E-commerce Payments in Tunisia: ClicToPay to Cash on Delivery

E-commerce payments in Tunisia are growing quickly from a small base. Online payment transactions rose by more than a fifth in the first half of 2026, yet most online shoppers still pay cash to the courier. For merchants, choosing how to get paid means choosing between bank platforms, the postal system and fintech gateways, each with different paperwork, fees and risks.

The market in numbers

According to the Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) Payments Bulletin No. 17, covering the first half of 2026:

• 1,456 active merchant websites (at least one transaction in the past 12 months), up 19.7% from the end of 2025;
• 10.3 million online payment (e-payment) transactions, up 22.1%;
• 771.4 million dinars paid online, up 28.1%.

By comparison, Tunisians made 25.3 million card payments in shops and 5.0 million mobile wallet transactions in the same period. Online payments are the second-largest digital channel, but small in absolute terms. See our key numbers on Tunisian fintech.

Option 1: ClicToPay through your bank

ClicToPay is the online payment platform that the Société Monétique Tunisie (SMT), the national card switch, operates for banks. It is the oldest and most widespread option. According to a 2026 guide by the Tunisian host Novahoster, which analysed a public bank contract:

• the merchant applies through its bank, not the SMT; the bank forwards the file, and the SMT provides a test environment before production credentials;
• it accepts Tunisian CIB cards and local and foreign Visa and Mastercard;
• fees are not public and are set by each bank: typically an adhesion fee plus a commission per transaction;
• contracts forbid surcharging card payers, keep card data away from the merchant and allow the bank to suspend merchants with abnormal levels of disputed payments.

UNCTAD counted about 1,800 ClicToPay merchant sites at the end of 2020, processing 4.8 million transactions worth about 275 million dinars.

Option 2: La Poste's e-Dinar

La Poste Tunisienne runs its own online acceptance service. Merchants need a postal current account, an affiliation contract and a TunTrust electronic certificate. The kit accepts e-Dinar cards, popular with people without a bank card, and international Visa and Mastercard. At the end of 2020, 652 sites were affiliated, per UNCTAD. Details in our guide to e-Dinar and D17.

Option 3: fintech payment facilitators

Fintechs offer faster onboarding, plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce or PrestaShop, payment links and QR codes. Under BCT guidelines published in January 2024, these payment facilitators must work in partnership with a licensed bank or institution, which settles the funds, and report quarterly to the central bank.

Main names:

• Flouci says it is a BCT-authorised facilitator. It launched a native Shopify plugin in June 2026 and publishes its fees: 1.3% excluding tax for Tunisian cards and wallets and 3% for foreign cards, with no set-up or monthly fee, according to the Novahoster guide.
• Konnect Networks started as a merchant gateway and now presents itself mainly as infrastructure for banks and payment institutions.
• Paymee pioneered payment links and card payment at delivery but had its funds frozen in 2023 during an anti-money laundering investigation; its current status is unclear.

Check a provider's regulatory status and settlement terms before signing. A frozen facilitator account stops your payouts too.

Why cash on delivery still dominates

Cash on delivery (COD) is the default for Tunisian e-commerce. In a 2021 UNCTAD survey of 558 consumers, 83.1% used cash on delivery and only 16.9% paid only at the time of ordering. La Poste's 2019 annual report estimated COD at 75% of e-commerce volume. The main reasons given were distrust of merchant websites (61.5%) and of online payment systems (38.7%).

COD has real costs for merchants: refused parcels, return shipping, cash handling and delayed revenue. Several products target it directly:

• Card payment at the door, such as Paymee On Delivery, where the courier generates a QR code and the customer pays by card.
• Plugins that make card payment easy to add, as Flouci argues for its Shopify integration.
• Wallet payments, which skip card details entirely.

The deeper issue is trust and cash habits, covered in our article on cash and the cashless push.

Practical checklist for merchants

1. Start with your customers. If they mostly hold e-Dinar cards or wallets, make sure your provider accepts them.
2. Compare total cost. Include commissions, set-up and monthly fees, refund handling and settlement delays, not just the headline rate.
3. Check regulatory status. Ask for proof of BCT authorisation and the name of the partner bank.
4. Keep COD, but nudge. Many merchants offer online payment alongside COD and test incentives for prepaying.
5. Plan for disputes. Bank contracts allow suspension if chargebacks are abnormally high.

Figures here are from the BCT's mid-2026 data and UNCTAD's 2020–2021 work; fee levels can change, so check current terms with each provider.