Payments, Wallet, Top-Ups and Payouts Policy

This policy covers payment requests, wallet balances, supported mobile-money top-ups, cash payments, driver earnings, ticket fees, refunds and reconciliation on RYDZ. Available payment rails depend on the live service, provider acceptance and booking; customers must rely on the actual checkout options, not marketing materials alone. Ticket payment channels differ from ride payment channels. The methods currently offered are:

Cards are not currently accepted for any RYDZ payment.

The RYDZ Wallet is a prepaid balance held in your RYDZ account for paying for RYDZ rides and tickets. It is not a deposit, bank account, insured savings product, investment, credit facility or transferable electronic money, and it cannot be transferred to another user. Mobile-money payments are collected through the mobile-money operators (Airtel Money and TNM Mpamba) and RYDZ's payment provider, PayChangu, whose own terms may apply to the payment. A balance is not interest-bearing.

The app should show the recipient, amount, currency, any provider cost, taxes, service charge and net deduction before authorization. Current transaction categories include ride charges, ride commission accounting, cancellation and no-show fees, ticket purchase, wallet funding, refunds, partner settlements and correction entries. Charges should not be split into undisclosed components. The user's approval of a payment amount must be tied to the correct booking reference and recorded once using duplicate-protection controls.

A customer initiates a top-up in the app with a supported mobile-money provider and approves it on their phone. The minimum top-up in the app is currently MWK 3,000. The wallet is credited only after the payment provider confirms the payment. Network timeouts are not proof of failure or success: check the transaction status in your wallet history rather than paying again. A pending payment, refund or reversal is shown separately from completed transactions. Payment providers may impose lawful transaction or wallet limits and their own charges.

Cash is accepted only for rides where cash was chosen as the payment method. The Captain must give the rider a transparent total and record the amount received. The 15% platform commission on a completed cash ride is deducted from the Captain's RYDZ wallet (see section 6). Negative balances or set-offs may not be taken from unrelated customer sums. Cash collected for a ride is not proof a digital charge should also stand.

The platform commission is 15% of the fare of each completed ride. It is charged once, when the ride is completed, from the Captain's RYDZ wallet balance (or, where the Captain's account holds free trips, by using one free trip instead). If the balance falls below zero, the Captain is taken offline until the wallet is topped up. For a ride paid from the rider's RYDZ Wallet, the rider's wallet is charged the fare and the Captain's wallet is credited with the fare less commission. Cancellation and no-show fees are paid to the Captain in full. The Captain's wallet history shows top-ups, fares, commission, fees, adjustments and refunds. No commission should be booked for an unfulfilled trip wrongly marked complete. Disputes are correctable with a transaction history and audit log. See the Captain Partner Agreement.

For every ticket, transaction records should separate Operator fare, RYDZ service fee, other lawful fees and taxes. The signed Operator Schedule controls who collects, holds, refunds and settles funds. Operators must receive reconciled reports identifying ticket issuance, scans/cancellations, reversals, disputes and net payouts. RYDZ pays Operator settlements to a payout account it has checked against the Operator's documents and may hold settlements while finance reviews payments. A platform wallet must not be used to evade payment licensing requirements or blend restricted third-party settlement funds with general operating funds contrary to law.

Self-service withdrawals are not currently available in the RYDZ rider or Captain apps. A Captain who wants to withdraw an available balance, or a rider who wants a remaining balance returned, contacts RYDZ support at support@rydzmw.com. RYDZ does not promise a specific payout day. Transfers to an unverified account or third party may be restricted for fraud prevention. If payout is delayed, we provide the status and an investigation contact. Any hold must be reasonable, lawful, documented and reviewable.

Return funds when a ride or ticket qualifies under the relevant cancellation/refund policy or Malawi law. Wallet payments are refunded to the RYDZ Wallet; mobile-money ticket payments are refunded as a payout to the mobile-money number that paid (see the Ticket Cancellation and Refund Policy). We confirm whether a payment is pending, completed or reversed before describing it as refunded. A statutory monetary refund cannot be unilaterally replaced with an internal credit. If a mobile-money dispute is opened, we cooperate with the provider and prevent duplicate payouts while preserving the customer's rights and deadlines.

Never share one-time passwords, PINs or account passwords with a Captain, Operator or support agent. Report unknown transactions immediately to RYDZ and the relevant payment provider. RYDZ uses secure payment partners, permissions and logs consistent with applicable law. We will investigate suspected account takeover or SIM-swap activity without asking for credentials. Fraudulent payment use is subject to lawful cancellation and reimbursement rights under the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act.

A lawful remaining customer balance is dealt with under applicable payment law, partner terms and anti-fraud requirements; it is not automatically forfeited when an app account is deleted. RYDZ does not charge dormancy fees and has not set a period after which an unused balance is lost. Before deleting an account that holds a balance, contact support@rydzmw.com so the balance can be returned where permitted. See Data Rights and Account Deletion.

Receipts should identify RYDZ or the Operator and services as required; display applicable tax and legally required reference information. RYDZ does not show a VAT or taxpayer identification number on receipts unless it is registered and required to do so. Records must distinguish platform earnings from Operator/driver pass-through sums to support accurate tax accounting.

Contact support@rydzmw.com, or call or WhatsApp +265 222 247 247, with the transaction reference (never a PIN or OTP). Unresolved payment complaints can be escalated under Complaints and Dispute Resolution.