MANY seniors and other social grant beneficiaries are stressing because of the upcoming deadline for the replacement of their SASSA Gold Cards.

Last year Postbank and SASSA (the South African Social Security Agency) announced 28 February 2025 as the deadline for the replacement of SASSA Gold Cards with the new Postbank Black Card.
Beneficiaries that 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 gold cards, according to SASSA and Postbank
Postbank started replacing the gold cards with the new black cards in September 2024.  

Hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries have already changed their cards and are accessing their grants using their new cards.

To get the new Postbank Black Cards, beneficiaries only need a valid South African ID or a temporary ID. No card will be issued without these documents. 

Grant beneficiaries can replace their gold cards with the new black card conveniently where they collect their grant payments, mainly at retailers that include Shoprite, Checkers, Usave and Boxer nationwide, and Pick n Pay stores in Gauteng.

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

For any further enquiries, beneficiaries can contact Postbank or SASSA Customer Care on
0800 53 54 55 (Postbank) or 0800 60 10 11 (SASSA).

“We appeal to beneficiaries that have not yet switched to Postbank Black Cards to take the opportunity and get the new cards before the deadline of 28 February 2025, to avoid not being able to access their SASSA grant payments,” said Nikki Mbengashe, Postbank CEO in the statement.

Getting the new card is also free of charge for all beneficiaries.

The new Postbank Black Cards work on all the National Payment System channels that include ATMs, retailer’s point-of-sale machines and any place that accepts a bank card. There is no waiting period for when they can start using the card for transactions.

Social grant beneficiaries will continue to enjoy 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

“We appeal to social grant beneficiaries not to wait for the last minute or when their cards stop working. They must get their Postbank Black Cards now at their nearby card replacement site as that will guarantee that they continue receiving their payments,” says Themba Matlou, SASSA Acting CEO in the statement.