South Africa Credit Cards

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South Africa Credit Cards are available in a wide range of options, supported by well developed electronic banking infrastructure. Visa and MasterCard are accepted by about 80% of the retailers and restaurants in the nation.

Credit Card South Africa: Types

There is a wide range of credit cards offered by the banks in South Africa, such as:

  • Affinity Cards: These are available in silver and gold, Visa or MasterCard credit cards. The banks pay a percentage of the total turnover on every such card to the organization concerned (Sports Trust/Children’s’ Fund/Green Trust), at no cost to the cardholder.
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  • Student Credit Cards: These are meant for high school and college students with lower credit limits and fewer incentives to check their spending.
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  • Reward Credit Cards: These cards reward purchases in the form of cash backs or points when one spends on gas, airline, travel or finance.
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    • Business Credit Cards: These cards offer expense management services that facilitate keeping track of outgoing business money. Additional credit cards for employees may be purchased for their business travel expenses.
    • Garage Credit Cards: These cards can be used for easy payment of fuel, oil, parts, services and tollgates.
    • Co-branded Credit Cards: These cards are issued in association with airline, cell phone and retail chain brands.

    South Africa Credit Cards: Major Issuers

    The four major banks in South Africa issue credit cards:

    • ABSA: Established in 1991, this bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of ABSA Group. The credit cards offered by the bank are the Silver, Gold, Platinum, Gold Graduate and Aviation Credit Cards.
    • The First National Bank (FNB): Founded in 1987, this is a wholly owned South African company. The bank offers Smart, Silver, Gold and Platinum credit cards.
    • Nedbank: Smallest of the four largest banking groups in South Africa, the ordinary shares of Nedbank have been listed on JSE Limited since 1969. The credit cards offered by the bank include the Greenback, Classic and Gold cards.
    • Standard Bank: Established in 1862, it was listed on the JSE in 1970. The bank offers the Blue, Gold, Platinum, British Airways Gold and Orlando Pirates credit cards.

    Other banks that issue credit cards in South Africa include:

    • Barclaycard
    • Bluebean
    • Go Banking
    • RMB

    MasterCard and Visa are accepted by more merchants than American Express and Diners Club in South Africa. Special garage or petrol cards are available for petrol purchases, so fuel cannot be purchasing using credit cards. However, road tolls can be paid for with MasterCard or Visa. Some small towns do not have credit card facilities.

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