When managing payments across African markets, it’s normal to see different transaction statuses. On your Startbutton dashboard, these statuses vary from “initiated” to “successful.” Each status signals a stage in the payment lifecycle. Knowing what each of them means helps you make better decisions, track settlements accurately, and avoid disputes.

1. Initiated

The transaction has begun, and the customer has entered their payment details; however, the process is not yet complete. No action required yet; wait for it to move forward.

2. Pending/Processing

The system has acknowledged the transaction, and we’re waiting for payment confirmation. This often happens for bank transfers or mobile payments that require a short processing time.

3. Verified

The payment has been received and confirmed by our payment partner. At this stage, you can safely provide or deliver value or services to your customer.

However, the funds are not yet in your available balance. They are temporarily held until final settlement by the payment partner. Settlement times vary by currency; for example, KES may take up to three business days (T+3), while ZAR takes two business days (T+2). 

4. Successful

Once we’ve received full settlement from our payment partner, the transaction becomes successful. At this point, the funds move from your ledger balance to your available balance, meaning they’re ready for payout or conversion.

If Auto-conversion is enabled, funds automatically convert to USD once the transaction moves from verified to successful.

5. Abandoned

The customer started but never completed the payment, typically because they failed to enter their PIN or OTP. After one hour of inactivity, these transactions automatically expire.

6. Failed

An error occurred; the payment could not be completed or authorized. You can confirm this via the API or dashboard; no callbacks are sent for failed transactions.

7. Ongoing transaction

These are payments awaiting the customer’s authorization (PIN, OTP, etc.). If not completed within one hour, they move to abandoned or failed.

8. Reversed

This payment was successfully initiated but later rolled back, returning funds to the customer due to an error, timeout, or incomplete authorization.

9. Orphaned

This payment didn’t receive the required customer authorization or final confirmation, leaving it stuck without a valid completion path and automatically marked as incomplete.

10. Completed

These indicate that the funds have been fully processed and settled into your available wallet. You’ll see this reflected in your dashboard balance. Webhook responses, when your transaction is verified and it is completed, they get a webhook response

11. Delays or Downtime

Settlement timing can vary depending on the currency and payment provider. While Startbutton continuously monitors for delays, they may occasionally occur on the payment provider’s end.

If you notice a delay:

• Share the transaction reference with our support team.

• We’ll investigate and manually update the status where necessary.

If you have questions about transaction statuses, reach out to us at support@startbutton.africa. Our team is always ready to help.