Postbank Card vs the Old SASSA Gold Card

Postbank and SASSA have been replacing Gold Cards for more than a year, and the deadline moved before it settled on 31 August 2026. In April 2025 Postbank's chief executive told SAnews that Gold Cards would keep working until every beneficiary had moved. The final phase started in April 2026, when SAnews reported that the old cards would stop working after 31 August.

Both cards are SASSA payment cards issued through Postbank. Postbank says its SASSA card carries a biometric chip and works on Visa or Mastercard channels, and that the Black Card works on all payment channels, including ATMs and retail till points.

• Your money Black Sash says the money is still paid into the Postbank account "just like any other private bank account where cards expire and need to be replaced."
• The cost The swap is free. Postbank lists three free retail withdrawals, one free card replacement and a free monthly statement.
• Your balance SAnews reported that balances move from the Gold Card to the Black Card automatically.

1. Get a Black Card. Take your ID, or a temporary ID, to a Postbank service point inside a Shoprite, Checkers, Usave, Pick n Pay, Boxer or SPAR store. Nothing needs to be filled in. To find the nearest, dial *120*355#.
2. Or change banks. Black Sash describes an option to move your grant to a private bank, using a SASSA form that the bank completes and you hand in at a SASSA office. Private banks charge fees. SASSA's booklet says a change of account needs a recent three-month bank statement, and how to change your banking details has the steps.
3. Ask Postbank on 0800 53 54 55 if you are unsure. The gold card page has the steps and what to bring.

Postbank said there would be no extension, and that anyone still on a Gold Card after the deadline would have their payments interrupted, according to EWN. To find out where to collect a Black Card, call Postbank on 0800 53 54 55.

People have reported that Black Cards are declined at some ATMs, and that a card was swallowed. Postbank told SA People in February 2025 that a swallowed card can result from entering the wrong PIN more than three times, and that Black Cards work at all ATMs regardless of the bank.

Two workarounds are widely suggested and consistent with Postbank's own advice: ask for cash-back at a shop till, and check your balance before you assume the card is broken. Postbank lists three free retail withdrawals a month. How to check your balance sets out the ways.

If the ATM keeps your card, or the card is declined more than once, stop trying. Entering the wrong PIN more than three times can make an ATM keep the card. Call Postbank.

• Postbank: 0800 53 54 55, for cards, PINs and lost or stolen cards.
• SASSA: 0800 60 10 11, for grant payments and application status.
• Black Sash helpline: 072 663 3739 or 063 610 1865, for advice.

Never pay to have a card replaced, and never share your PIN. SASSA says it never asks for it.