Zai
- In-person rate
- —
- Online rate
- —
- Monthly fee
- Custom
- Terminal cost
- —
- Contract length
- Contact provider
- Settlement time
- —
- Est. monthly cost
- —
Zai
Australian-native, API-first payments platform built for marketplaces and platforms needing split payments and local payment rails.
- In-person rate
- —
- Online rate
- —
- Monthly fee
- Custom
- Contract
- Contact provider
Best for
Australian marketplaces needing real-time payouts via NPP and local payment rails
Pricing breakdown
Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
In-person payments
EFTPOS terminal and tap-to-pay transactions.
- Monthly fee
- Custom
Online payments
Online checkout and keyed-in card transactions.
- Monthly fee
- Custom
Contract terms
- Contract length
- Contact provider
Last verified 20 May 2026.
Accepted payment methods
Cards, wallets, and other methods supported by Zai for Australian merchants.
Cards
- Visa
- Mastercard
- AMEX
Digital wallets
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Other
- Direct Debit
Strengths and trade-offs
Pros
- Australian-native with local rails (PayTo, BPAY, NPP, Direct Debit)
- Automatic split payments with virtual accounts
- Real-time payouts via NPP
- PCI DSS compliant with built-in fraud checks
Cons
- Custom quote-based pricing, no public rates
- Limited multi-currency versus global platforms
- Smaller payment-method range than international providers
About Zai
Zai (formerly Assembly Payments) is an Australian payments platform that gives marketplaces and platforms programmable payment infrastructure. It handles fund collection, automatic splitting between the platform and its sellers, and disbursement across local rails including PayTo, BPAY, Direct Debit and the New Payments Platform (NPP) for real-time payouts. Zai holds full PCI DSS compliance and targets proptech, fintech and earned wage access platforms that need wallet-style fund management with Australian regulatory coverage.
Zai was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
How Zai compares
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Assumes $15,000/mo volume, $50 average transaction, 70% in-person and 30% online.
Stripe
$345/mo est.
- In-person rate
- —
- Online rate
- —
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- —
- Contract length
- No lock-in, pay as you go
- Settlement time
- —
- Est. monthly cost
- $345/mo
PayPal
$480/mo est.
- In-person rate
- —
- Online rate
- —
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- —
- Contract length
- No lock-in
- Settlement time
- —
- Est. monthly cost
- $480/mo
Common questions about Zai
The same questions Australian merchants ask before signing up.
Zai does not publish a standard rate in Australia. Pricing is quoted based on your business size, industry, and card mix. Request a quote on their site, or use our free fee calculator to compare against providers that do publish rates.
Zai contract terms in Australia: Contact provider. Check the fine print for any early termination fees before signing.
Zai settlement times are not publicly listed.
Zai AMEX pricing in Australia is not publicly listed. Ask their sales team whether AMEX acceptance and rates are included.
Zai does not advertise least-cost routing for Australian merchants. If you take a lot of contactless debit, compare against providers that do support it on our comparison page.
Zai is best suited to australian marketplaces needing real-time payouts via npp and local payment rails. To see how it stacks up for your specific volume and card mix, try our free fee calculator.
We may earn a commission when you click through to Zai and sign up, where a commercial arrangement is in place. This never affects ranking, the data we publish, or the comparisons we make on this page. Read our terms for the full picture.
We may earn a commission when you click through to a provider. This never affects ranking or data shown. Read our terms.
Compare Zai
Compare Zai against every other Australian provider on price, contract terms, and features.