Accepting Manual Bank Transfers on Your VTU Platform

Not every customer wants to use a payment gateway. Many people simply prefer to send a transfer from their bank app to your account and tell you they have done it. The Manual Bank Transfer option lets you accept that kind of payment and credit the wallet yourself, once you have checked the money arrived. Here is how it works from both sides, what the platform checks for you, and what it leaves entirely to you.

Step 1: Set up the Manual option

Go to VTU Admin, then Customers & Payments, then Payment Gateways and find the Manual Bank Transfer card. Enter your bank name, account number and account name, and add any instructions you want customers to see, for example "Use your phone number as the narration." Switch it on and save. These are the details customers will be shown, so double-check every digit.

Step 2: What the customer does

When a customer chooses to fund their wallet and picks the Manual option, they see your bank details. They make the transfer in their bank app, come back to your site, enter the amount they sent and upload a screenshot of the receipt. The minimum is ₦100. After they submit, they see: "Deposit submitted! Your wallet will be credited once confirmed." Nothing is added to their wallet at this point. They will not see a pending status anywhere on the site, so the first thing they notice is the credit appearing in their wallet history once you approve it. That is why prompt approval and a quick reply to anyone who asks matter so much.

Step 3: What you do

Open Funding Requests in your VTU Admin (in the Zenith admin portal it is called Manual Funding Requests). Each request shows the customer, the amount and the proof image. Before you approve, check your own bank account or banking app to confirm that the money really arrived, and that the amount and the sender's name match. Then use the buttons on the request: the tick approves it and credits the wallet, and the cross rejects it.

What happens when you approve

• The full amount is credited. The wallet funding charge that applies to gateway payments is not taken from manual deposits that you approve.
• It cannot be approved twice. If you press approve on a request that has already been approved, the platform refuses with "Already approved", so a double click cannot double-credit a wallet.
• A referral bonus may be paid. If the customer was referred by a friend and this is their first funding, approving it triggers the referrer's bonus, exactly as an automatic payment would. See the referral guide.
• Rejecting does not delete anything. The request is marked rejected and the wallet is untouched. A rejected request can still be approved afterwards if you rejected it by mistake, so be sure of your decision and tell the customer why.

What the platform does not check for you

Knowing the gaps is what keeps you safe, because manual deposits rely on your judgement more than any other funding method.

• A receipt is not compulsory. The customer's screen lets them submit without attaching an image, so a request can arrive with no proof at all. Treat it as unverified and check your bank account, or ask the customer for the receipt, before approving.
• A customer can change a pending request. While a request is still pending, resubmitting it with the same reference can change the amount or the image. Always read the amount on the request at the moment you approve, not the figure you remember from earlier. Once a request is approved or rejected, its reference cannot be reused.
• It does not read the receipt. The image is just a picture. The platform cannot tell whether it is genuine or edited.
• It does not match your bank statement. Only you can confirm the money arrived.

Checks that protect you

• Never approve from the screenshot alone. Screenshots can be edited. Always confirm the credit in your own bank account.
• Match the amount exactly. If the customer entered a different amount from what you received, reject it and ask them to resubmit, or approve only after you have agreed what to credit.
• Watch for repeat submissions. If two requests show the same receipt, approve only one, and only if your bank shows two payments.
• Approve promptly. A customer waiting hours for a wallet credit is a customer thinking about leaving.
• Reconcile at the end of the day. List the deposits you approved and tick each one off against your bank statement. A mismatch found the same day is easy to fix.
• Keep a note of who approves. If several people have admin access, agree who handles funding requests. Our security checklist covers access.

A worked example

Illustrative example: the customer, amounts and times are made up to show the routine.

At 10:05 a customer submits a ₦5,000 request with a receipt. You open your banking app and see ₦5,000 from the same name at 10:03, so you approve it, and the wallet shows ₦5,000 more. At 10:20 another request arrives for ₦20,000 with no receipt image. Your bank shows nothing, so you leave it pending and message the customer. At 11:40 the customer resubmits the same request with a receipt, but your bank still shows no ₦20,000. You reject it and explain. At 6 p.m. you compare your list of approved deposits with your bank statement and everything matches.

When manual transfers make sense

Manual transfers suit small volumes, customers who do not trust gateways, and people whose bank is not well supported by your gateway. They do not suit high volume, because every deposit needs a person to check it, and mistakes can cost you money. As you grow, automatic options, such as a dedicated account number for each customer, save time and reduce errors. We compare the options in setting up your wallet payment gateways.

Common questions

The customer says they paid but I see no request. They may have transferred without submitting the form. Ask them to submit the amount, ideally with the receipt, then check your bank before approving.

The amount on the request differs from my bank. Do not approve. Reject it, or agree the amount with the customer and have them resubmit a correct request.

I approved by mistake. Check the customer's wallet history in managing customers and wallets. A deduction is possible if they have enough balance, with a clear note explaining why.

Where to go next

Learn how to manage balances and adjustments in managing customers and wallets. If you do not yet have a VTU site, see our VTU solution.