The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is urging all beneficiaries to replace their current Gold Cards with the new Black Card. A strict deadline has been set, and beneficiaries must act fast to avoid disruption in accessing their grants.
Sassa manages various social grants, including the Children's Grant, Old Age Grant, Disability Grant, and the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant.
Why You Need to Replace Your Sassa Gold Card
Beneficiaries must replace their Gold Cards before the end of February 2025. After this deadline, Gold Cards will be blocked, and beneficiaries will not be able to collect their grants using the old card, regardless of the expiry date.
Sassa and Postbank appeal to social grant beneficiaries to replace their Sassa gold cards with the new Postbank Black Cards by 28 February 2025.
Sassa explained that, "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 enquiries, printing of statements or retail purchases as they will be blocked"
Since the start of card replacements in September 2024, hundreds of thousands of Sassa beneficiaries have already switched to the new Black Card. February 2025 payments are the final ones to be made using the Gold Card.
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.
Benefits of the New Sassa Black Card
The new Black Card offers several benefits, including:
- One free card replacement per year
- Three free withdrawals per month
- One free monthly statement over the counter
How to Replace Your Sassa Card
Replacing your Gold Card is easy. Beneficiaries can visit their nearest Postbank branch or any participating retailer, including Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, USave, and Boxer stores, where they can also collect the new card.
Make sure to bring your ID document when collecting the new card. You can collect your Black Card at the same location where you typically collect your grant payments.
Ensuring that minimum documentation is required to get the new Postbank Black Cards is in line with Sassa and Postbank's ongoing commitment to continuously improve the customer experience of all social grant beneficiaries.
Once issued, the Black Card can be used just like a bank card at ATMs, retailers, and other locations that accept card payments. There's no waiting period to begin using the card once it's activated.
How to Find Your Nearest Card Replacement Location
To find the nearest location for a card replacement, simply dial *120*355# and press 1. Select the number for your province to get the nearest location.
The Acting CEO of Sassa, Themba Matlou, said:
Our appeal to social grant beneficiaries is that they should not wait for the last minute, or for 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.
For your safety, always keep your card and ID secure. Never share your personal information with anyone except official Sassa staff.
"Beneficiaries are also advised to be careful not to accept cards that look like Postbank Black Cards that are issued by other people and institutions under false pretenses."
