Paying safely for kids clothes online: what actually happens to your card at Giovelle

By the Giovelle team · 29 September 2026

You have found the outfit. It is in the right size, the colour is perfect, and you have about four minutes before someone small needs you. Then the checkout asks for your card, and a little voice says: is this safe?

Fair question, and one every parent buying kids clothes online in South Africa should ask. So here is how paying at Giovelle works: who processes the payment (Payfast by Network), which payment methods you can use (cards with 3D Secure, Apple Pay and Google Pay, Instant EFT, Capitec Pay, SnapScan, Zapper, Mobicred and more), and what happens to your card details along the way. No small print, just what we would tell you if you asked us across the counter.

Last reviewed 29 September 2026, checked against Payfast's published payment methods and PCI DSS certificate.

Your card details never come to us

When you reach the payment step on giovelle.co.za, the page you land on belongs to Payfast, not to us. Payfast by Network, usually just called Payfast, is part of Network International and is used by more than 80,000 South African businesses, from small boutiques to national retailers. Their whole job is moving money safely. Ours is making beautiful clothes for children. We think each of us should stick to what we are good at.

So your card number, expiry date and CVV go into Payfast's secure page. Giovelle does not receive those details, does not store them and could not look them up if we tried. Once your bank approves the payment, Payfast tells our store that the order is paid. What lands on our side is your order, your delivery address and a confirmation that the money went through. That is all we need, and all we get.

If you choose to save your card for a faster checkout next time, it is saved by Payfast under their security controls, not on our website.

Is Payfast safe? The acronym worth knowing

Payfast is a PCI DSS Service Provider Level 1 compliant business. It sounds like alphabet soup, so here is what it means in plain words.

PCI DSS is the global security standard set by the card industry, Visa and Mastercard among them, for anyone who handles card payments. Level 1 is the strictest tier of that standard, and Level 1 providers are assessed every year by an independent assessor. You can see Payfast's current certificate on Payfast's PCI DSS page.

In practice it means your card details are encrypted while they travel and never sit on a clothing shop's server. That is exactly the standard we wanted behind a children's boutique.

Pay the way you already pay

Payfast gives us a wide range of local payment options, so the checkout should already have your favourite. Roughly speaking, they fall into four camps.

If you reach for a card

Visa and Mastercard credit, cheque and debit cards from any South African bank are accepted. Card payments are protected by 3D Secure, so your bank may ask you to confirm with a one time PIN or in your banking app. That is why your phone sometimes buzzes mid-checkout, and it is a good thing.

If your phone is your wallet

Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay all work at our checkout. With your card loaded in your phone's wallet, you approve the payment with your fingerprint or face. Your phone sends a one-time token instead of your card number, so there is no card number for anyone to intercept. It is also the quickest option, which counts for a lot when you are paying one-handed while buying a baby gift.

SnapScan and Zapper users can scan the code on screen and confirm in the app. Banking apps with a Scan to Pay or QR option work the same way.

If you would rather skip the card entirely

Instant EFT lets you pay straight from your internet banking. You choose your bank on Payfast's secure page, log in, pick an account and approve with your bank's usual OTP or app authorisation. The payment is verified immediately, so your order is released without waiting for a manual EFT to reflect. It works with FNB, Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Investec, TymeBank and the other banks on Payfast's Instant EFT list.

Capitec clients have their own shortcut. Choose Capitec Pay at checkout, enter your cellphone number or ID number, then open the Capitec app, go to Transact, select Capitec Pay and approve. No card details needed, and the order is confirmed straight away.

If you would like to spread the cost

RCS store cards are accepted through Payfast if you would rather use your account. Mobicred, a South African online credit facility, lets account holders pay for the order on credit and settle it monthly with Mobicred. That can make a girls' occasion outfit for a wedding or christening easier to plan for. Approval, limits and interest are between you and Mobicred, not Giovelle.

Whichever you pick, you pay in South African Rand and nothing is added at checkout. The price on the product page is the price you pay, plus the delivery option you choose.

Three things to check, at our shop or anyone's

None of this asks you to take our word for it. A few seconds of looking will tell you most of what you need to know.

First, the address bar. Look for the padlock and an address that starts with https. Every page on giovelle.co.za, the shop included, is served over an encrypted connection.

Second, the payment page itself. It should be Payfast's own secure page, showing the amount and "Giovelle" clearly as the merchant. It also links to Payfast's terms and to Payfast's privacy policy, so you can read how they treat your information.

Third, the paper trail. After paying, you should receive an order confirmation email from us and, for most methods, a payment notification from Payfast or your bank. If a confirmation does not arrive, get in touch and we will check the order for you before anything ships.

When the payment does not go through

It happens, and it is usually nothing sinister. Banks sometimes decline a first online purchase with a new shop. A daily limit gets in the way. An OTP gets mistyped because a toddler was climbing you at the time. The connection drops halfway.

If a payment fails, nothing is charged. You can try again or choose a different method. The one thing we would ask is this: if you are not sure whether a payment went through, contact us before you pay a second time. We will confirm what we can see on our side, so you never end up paying twice.

What we do keep, and what we do with it

The details we do hold, your name, email address, phone number and delivery address, are used to process and deliver your order and to keep you updated about it. We process personal information in line with POPIA and we do not sell customer information to anyone. Our privacy policy spells this out, and our shopping policies cover delivery and returns.

A real person, if you need one

You can reach the Giovelle team through the contact page, by email, or on WhatsApp during business hours. We are a small team, and a real person will answer, usually the same day.

Dressing your children should be a pleasure from the first click to the parcel at your door. Knowing your payment is in good hands is a quiet part of that, and it is one we take seriously. When you are ready, the new arrivals are waiting, along with the girls, boys and baby collections.

Frequently asked questions

Is Payfast safe to use?

Yes. Payfast by Network is a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider, the highest level of the card industry security standard, and is used by more than 80,000 South African businesses. When you pay at Giovelle you enter your card or banking details on Payfast's own secure page. Giovelle never receives or stores your card number.

Does Giovelle store my card details?

No. Your card number, expiry date and CVV are entered on Payfast's page, not on giovelle.co.za. If you choose to save a card for next time, it is stored by Payfast under its PCI DSS controls. Giovelle only receives your order, delivery details and a payment confirmation.

Can I pay with Capitec Pay at Giovelle?

Yes. Choose Capitec Pay at checkout, enter your cellphone number or ID number, then open the Capitec app, go to Transact, select Capitec Pay and approve the payment. No card details are needed and the order is confirmed immediately.

Is Instant EFT safe for online shopping?

Instant EFT lets you pay from your internet banking without a card. You choose your bank on Payfast's secure page, log in, pick an account and approve the payment with your bank's OTP or app authorisation. Payment is verified instantly, so your order is released without waiting for a manual EFT to clear.

Can I buy kids clothes on Mobicred?

Yes. If you have a Mobicred account you can pay for your Giovelle order on credit and repay Mobicred monthly. Select Mobicred at checkout and log in with your Mobicred details. Credit approval, limits and interest are between you and Mobicred, not Giovelle.

Can I pay with SnapScan or Zapper on an online store?

Yes. At checkout, choose SnapScan or Zapper, scan the QR code shown on screen with the app, and confirm the amount on your phone. Banking apps with a Scan to Pay option work the same way.

My payment failed but the money shows as deducted. What now?

A failed 3D Secure check or a timed-out session can leave a temporary hold that your bank reverses, usually within a few business days. Do not pay again until you have checked with us. Send your order number through our contact page or WhatsApp and we will confirm whether payment reached us before anything ships.