Chapa

Chapa is Ethiopia’s most developer-friendly payment gateway. It aggregates multiple Ethiopian payment methods (Telebirr, CBEBirr, bank transfers, cards) behind a single checkout page — making it the easiest single integration for broad payment coverage.

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Overview

Property	Value
Operator	Chapa Financial Technologies
Type	Payment Gateway (multi-method)
Country	Ethiopia
Currency	ETB, USD (limited)
Flow	Hosted Checkout
Programmatic Refunds	Yes
Sandbox Available	Yes (excellent)
Settlement	T+2 business days

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Supported Payment Methods (via Chapa Checkout)

When a customer lands on the Chapa checkout page, they can pay via:

• Telebirr
• CBEBirr
• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (bank transfer)
• Awash Bank
• Cooperative Bank
• Amhara Bank
• Visa / Mastercard (limited availability)

This makes Chapa a compelling “one integration, many methods” option for Ethiopian merchants.

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Credentials

Credential	Description
secretKey	Your Chapa secret key (CHASECK_TEST-... for test, CHASECK-... for live)

Get your keys from dashboard.chapa.co.

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Configuration

const zirzir = new Zirzir({
  provider: 'chapa',
  credentials: {
    secretKey: process.env.CHAPA_SECRET_KEY!
  }
})

client = zirzir.Zirzir(
    provider="chapa",
    credentials={"secret_key": os.environ["CHAPA_SECRET_KEY"]}
)

client := zirzir.New(zirzir.Config{
    Provider: "chapa",
    Credentials: map[string]string{
        "secret_key": os.Getenv("CHAPA_SECRET_KEY"),
    },
})

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Charging a Customer

const tx = await zirzir.charge({
  amount: 1500,
  currency: 'ETB',
  email: '[email protected]',
  firstName: 'Dawit',
  lastName: 'Bekele',
  txRef: `order_${Date.now()}`,
  returnUrl: 'https://yourapp.com/payment/success',
  callbackUrl: 'https://yourapp.com/webhooks/zirzir',
})

// Redirect to Chapa's hosted checkout
res.redirect(tx.checkoutUrl)

Unlike USSD-based providers, Chapa returns a proper checkoutUrl — redirect the customer there.

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Sandbox Testing

Chapa has the best sandbox of any Ethiopian gateway. Test cards and credentials:

Test Card

Field	Value
Card Number	4200000000000000
Expiry	Any future date
CVV	Any 3 digits

Test Mobile Money

Use any valid-format phone number in sandbox. The USSD prompt is simulated automatically — no real phone required.

Secret Key Format

Test keys start with CHASECK_TEST-. Make sure you’re using the test key in development.

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Verifying a Transaction

After the customer completes payment and returns to your returnUrl, Chapa appends ?trx_ref=... to the URL. Verify server-side:

app.get('/payment/success', async (req, res) => {
  const txRef = req.query.trx_ref as string

  const tx = await zirzir.verify(txRef)

  if (tx.status === 'success') {
    await fulfillOrder(txRef)
    return res.render('success')
  }

  res.render('error', { message: 'Payment was not completed' })
})

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Customizing the Checkout Page

Chapa’s checkout page supports limited customization via metadata:

const tx = await zirzir.charge({
  amount: 500,
  currency: 'ETB',
  email: '[email protected]',
  txRef: 'order_001',
  metadata: {
    hide_receipt: false,        // Show/hide receipt page
    customization: {
      title: 'Your Store Name',
      description: 'Paying for Order #001',
      logo: 'https://yourstore.com/logo.png'
    }
  }
})

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Known Issues & Quirks

trx_ref vs tx_ref

Chapa’s API uses tx_ref in request bodies but returns trx_ref in query params on the return URL. Zirzir normalizes this — always use txRef in Zirzir calls.

Webhook Verification

Chapa’s webhook verification uses a hash of the transaction data, not an HMAC of the body. Zirzir handles this internally — use zirzir.webhooks.verify() as normal.

Settlement Delays

Chapa advertises T+1 settlement but T+2 is more common in practice. Weekends and holidays extend this further.

Currency Limitations

USD payments through Chapa require additional merchant approval and are not available on new accounts by default.

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Fee Structure

Verify current rates with Chapa. Fees change and may vary by merchant tier.

Volume	Fee
Standard	1.5% per transaction
Negotiated (high volume)	0.8% - 1.2%
Minimum fee	5 ETB

Chapa fees are inclusive — no additional setup or monthly fees for the basic tier.

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Refunds

Chapa supports full and partial programmatic refunds:

// Full refund
const refund = await zirzir.refund('order_001')

// Partial refund
const refund = await zirzir.refund('order_001', { amount: 250 })

Refunds typically process within 3-5 business days.

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Settlement

• Cycle: T+2 business days (in practice)
• Minimum threshold: 500 ETB
• Method: Bank transfer to your registered bank account
• Reports: Available in Chapa dashboard and Zirzir Dashboard (server mode)