specification: API Commons Rate Limits
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/RateLimits
provider: Cellulant
providerId: cellulant
created: '2026-05-24'
modified: '2026-05-24'
reconciled: false
tags:
  - Rate Limiting
  - Payments
  - Throttling
description: |
  Cellulant Tingg does not publish a numeric public rate limit. Throttling is
  applied at the merchant and service-code level and is tunable in the Tingg
  integration dashboard. Sandbox accounts (api-approval.tingg.africa) are
  rate-limited more aggressively than production. Asynchronous callbacks and
  5xx-retry guidance govern correct client behavior.
sources:
  - https://docs.tingg.africa/reference/postpayment
  - https://docs.tingg.africa/docs/payouts-get-started
  - https://docs.tingg.africa/docs/checkout-v3-getting-started
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
  serverError: 500
algorithm: per-merchant policy
guidance:
  - For 5xx server errors on the Payouts (Beep) API, do NOT immediately retry or mark the transaction failed. Issue a BEEP.queryPayment first; only retry once status confirms the prior request was not accepted.
  - Express checkout callbacks must be acknowledged with status_code 183 (success), 180 (rejected), or 188 (received, ack later) — any other response is treated as undelivered and re-queued.
  - Payouts API is asynchronous; statusCode 139 ("Payment pending acknowledgement") triggers a callback to the configured callback URL only when `pushToOriginator` is true.
limits:
  - tier: Sandbox
    surface: All APIs
    note: Lower per-second cap; intended for integration testing.
  - tier: Production
    surface: Checkout API
    note: Per-merchant cap set by Cellulant ops; raise via support request.
  - tier: Production
    surface: Payouts (Beep) API
    note: Throughput governed by funded float balance and per-service-code cap.
  - tier: Production
    surface: Engage SMS API
    note: Burst protection per sender ID; long-code vs short-code dependent.