DPO Pay (formerly Direct Pay Online) is a pan‑African payment service provider that processes online and in‑person card and mobile money payments for businesses across Africa. Charges with a descriptor like “DIRECTPAYONLINE*WINDHO” typically reflect payments routed through DPO Pay on behalf of a local merchant, often in or around Windhoek, Namibia.
DPO Pay, previously known as Direct Pay Online, is a leading African payment service provider that enables businesses to accept payments via credit and debit cards, mobile money, bank transfers and other local methods across 20+ African countries. It serves tens of thousands of merchants in sectors such as travel, hospitality, e‑commerce, education and government services, providing secure, PCI‑DSS‑certified payment processing and tools like hosted checkout pages, payment links and mobile point‑of‑sale apps.([apis.pe](https://www.apis.pe/portfolio/our-portfolio/dpo-group/?utm_source=openai))
When you see a card statement line such as “DIRECTPAYONLINE*WINDHO Windhoek,” your card has not usually been charged by DPO Pay itself for a consumer‑facing product; instead, DPO Pay is acting as the payment gateway or facilitator for a business located in or associated with Windhoek (for example, a hotel, tour operator, online store or local service provider). The asterisk and following text often indicate the merchant’s trading name or city, while DPO Pay securely processes the underlying Visa or Mastercard transaction on that merchant’s behalf.([openeducat.org](https://openeducat.org/integrations/dpo-pay/?utm_source=openai))
To verify or resolve questions about this kind of charge, first match the transaction date and amount to recent bookings, online purchases, or reservations you made with a Namibian or African merchant—especially any made online where you entered card details on a DPO Pay‑branded page or received a DPO payment link by email or SMS. If you still can’t identify it, locate any confirmation emails or invoices from the suspected merchant and use their contact details, or contact DPO Pay support through their website with the last four digits of your card, transaction date, currency and amount so they can help identify the underlying merchant. If the transaction appears fraudulent, immediately contact your card issuer to dispute the charge and request a card replacement; they may also contact DPO Pay as part of the investigation.
Bank Statement Variations
1 known variations
These are the raw merchant codes that appear on bank and credit card statements that we've identified as belonging to DPO Pay.
Why does my statement show “DIRECTPAYONLINE*WINDHO Windhoek” instead of the hotel or tour company name?
DPO Pay is a payment gateway that processes card and mobile money payments for many African merchants. In some cases, the processor’s name (“DirectPayOnline” / DPO Pay) appears first in the descriptor, followed by an abbreviated reference such as “WINDHO” and the city “Windhoek.” This means your payment was routed through DPO Pay on behalf of a local merchant, often a hotel, lodge, car rental agency or tour operator based in or around Windhoek, Namibia.
How can I find out which business actually charged me through DPO Pay?
Start by matching the amount and date of the DPO Pay charge with recent purchases or bookings—especially travel, lodging, safaris, or online services you arranged with a Namibian or African company. Check confirmation emails or invoices for wording like “Payment processed by DPO Pay” or links to a DPO‑branded payment page. If you still cannot identify the merchant, you can contact DPO Pay via their website and provide the transaction date, currency, amount and the first part of the descriptor so they can look up the underlying merchant for you.
Is DPO Pay a subscription service, and can it bill me on a recurring basis?
DPO Pay itself is a payment processor rather than a consumer subscription service. However, some merchants use DPO Pay to collect recurring payments (for example, memberships, school fees or software services). If you see repeated charges with a DPO Pay descriptor at regular intervals, review any services you’ve subscribed to with African providers and check their billing settings or customer portal to see whether a recurring payment plan is active.
How do I cancel a recurring payment that is being processed by DPO Pay?
To stop recurring charges processed by DPO Pay, you usually need to cancel directly with the underlying merchant, since the merchant controls your subscription or contract. Log in to the merchant’s website or app (or refer to your original invoice) and follow their cancellation instructions, then monitor your statements for at least one more billing cycle. If you can’t reach the merchant, contact your card issuer to request a block on future payments to that merchant and, if necessary, dispute any unwanted charges.
How can I request a refund for a payment that went through DPO Pay?
Refunds must be initiated by the merchant, not DPO Pay. Contact the business that provided the goods or services (for example, the hotel, airline, or online shop listed on your booking confirmation) and request a refund according to their policy. Once the merchant submits the refund through DPO Pay, it will be processed back to your original payment method and may take several business days to appear as a credit on your card statement.
Why do I see a small or duplicate DPO Pay charge that later disappears?
Some merchants using DPO Pay perform temporary authorization holds or test transactions—often small amounts—to verify your card. These authorizations may appear as pending DPO Pay charges and then fall off or be reversed automatically after a few days, leaving only the final, settled amount. If a small or duplicate amount remains on your statement after a full billing cycle, contact the merchant or your card issuer for clarification.
How do I contact DPO Pay if I suspect a fraudulent charge?
If you suspect fraud, contact your card issuer immediately so they can secure your account and begin a dispute. In parallel, you can reach DPO Pay through the contact channels listed on dpogroup.com (they maintain regional offices across Africa, plus an international office). Provide the exact statement descriptor, transaction date, currency and amount so they can help identify which merchant processed the payment and support the investigation.
Are payments processed by DPO Pay secure?
Yes. DPO Pay operates as a PCI DSS Level 1‑certified payment service provider, meaning it adheres to the highest industry standards for storing, processing and transmitting card data.([apis.pe](https://www.apis.pe/portfolio/our-portfolio/dpo-group/?utm_source=openai)) When you pay via a DPO Pay checkout page or payment link, your card details are encrypted and handled by their secure infrastructure, while the merchant only receives confirmation of payment and basic transaction data.
This merchant is in the Financial Services category