Fawry, COD, and InstaPay: the complete Egypt checkout guide
How Egyptian merchants should combine Fawry, cash on delivery, InstaPay, and card payments for maximum checkout conversion.
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Egyptian shoppers do not all pay the same way. Some trust cards and wallets, others want COD, and many still prefer Fawry outlets or InstaPay transfers. A store that offers only one method leaves money on the table. Mrfqy is built for this reality — Arabic-first checkout with local payment rails wired in from day one.
When and how to use Fawry
Fawry remains one of the most recognized offline payment brands in Egypt. Customers receive a reference number at checkout, pay at any Fawry outlet or through the Fawry app, and your order is confirmed once payment clears. This model works especially well for customers who are cautious about entering card details online or who do not have a bank card.
On Mrfqy, Fawry integrates alongside your other payment methods in a single checkout flow. You do not need a separate plugin or custom code — enable it from your payment settings, set your merchant credentials, and customers see Fawry as a clear option with step-by-step instructions in Arabic.
Fawry is particularly effective for higher-ticket items like electronics, appliances, and furniture where buyers want extra reassurance before money leaves their hands. Pair it with order confirmation SMS or WhatsApp messages so customers know exactly what to do after placing an order.
Tip: Display the Fawry reference number prominently on the order confirmation page and send it by SMS. Many abandoned Fawry orders happen because the customer lost the reference.
Cash on delivery: still essential in Egypt
Cash on delivery (COD) is not a legacy option — it is still the default for large segments of the Egyptian market, especially outside Greater Cairo and for first-time online buyers. Removing COD often drops conversion by double digits in governorates where trust in online payment is still building.
The challenge with COD is not offering it but managing it well. Set clear COD fees where appropriate, define which governorates you serve, and use order limits to reduce fraud risk on high-value carts. Mrfqy lets you enable COD per shipping zone so you are not promising delivery to areas your courier cannot reach.
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Train your fulfillment team to confirm COD orders quickly. A short confirmation call or WhatsApp message before dispatch reduces failed deliveries and return shipping costs — both of which eat into margins on COD-heavy stores.
Mrfqy pro tip: Combine COD with governorate-based shipping rates so customers in remote areas see accurate totals before they commit.
InstaPay for instant bank transfers
InstaPay has changed how many Egyptians move money between bank accounts. For e-commerce, it offers a fast alternative to card payments — customers transfer directly from their banking app using your InstaPay address or QR code, often with lower fees than card processing.
InstaPay works best when you can verify payment quickly. Unlike card payments that authorize automatically, bank transfers may require manual confirmation unless you use an integrated provider. On Mrfqy, you can offer InstaPay as a payment option with clear instructions and optional auto-confirmation when your payment partner supports it.
Promote InstaPay to customers who already use mobile banking daily. It appeals to budget-conscious shoppers and B2B buyers who prefer account-to-account transfers over cards. Display your InstaPay details on checkout and in order confirmation emails in both Arabic and English.
Cards, Meeza, and mobile wallets
Card payments through providers like Paymob remain the backbone of online checkout for urban, mobile-first shoppers. Meeza debit cards, Visa, Mastercard, and mobile wallets (Vodafone Cash, Orange Cash, Etisalat Cash) should all be available for customers who want instant order confirmation without leaving home.
Installment options like ValU and premium card programs can lift average order value on fashion, beauty, and electronics. Enable installments only on categories where margins support the provider fees — Mrfqy lets you control which payment methods appear per order total or product collection.
Always test the card flow on a real mobile device in Arabic RTL. Small UX issues — a cut-off button, an English-only error message — cause disproportionate abandonment at the payment step.
Offer at least cards + COD + one offline method (Fawry or InstaPay). This trio covers the majority of Egyptian checkout preferences.
Optimizing your Mrfqy checkout flow
Payment diversity only helps if checkout is simple. Mrfqy's Arabic-first checkout shows payment icons, localized labels, and governorate-aware shipping in one screen. Customers should never wonder whether your store 'really' delivers to their area or how much COD will cost.
Use Mrfqy's order analytics to see which payment methods convert and which are selected but abandoned. If Fawry references are generated but payments rarely complete, improve post-checkout communication. If COD orders fail at delivery, tighten zone rules or add confirmation steps.
Keep your refund and cancellation policy visible in Arabic before payment. Trust signals matter as much as payment options — especially for new stores without established brand recognition.
Putting it into practice on Mrfqy
Start in Mrfqy admin under Settings → Payments. Enable Paymob or Kashier for cards and wallets first, then toggle Fawry and COD. Each method has its own credential fields — connect one provider at a time and run a 1 EGP test order before enabling the next. Mrfqy saves your configuration per market, so a Cairo-focused store and a future GCC expansion can use different gateways without rebuilding the catalog.
Map COD availability to your shipping zones before you announce the store. In Settings → Shipping, define governorates you actually serve, then return to Payments and restrict COD to those zones only. Add InstaPay as a manual-transfer option with Arabic payment instructions in the checkout copy field — many Egyptian B2B buyers and budget-conscious shoppers prefer it once they see your InstaPay ID on the order summary screen.
Schedule a 30-minute launch checklist: place test orders using Fawry, card, COD, and InstaPay paths on a real Android phone in Arabic RTL. Confirm order confirmation emails show the right reference numbers and Arabic labels. Pin payment method icons in your theme footer so Instagram traffic knows upfront that you accept local rails — this alone reduces checkout surprises for first-time visitors from Reels and WhatsApp links.
Day-one stack for most Egyptian Mrfqy stores: Paymob cards + Fawry + COD + governorate shipping zones. Add InstaPay in week two if card abandonment is low but bank-transfer DMs are high.
The best Egyptian checkout is not about picking one winner — it is about letting each customer pay their way. Mrfqy brings Fawry, COD, InstaPay, cards, and wallets into one bilingual dashboard so you can launch fast and optimize with real order data. Enable your payment stack today and test the full flow from product page to confirmed order in under an hour.
