Legitimate charge. Not fraud

Saw Hourglass Payments
on your statement?

You're in the right place. Hourglass Payments is the secure payment processor behind several mobile ordering apps you may have used, including Empact, Head Over Meals, Goldenspoon, Canteenapp and BiteOnSite.

See which app charged me Contact support
Bank Statement •••• 4829
09 APR GROCERY CO LTD R 412.50
08 APR HOURGLASS PAYMENTS R 89.00
07 APR FUEL STATION R 750.00
06 APR PHARMACY R 156.20
The apps we power

If you used one of these apps,
we processed the payment.

Check the icons below against the apps on your phone. One of them is almost certainly the reason you see "Hourglass Payments" on your statement.

Empact

Mobile ordering

On-the-go ordering and cashless payments. If you've ordered through the Empact app, the charge appears as Hourglass Payments.

Visit Empact

Head Over Meals

Mobile ordering

Meal ordering made simple. Any purchase made through the Head Over Meals app appears as Hourglass Payments on your statement.

Visit Head Over Meals

Goldenspoon

Mobile ordering

Premium food ordering app. Meals and beverages purchased through Goldenspoon are processed by Hourglass Payments.

Visit Goldenspoon

BiteOnSite

Also known as Canteenapp

Canteen, workplace and institutional ordering. Charges from both the BiteOnSite and Canteenapp apps appear as Hourglass Payments.

Visit BiteOnSite

Don't recognise any of these apps? Get in touch and we'll investigate within one business day.

Don't recognise the charge?

Before you file a dispute,
try these three things.

Chargebacks are slow and costly for everyone. We can almost always resolve a mystery charge faster than your bank can, often within an hour.

1

Check with your household

Ask family members, partners, or anyone with access to your card whether they ordered something through Empact, Head Over Meals, Goldenspoon, Canteenapp or BiteOnSite.

This resolves over 60% of "unknown" Hourglass charges.
2

Check the apps on your phone

Open each of our apps you have installed and look at your order history. The transaction date and amount will match what's on your statement.

Look for orders from the same date as the charge.
3

Contact us directly

Still stuck? Email us with the date, amount, and last 4 digits of the card. We'll trace the transaction, identify the app, and issue a refund directly if it's genuinely unauthorised.

We respond within one business day, usually faster.
Get in touch

Talk to a human.
We'll sort it out.

Our support team resolves 95% of billing queries without needing your bank to get involved. Reach out before filing a chargeback. It's faster for you and cheaper for everyone.

support@vands.co.za Support, refunds & disputes
Average response time: under 4 hours, business days
Security & compliance

A legitimate, certified
payment processor.

Hourglass Payments is held to the same security and compliance standards as every major global payment processor. Your card data is encrypted end-to-end, tokenised at rest, and never stored by our merchant partners.

PCI DSS Level 1 Highest standard
SOC 2 Type II Audited annually
3D Secure 2 Full support
Encrypted E2E Your data, protected
Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

Why do I see "Hourglass Payments" on my bank statement?

Hourglass Payments is the payment processor behind several mobile ordering apps: Empact, Head Over Meals, Goldenspoon, Canteenapp and BiteOnSite. When you pay inside one of those apps, the charge appears on your statement under our company name rather than the app name.

This is completely normal and how most payment processors work (think "Stripe" or "SQ *" on your statement). It is not fraud.

Is Hourglass Payments a scam or phishing charge?

No. Hourglass Payments is a legitimate, PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. We handle transactions for a small group of mobile ordering apps and nothing else. If you or someone in your household ordered food or paid through one of our partner apps, the charge is genuine.

If you're still uncertain, email support@vands.co.za and we'll trace the exact transaction for you.

How do I get a refund?

Email support@vands.co.za with:

• The date of the charge
• The amount
• The last 4 digits of the card used

We'll identify which app the payment came from and process the refund directly, almost always faster than filing a chargeback with your bank.

I didn't download any of these apps. How am I being charged?

The most common explanation is that someone else in your household (a partner, child, or family member with access to your card) has one of the apps installed and placed an order.

Check with them first. If nobody recognises the charge, contact us immediately at support@vands.co.za so we can investigate potential card fraud together.

Should I file a chargeback with my bank?

Please contact us first. Chargebacks are slow (often 30-90 days), generate bank fees for everyone involved, and usually end with the same outcome we can give you in an hour: a refund.

We'd much rather sort the issue directly. It's faster, cheaper, and doesn't hurt anyone's banking relationship.

Why doesn't the app name appear on my statement instead?

Bank statements are limited to a short "merchant descriptor" field, and when a single payment processor handles multiple brands, it's standard practice for the processor name to appear. Most major banks and card networks require this.

We're working on showing more context where possible, but in the meantime, this page exists so anyone googling "Hourglass Payments" immediately knows which apps we power.

Can I see a record of my transaction?

Yes. Open the app you think placed the order (Empact, Head Over Meals, Goldenspoon, Canteenapp or BiteOnSite) and check the "Orders" or "History" tab inside the app. You'll see every transaction with the exact date, items, and amount.

If you can't find a matching order in any of the apps, email us and we'll pull the record from our side.