For parents, built for Nigerian schools

You decide.
They just tap.

Your child carries one card for the canteen. You load it, set a daily limit in naira, choose which vendors they can buy from, and see every purchase land on your phone the moment it happens. No cash to lose. Nothing for your child to install.

Create parent account I already have an account

Free for one child, for as long as you use it. Pro is for families with more than one.

3 seconds

from tap to receipt at the counter

₦0

to get started with one child

In naira

daily and weekly limits you set

Right away

every purchase reaches your phone

Why we built it

Break time should not be a guessing game.

Most mornings it goes the same way. You hand your child some money and hope it reaches lunch. Sometimes the change goes missing. Sometimes it all buys soft drinks and no real food. Sometimes it falls out of a pocket on the field and nobody can say where it went. You only find out at night, if you find out at all.

CanteenPay puts a card in your child's bag and the controls in your hands. The money stays in a wallet you own, not in loose notes. You set the limit and pick the vendors. When your child buys jollof and a bottle of water, you see the vendor, the items, and the amount before they finish eating.

What changes for your family

No more loose cash going missing between home and school
A real limit, so one break time does not eat the whole week
You know your child actually bought food, not just sweets
A lost card is a small problem, not lost money

How it works

One card for the child. Full control for you.

Three steps, and you are set for the term.

Open a parent account

It takes about a minute. Add your child's name and class, and we prepare their CanteenPay card.

Load the wallet and set the rules

Top up from your bank through Paystack. Choose a daily limit, a weekly limit, and turn off any category you would rather they skip.

They tap, you get the receipt

At the counter your child taps the card on the vendor's reader. The vendor gets paid, the balance updates, and the receipt reaches your phone.

What you get

The small things that make break time calm.

Limits that hold

Set a daily cap and a weekly cap in naira. When the limit is reached, the card politely stops. No awkward moment at the till.

Top up in seconds

Fund the wallet from your bank whenever it runs low. The balance sits safely in the app, ready for the next break time.

Receipts as they happen

Every tap sends you the vendor, what was bought, and how much. You never have to ask where the money went.

Only vendors the school trusts

Cards work with canteen vendors the school has approved. No spending off campus, and no cash to misplace.

Lose the card, keep the money

The balance lives in the wallet, not on the card. Freeze a lost card in the app, and the money is still yours.

Grows with your family

Start free with one child. Move to Pro when you need more children, tighter category rules, and weekly summaries.

For parents

Peace of mind, one card at a time.

Load the wallet on Sunday, set a sensible daily limit, and get on with your week. You will know your child ate, and you will know before they get home.

Create parent account

Fund the wallet straight from your bank
Set daily and weekly limits in naira
Block categories like soft drinks or sweets
See a receipt for every single tap
Freeze a lost card in one tap
Keep every child in one view on Pro

For canteen vendors

Get paid the second they tap.

Run your stall without a cash box. A student taps, the money is yours, and your daily takings settle to your bank. No change to count, and no notes to sort at the end of a long day.

Open the vendor terminal

Take payment with a single tap
See today's collection at a glance
Daily settlement to your bank account
A simple screen your staff can learn in an afternoon
No expensive hardware to buy
A clear record of every sale

For schools

Run the canteen from one screen.

Approve your vendors, keep an eye on every transaction, and settle payouts on time. Give parents a reason to trust break time, and give your canteen a record it can stand behind.

Open the admin console

Approve or pause vendors as you need
Watch the full ledger in real time
Settle vendor payouts in a click
See every student and their linked card
Catch problems early, before parents call
One console for the whole canteen

Pricing

Start free. Pay only when your family grows.

No setup fee, and no contract. You see every charge before you pay it.

Free

₦0forever

Everything one child needs.

One linked child
Daily and weekly limits
Live receipts for every tap
Freeze a lost card
Email alerts

Start for free

Pro

₦1,000per month

For families with more than one child.

Up to eight linked children
Category blocks, like no fizzy drinks
Instant push alerts
Weekly spending summaries
Priority support
Everything in Free

Start with Pro

Top ups carry a small processing fee, shown before you confirm.

In their words

Parents, vendors, and schools already breathing easier.

“I used to send Tunde with cash and pray it lasted. Now I load his card on Sunday, set two thousand a day, and I see every plate of rice he buys. Last term he did not skip a single lunch.”

Adaeze O.

Parent, Lagos

“The queue at break used to slow down while children counted coins. Now they tap and go, and my money is in the bank by evening. My staff picked up the screen in one afternoon.”

Mama Nkechi

Canteen vendor

“Parents stopped calling the office about missing lunch money. We approve our own vendors, we see every transaction, and payouts go out on Fridays without any stress.”

Mr. Okonkwo

Head teacher

Kept safe

Your money is handled with care.

Payments run through Paystack, the same rails banks and large stores across Nigeria rely on. The balance stays in a wallet you own, not on the card in your child's bag, and you can freeze a card the moment it goes missing.

Payments through Paystack

Trusted checkout used across the country.

You hold the balance

The money lives in your wallet, not on the card.

Freeze in one tap

Lost a card? Stop it right away and keep the funds.

Good questions

The things parents usually ask.

Still unsure about something? Write to us at hello@canteenpay.ng and a real person will reply.

Does my child need a phone?+

No. Your child only carries the card. The app is for you, the parent.

What happens if the card is lost?+

Freeze it in the app right away. The money is in the wallet, not on the card, so nothing is lost. The school can issue a new card and the balance carries over.

How does my child pay at the counter?+

They tap the card on the vendor's reader. It takes a couple of seconds, and your child does not need internet to do it.

Can I stop them buying sweets or soft drinks?+

Yes. Turn off any category in the app and the card will not pay for it.

How do I add money?+

Top up from your bank through Paystack, straight from the app. It reflects in the wallet as soon as the payment clears.

Is there any fee?+

Starting with one child is free. Top ups carry a small processing fee, and Pro is a flat monthly price for larger families. You see the amount before you pay.

My school is not on CanteenPay yet.+

Tell them about us, or send us the school's details and the name of whoever runs the canteen. We will reach out and get them set up.

Set up before the next break time

Take the cash out of the canteen. Keep the say in your hands.

Open a parent account in under a minute. Your child gets a card, and you get every receipt.

Create parent account Sign in

You decide.They just tap.