Schools & Fundraisers

How to Accept Payments at a NZ School Fair or Fundraiser

School fairs and PTA fundraisers generate significant funds for NZ schools — but managing payments across multiple stalls, with parent volunteers who aren't tech experts, can be stressful. Here's a free, simple solution.

9 July 2026 · 4 min read

The payment problem at school fairs

Traditional school fair payment approaches have big drawbacks:

•Cash-only: requires float management, change handling, security risk, and manual totalling at the end.
•EFTPOS terminal: expensive rental, requires setup, and you'd need one per stall.
•Manual bank transfer: impossible to verify on the day without smartphone access.

QR code payments solve all three problems — no hardware, instant verification, and works across multiple stalls without multiple terminals.

Why QR codes work perfectly for school events

Each stall at your school fair can have its own QR code (or several, for different products and price points). Parents scan the code with their phone camera and pay by bank transfer or card — no app download, no registration.

Pay by Bank works with ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac, and Kiwibank, covering the vast majority of NZ families. Card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay) are also supported for anyone who prefers to pay by card.

All payments are confirmed instantly — no chasing up transfers after the event.

Delegation codes: volunteers take payments without sharing your login

One of Tillify's most useful features for events is delegation codes. The school coordinator generates a 6-digit code and shares it with each stall volunteer. Volunteers enter the code at tillify.nz/delegate to get a dedicated till interface on their own phone.

The volunteer can generate QR codes and accept payments — but all funds go directly to the school's Tillify account. No shared passwords, no login risk, no reconciliation headaches.

Delegation codes can be set to expire after the event and have maximum-use limits, so you maintain full control.

Setting up Tillify for your next school fair

Create a free Tillify account for your school or PTA.
Connect the school's NZ bank account for payouts.
Create QR codes for each stall — baking ($5), face painting ($8), raffle ($2), etc.
Print the QR codes for each stall holder.
Generate delegation codes for volunteers who need their own till access.
On the day, all payments land in one account automatically.

What does it cost for a school fundraiser?

Tillify's tiered pricing keeps small-sale costs low — ideal for $2–$10 fair transactions:

• Sales under $6.25: 5% (min $0.10). A $2 raffle ticket costs $0.10.
• Sales $6.25 and above: 1% + $0.25, capped at $2.50.
• No monthly fees, no hardware, no account minimums.

Tip: You can optionally enable surcharging to pass fees to the customer, keeping 100% of each sale for your fundraiser.

Set up for your next school fair in minutes

Free to set up. No hardware. Works across multiple stalls.

Create free account Schools guide

The payment problem at school fairs

Traditional school fair payment approaches have big drawbacks:

•Cash-only: requires float management, change handling, security risk, and manual totalling at the end.

•EFTPOS terminal: expensive rental, requires setup, and you'd need one per stall.

•Manual bank transfer: impossible to verify on the day without smartphone access.

QR code payments solve all three problems — no hardware, instant verification, and works across multiple stalls without multiple terminals.

Why QR codes work perfectly for school events

All payments are confirmed instantly — no chasing up transfers after the event.

Delegation codes: volunteers take payments without sharing your login

The volunteer can generate QR codes and accept payments — but all funds go directly to the school's Tillify account. No shared passwords, no login risk, no reconciliation headaches.

Delegation codes can be set to expire after the event and have maximum-use limits, so you maintain full control.

Setting up Tillify for your next school fair

Create a free Tillify account for your school or PTA.

Connect the school's NZ bank account for payouts.

Create QR codes for each stall — baking ($5), face painting ($8), raffle ($2), etc.

Print the QR codes for each stall holder.

Generate delegation codes for volunteers who need their own till access.

On the day, all payments land in one account automatically.

What does it cost for a school fundraiser?

Tillify's tiered pricing keeps small-sale costs low — ideal for $2–$10 fair transactions:

• Sales under $6.25: 5% (min $0.10). A $2 raffle ticket costs $0.10.

• Sales $6.25 and above: 1% + $0.25, capped at $2.50.

• No monthly fees, no hardware, no account minimums.

Tip: You can optionally enable surcharging to pass fees to the customer, keeping 100% of each sale for your fundraiser.