Payment Preferences

Learn about the supported payment methods available on Novac and how to optimize checkout experience and fee handling.

Overview

Payment preference on Novac gives you control over how your customers pay and how transaction fees are handled during checkout.

Instead of showing every available payment option or applying a fixed fee behavior, you can tailor the experience to match your business goals. This helps you:

• Improve conversion by simplifying payment choices
• Guide customers toward preferred payment methods
• Decide who bears transaction fees (you or your customer)
• Maintain better control over your revenue and margins

Ultimately, payment preference is about optimizing both user experience and business outcomes.

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Controlling Payment Methods

To control which payment channels are presented to customers at checkout. You can configure this at two levels: a global default on the dashboard which applies to all transactions, or a per-transaction override via the checkout API which applies to that transaction only.

You can restrict what users see at checkout:

• "CARD,PWBT" Only card and bank transfer
• "USSD" Only USSD payments
• "Opay" Only Opay
• "Palmpay Only palmpay

This ensures your customers are presented with only the most relevant options.

Set a Global Default on the Dashboard

The dashboard setting acts as your default preference for all transactions. It is the right choice when you want to consistently restrict or curate channels across your entire checkout flow without touching your code.

1. Log in to your Novac Dashboard

   Go to your to your app and sign in.

2. Navigate to Payment Preference settings

   Click on settings in the sidebar and select transaction settings tab.

3. Select Manage Payment Methods for Your Payment Link

   Choose one or more payment channels. Your selection applies to all future transactions unless overridden at the checkout level.

4. Save your changes

   Click Save. The preference takes effect immediately for new transactions.

Set Per-Transaction via the Checkout API

This is useful when different parts of your product have different payment needs for example, showing only bank transfer for high-value orders, or only card options for a specific product category.

Pass the allowedPaymentOptions field in your checkout request to control which channels appear for that specific transaction.

  curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.novacpayment.com/api/v1/paymentlink/initiate \
  --header 'Authorization: <api-key>' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
    "paymentLinkReference": "oeXQckL",
    "amount": 100,
    "currency": "NGN",
    "metaData": "{}",
    "allowedPaymentOptions":"CARD,PWBT,OPAY,USSD,PALMPAY,MOMO"
    "checkoutCustomerData": {},
    "checkoutCustomizationData": {}
  }'

When you set allowedPaymentOptions, it will overrides whatever settings you have on the dashboard for that checkout session only.

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Fee Handling Options

In addition to payment methods, you can also control who pays the transaction fee. This directly impacts both the customer experience and your final settlement amount.

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I will cover (Merchant pays the fee)

The transaction fee is deducted from the payment amount before settlement.

• Customer pays: ₦500
• Fee: ₦30
• Merchant receives: ₦470

This approach creates a smoother checkout experience since the customer pays exactly what they expect, with no extra charges.

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Customer covers (Customer pays the fee)

The transaction fee is added on top of the payment amount.

• Customer pays: ₦500 + ₦30 = ₦530
• Merchant receives: ₦500

This ensures you receive the full payment amount, making it ideal if you want to protect your margins.