SASSA and Postbank are urging social grant beneficiaries to replace their SASSA Gold Cards with the new Postbank Black Cards before the February 28, 2025 deadline to ensure they can continue accessing their grant payments without disruption.

It warned that beneficiaries who fail to get Postbank Black Cards before the deadline are advised that they will not be able to access their SASSA grant payments with the SASSA Gold Cards.

“After this deadline, Gold Cards will not function to withdraw cash from all ATMs and retailers, and they will also not be allowed for transactions such as balance inquiries, the printing of statements, or retail purchases as they will be blocked.”

Postbank started replacing SASSA Gold Cards with the new Postbank Black Cards in September 2024.

SASSA said hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries have already changed their cards and are accessing their grants using the Postbank Black Cards.

Other beneficiaries are encouraged to collect their new Postbank Black Cards, as after this deadline, the SASSA Gold Cards will no longer be valid for any transactions.

Nikki Mbengashe, Postbank CEO, explained that beneficiaries who have not yet switched to Postbank Black cards should get the new cards before the deadline of February 28, 2025, to avoid being unable to access their SASSA grant payments.

“All current SASSA Gold Cards in everyone’s possession will stop working on February 28, 2025, irrespective of the expiry date written on the card. Please go to your nearest Postbank site, which is mainly located at one of the retailers near you, including Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Usave, and Boxer, and get your Postbank Black Card to continue transacting.”

What should you do to get the Postband Black Card:

To get the new Postbank Black Cards, beneficiaries are only required to have a valid South African ID or a temporary ID.

No card will be issued without these documents. Ensuring that minimum documentation is required to get the new Postbank Black Cards is in line with SASSA and Postbank’sPostbank’s ongoing commitment to continuously improve the customer experience of all social grant beneficiaries.

Getting the new Postbank Black Card is also free of charge for all beneficiaries, something that supports Postbank’sPostbank’s financial inclusion mandate and SASSA’sSASSA’s social welfare responsibilities.

The new Postbank Black Cards work in all the National Payment System channels that include ATMs, retailer’sretailer’s point-of-sale machines and any place that accepts a bank card immediately after being issued to a beneficiary, so there is no waiting period for when they can be used for transactions.

The new cards also have updated safety and card features.

The great news for social grant beneficiaries is that they will continue enjoying the same benefits that they are getting from the Gold Cards when switching to the new Postbank Black Cards and these include:
• One free card replacement per year
• 3 free withdrawals in stores per month
• 1 free monthly statement over the counter

Here is how to see where you can collect your black Postbank card:

Postbank has also made it easy for beneficiaries to locate the nearest place in every province where they can collect their Postbank Black Cards. All they need to do from the comfort of their homes is to use their cellphone and:
1. Dial: *120*218*3#
2. To continue, reply by pressing number: 1; and
3. Reply with the number representing the province they live in.

It furthermore said they are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind and all grant beneficiaries conveniently replace their cards. To achieve this, Postbank has ensured that it selects the card replacement sites in line with the withdrawal preference patterns of the beneficiaries.

Grant beneficiaries can conveniently replace their SASSA Gold Cards with new Postbank Black Cards where they collect their grant payments, mainly at retailers that include Shoprite, Checkers, Usave, Boxer nationwide, and Gauteng Pick n Pay stores.

“Our strategy for where we chose to issue our cards is based on where customers already get their grants now. We have worked with these retailers because they are familiar to our customers and we endeavored to be as close as possible to where most beneficiaries are in each province,” says Mbengashe.

SASSA and Postbank assure grant beneficiaries and the public that there will not be any interruptions in the payments of social grants.

Beneficiaries are advised to always be wary of criminal elements that often capitalize on busy cycles of economic activity to perpetrate scams. We ask them to be extra careful with their IDs and always ensure that the person to whom they hand their ID to is an authorized official, and they must always keep their cards safely in their purses and wallets when not using them.

Beneficiaries are also advised to be careful not to accept cards that look like Postbank Black Cards that other people and institutions issue under false pretenses.

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