Are you a Nigerian travelling to South Africa and looking to pay for things or send money instantly when you get there?
You may have seen apps such as Wise, PayPal, or LemFi on Google. The problem is that they don’t accept naira, and when you bypass and send money, it usually takes hours, sometimes days, which is not what you want when you want to pay quickly in naira.
Thankfully, we now have sweet apps that you can use to pay for things in South Africa, and you pay in naira. So you don’t need to buy dollars at the airport and exchange them for South African Rand. Just download these apps, and you are good to go.
My top 5 Apps to pay anyone in South Africa with naira
Mavapay – Cheaper transfer rates and fees
Spendin – Super app for spending without a bank account
Hizo Africa – Fast and simple payments
SpendEase – Spend more currencies
Monosend – Best for paying for bills and utilities
I narrowed down to my top 5 apps to send money to anyone in South Africa; the order doesn’t matter. Categorised by speed, fees, and reliability, this list helps you spend naira in South Africa like you are in Nigeria.
Disclaimer: Every app I mentioned here is based on my experience. I do not endorse any. And it does not mean that if you try them out, you will get the same experience I got. I checked the customers’ reviews online, and some customers complain of delayed and reversed transfers with all of these apps, but I don’t think that should be a reason you won’t try out any, as delayed transfers are common with non-blockchain payments.
1. Mavapay – Cheaper transfer rates and fees
Mavapay is built for super-fast and low-cost cross-border payments across Africa.
It is cheaper and faster because it uses modern payment infrastructures (such as Bitcoin Lightning) to move money quickly, avoiding the delays and high costs common with other apps.
All you have to do is fund your wallet with naira or BTC and pay into any bank account in South Africa.
Pros
Near-instant NGN to ZAR payments
Very low and transparent fees
No unnecessary currency conversions
Reliable for business and personal payments
Cons
Best suited for users comfortable with BTC
Launched recently, not too many users
2. Spendin – Super app for spending without a bank account
Spendin is designed specifically for the big spenders from Nigeria who love to spend money in South Africa. It allows you to spend naira that reflects directly as Rand (ZAR) in South African bank accounts.
The app focuses on bigger spending, making it a strong choice for traders, travellers, content creators, and the big boys and girls.
Pros
Fast and large NGN to ZAR bank transfers
Fund your account with naira, USDT, and USDC.
Easy-to-use interface
One-way transfers (NGN to ZAR bank accounts), no need to swap first.
Cons
- Customers raised concerns about transfers being stuck for hours.
3. Monosend – Best for paying for bills and utilities
Monosend is a specialised platform that enables you to complete transactions in South African Rand. It is primarily used for settling South African utility bills, including electricity, mobile data, and other local service payments.
You can open a Rand-ready account quickly and make local payments without stress.
Pros
Fast Rand services
Supports local South African payments
Reliable for utilities and bills
Strong customer support
Cons
Not ideal for large remittances
Requires newer smartphone OS versions
4. Hizo Africa – Fast and simple payments
Hizo is especially useful for students and tourists making simple day-to-day transfers. It is simple to use, and there are no complicated features.
Just deposit naira into the app and send it to any bank in South Africa. Even more useful if you also plan to travel to Ghana or Kenya later. You can send to Momo and M-Pesa too.
Pros
Clean app interface and smooth experience.
Send to more African countries
Good for daily spending
Cons
Works best within the Hizo partner network
Not ideal for large transfers
Customers raised concerns about frequent delays and reversals.
5. mySpendEase – Spend more currencies
mySpendEase offers multi-currency wallets.
You can keep money in naira, rand, and other African currencies. So you can swap naira to rand and send it to a South African bank account instantly.
Fees are clear. I would recommend you try this wallet if you frequently send money to other African countries, not only South Africa, and you want a simple, stress-free way to stay in control of your cash.
Pros
Supports balances in NGN, ZAR, and more.
Real-time transaction tracking
Transparent fees
Cons
Still expanding features
Low reviews on Playstore and AppStore
Comparison Table: Best Apps to Send Money from Nigeria to South Africa (2026)
| App | How It Sends Money | Speed | Fees | Best For |
| Mavapay | Bitcoin Lightning Network | Instant | 0.5% – 0.75% | Lowest fees & speed |
| Spendin | Direct Bank Rails | Seconds | Competitive Spread | Direct bank deposits |
| Monosend | Licensed FSP Rails | 3–5 Mins | Transparent | SA Utility & Airtime |
| Hizo Africa | Multi-currency Wallet | Instant | No hidden markup | Travel & bill payments |
| mySpendEase | Cross-border Wallet | Real-time | Low flat fees | Multi-country travellers |
Which App Should You Use?
Even though most of these apps offer similar features that make it easy to send naira in South Africa, there are small differences between them.
You want to use Mavapay for cheaper transactions; their fee is lower, and the NGN to ZAR rate is competitive.
Spendin is a solid choice if you will be spending a lot in South Africa and need an app that just feels like Opay and Palmpay.
If your spending would mostly be on bills, utilities, or you just want to do direct instant transfers to friends and family in South Africa, then Monosend and Hizo Africa would serve you best.
And if you’re someone who moves around different African countries often and needs to manage multiple currencies in one place, mySpendEase offers that flexibility by supporting several currencies in a single app.
All five platforms listed here are tested and trusted by Nigerians. The right choice comes down to how you send money, how fast you need it delivered, and how much control you want over fees and settlement.
Happy sending!