How to take Raast payments at your shop, without a machine

More of your customers now pay from their phones than you might think. Some send money to your JazzCash number, some ask for your bank account and type it in letter by letter, and some just say they’ll pay next time. A Raast QR code fixes most of this.

What Raast is

Raast is the instant payment system run by the State Bank of Pakistan. Every bank, JazzCash and Easypaisa is connected to it, so money sent through Raast arrives in a few seconds, any time of day, including Sundays. Sending money between people’s accounts through Raast is free.

A Raast QR code holds your IBAN, the long account number that starts with PK. When a customer scans it, their app opens a payment to your account with your details already filled in. They type the amount, enter their PIN, and you’re paid.

What you need

• A bank account, or a JazzCash or Easypaisa account with an IBAN. Most bank apps show your IBAN under account details.
• A printer, or a shop nearby that can print one page for you.

That’s all. There’s no machine to rent, no agreement to sign and nothing to pay.

Making the QR

1. Open our free Raast QR code generator.
2. Type in your IBAN. If one character is wrong, it tells you, because every IBAN has check digits.
3. Add your shop’s name to show under the code.
4. Leave the amount empty, so the same QR works for every customer.
5. Download or print it.

Before you put it on the counter, scan it once with your own phone. Your bank app should show your name as the account holder. If it shows someone else’s name, don’t use it.

Where to put it

Stick it where the customer stands to pay, at eye level, not flat on the counter under a glass of tea. Laminate it or put it in a plastic sleeve so it survives being wiped. If you have a second counter, print a second copy.

When the amount matters

For a big bill, typing the amount is where mistakes happen: Rs 4,500 becomes Rs 450. A QR with the amount already in it avoids that. The generator can make one for a single payment; it stops working at the end of the next day, so nobody can reuse it later.

If you use BlackWell Salon, this happens on its own: when the customer chooses to pay by Raast, a QR with the exact amount appears on the screen.

Checking that you’ve been paid

Never hand over the goods because the customer shows you a screenshot. Screenshots are easy to fake. Wait for the message from your own bank, or check the app, before they leave. With Raast, the money arrives in seconds, so it’s never a long wait.

At the end of the day, add up what came in through Raast and compare it with what your bank shows. If you write down each one as it happens, the two should match.