) and ECRS-LIVE-SK (live). Sandbox base URL: api-staging.ercaspay.com/api/v1. Live base URL: api.ercaspay.com/api/v1. All requests require Accept: application/json and Content-Type: application/json headers.

Pricing

Local transactions (cards, bank transfer, QR, USSD): 1.4% per transaction, capped at ₦2,000. International card transactions: 4.8% per transaction. International payments first settle to a USD wallet; conversion to NGN is triggered from there. A 10% rolling reserve is applied on international card transactions, held for 180 days — refundable if no chargebacks occur. No monthly subscription fee.

Authentication

Bearer token authentication. Secret key placed in the Authorization header as "Bearer {SECRET_KEY}". Separate keys for test and live modes. Keys managed from the ErcasPay Dashboard.

Compliance

CBN PSSP-licensed, PCI DSS certified, and compliant with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA). Multi-location presence in Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan.

Challenges and Gotchas

(1) 10% rolling reserve on international card transactions held 180 days can be a significant cash flow constraint for new merchants. (2) International payments do not settle directly in NGN — they go to a USD wallet first. (3) No recurring billing or split payment support currently. (4) Rate limits not publicly documented — confirm with ErcasPay before high-volume implementations.

Company Background

ErcasPay is operated by ErcasPay Nigeria Limited, headquartered in Lagos with offices in Abuja and Ibadan. The company targets Nigerian businesses of all sizes needing a reliable, multi-currency alternative payment gateway.

FAQs

Q: What is the fee for local card payments?
A: 1.4% capped at ₦2,000 per transaction.

Q: Does ErcasPay support USSD payments?
A: Yes. USSD is supported at the same 1.4% (capped ₦2,000) local rate.

Q: What currencies can I accept through ErcasPay?
A: NGN, USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, GHS, GMD, and KES — 8 currencies total.

Q: Is there a sandbox?
A: Yes. Sandbox at api-staging.ercaspay.com/api/v1 using ECRS-TEST-SK keys.

Q: What is the rolling reserve?
A: A 10% hold on international card transaction amounts, retained for 180 days. It is refunded in full if no chargebacks are filed during that period.

ErcasPay's multi-currency acceptance — NGN plus USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, and additional international currencies — enables Nigerian merchants to accept payments from both domestic customers paying in naira and international customers paying in their home currency. This dual-currency capability in a single gateway integration eliminates the need for separate domestic and international payment gateway relationships, reducing integration complexity and ongoing vendor management for Nigerian businesses serving both local and global customer segments.

PCI DSS certification at ErcasPay ensures that card data handling meets international security standards, protecting Nigerian merchants from the liability and reputational risk of card data breaches. For Nigerian SMEs that lack the resources to implement independent PCI compliance infrastructure, using a certified gateway like ErcasPay allows them to accept card payments within a compliant infrastructure environment without bearing the cost and complexity of independent certification.

Question 2

How much does ErcasPay cost?

Accepted Answer

ErcasPay is free to integrate, with fees charged per transaction (commission-based). Local transactions (cards, bank transfer, QR, USSD): 1.4% capped at ₦2,000. International cards: 4.8% per transaction. 10% rolling reserve on international card transactions held 180 days (refundable if no chargebacks). No monthly fee.

Question 3

How do I authenticate with the ErcasPay API?

Accepted Answer

Bearer Token (Secret Key from ErcasPay Dashboard, prefix: ECRS-TEST-SK for test)

Question 4

Is there a rate limit on ErcasPay?

Accepted Answer

Not publicly specified

Question 5

Does ErcasPay offer a sandbox or test mode?

Accepted Answer

Yes — ErcasPay provides a sandbox or test environment so you can integrate and test before going live.

Question 6

What is ErcasPay best suited for?

Accepted Answer

Nigerian businesses that want to accept both local NGN payments and international payments in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, and 4 more currencies through a single PSSP-licensed, PCI DSS-certified gateway with transparent flat-rate pricing.

Question 7

Is there anything else I should know before integrating ErcasPay?

Accepted Answer

CBN PSSP-licensed, PCI DSS certified, NDPA compliant. Sandbox base URL: api-staging.ercaspay.com/api/v1. Live URL: api.ercaspay.com/api/v1. Bearer token auth using Secret Key. International payments settle to USD wallet first, then convert to NGN. 10% rolling reserve on international cards held 180 days.

Question 8

Where can I find ErcasPay's documentation?

Accepted Answer

The official API documentation is at https://docs.ercaspay.com/. The provider's website is https://ercaspay.com.

Question 9

Does ErcasPay support Nigerian developers?

Accepted Answer

Yes — ErcasPay explicitly supports Nigerian developers/use cases.

ErcasPay

Features Included

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Key Highlights

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