Postbank has issued a final appeal to social grant beneficiaries who have not yet replaced their Sassa Gold Cards with Postbank Black Cards, warning that the deadline to complete the migration is August 31.

Spokesperson Bongani Diako said beneficiaries who fail to switch before the deadline risk disruptions to their grant payments as the gold cards are being phased out and will no longer work.

He urged beneficiaries not to wait until the August payment period or the final days before the deadline to replace their cards, as this could lead to long queues and unnecessary delays.

According to Diako, migrating early is the best way to ensure uninterrupted access to social grant payments and avoid congestion at service points.

Postbank chief commercial officer Thamsanqa Cele said the bank has already observed an increase in the number of people visiting card replacement sites.

“Based on current trends, we anticipate that queues will become considerably longer in August, which is the final month before the deadline. Beneficiaries who postpone their visit until then may experience substantial delays due to the expected increase in demand,” Cele said.

The bank said it has put the necessary resources in place to support beneficiaries throughout the migration programme, but added that the success of the process also depends on beneficiaries making use of the remaining time to replace their cards.

Postbank black cards can be collected at selected retailers, including Shoprite, Checkers, Usave, Pick n Pay, Boxer and SPAR stores.

Card replacement sites operate nationwide, Monday to Friday, from 09:00 to 17:00.

Beneficiaries can dial 120355# on their mobile phones to locate their nearest card replacement site.

Postbank said replacing a card is free of charge. Beneficiaries are required to present a valid South African identity document or a temporary identity document when replacing their cards.

The bank also appealed to beneficiaries not to visit Sassa offices unnecessarily with payment enquiries relating to gold cards or Postbank black cards.

Instead, beneficiaries who are using either a Sassa gold card or a Postbank black card are encouraged to visit a nearby Postbank service point or contact the bank’s call centre for assistance.

According to Diako, customer service staff at its service sites and contact centre are equipped to assist beneficiaries with payment-related enquiries and card issues.

These include cases where a beneficiary has not received a payment, requires assistance with a card Pin, needs a replacement card after it has been lost or stolen or experiences declined card transactions.

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