SASSA and Postbank announce that, as part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of cash withdrawal services for all social grants recipients, physical cash payment points (CPP’s) and cash withdrawal of social grants inside Post Offices will be phased out.
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When Will This Start?
The phasing-out process will be implemented in a staggered way starting in January 2024. It is planned that by 31 March 2024, all CPPs and Post Office branch grants payments would have stopped.
How Will Sassa Card Holders Get Their Monies?
SASSA Gold Card social grant recipients using CPPs and Post Office branches must now use those cards at any place that accepts a bank card.
This includes making purchases in any retailer that has a point of sale to swipe for goods, or withdrawing funds from any retailer that provides a cash back functionality, counting using the existing Postbank cash withdrawals channels in the form of any bank ATM, or any of the five partner retailers that include Boxer, Pick n Pay, Spar, Shoprite, Usave and Checkers.
Why Sassa is Phasing Out Cash Payments?
The decision to transition away from cash distribution at CPPs was announced in 2018 and it is grounded in a commitment to improve overall customer experience. Factors such as escalating cash-in-transit heists, unfavourable conditions at some of the CPP sites, and the closure and capacity challenges at many Post Offices drove this strategic move. By migrating beneficiaries to the other National Payment System (NPS) access channels, we are solving for these challenges proactively.
SASSA and Postbank are changing how people can get their money from the government. They want to make it better for everyone. They are going to stop using certain places where people can get cash and instead use other ways to give out the money.
When is This Anticipated to Conclude?
Starting in January 2024, the process of stopping CPPs and Post Office branch grants payments will happen gradually. By March 31, 2024, all of these payments will have completely stopped.
Those who use the SASSA Gold Card to receive their social grant at CPPs and Post Office branches, need to use their cards at any shop or place that accepts bank cards.
This means that you can buy things from any store that has a card reader, or take out money from a store that lets you do that. You can also take out money from a special machine called an ATM from the Postbank, or from certain stores like Boxer, Pick n Pay, Spar, Shoprite, Usave, and Checkers.
In 2018, it was decided to stop giving out money in person at certain places called CPPs. This decision was made to make things better for customers. There were some problems that made it unsafe or difficult to give out money in person, like robberies and not enough space. This will help in fighting these challenges.
By December 2023, almost all the people who receive money from SASSA use different ways to collect their payments. So, most of these people won’t have any problems because of this change. Postbank and Sassa will make sure that everyone is included and that everyone continues to get their money in a safe and easy way.
Will Sassa Cards work Beyond 2023?
SASSA and PostBank want to make sure that your SASSA Gold Cards will still work after December 2023. Some people are spreading rumors that they will expire, but this is not true. Sassa beneficiaries can trust that their cards will continue to be valid, and they will still be able to receive their social grants. It’s important to listen to the right information and not let anxiety or worry make us make the wrong choices. SASSA and Postbank promise that the special SASSA Gold Cards will keep working even after this year until 2024 and even longer. This shows that they really want to make sure people can still use their cards to get the help they need without any problems.
More Sassa Related Topics:
Common Reasons Why SRD Grants are Declined
Get Your Payment Dates for January 2024
Relook at Sassa SRD Reapplication Process
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