Africa - Cards and misc. questions on South Africa

Hi all,

I'm going on a class trip to South Africa in a couple months, and wanted to iron out a couple details before leaving.

1. Do debit cards have to be one of those "smart chip" cards like in Europe? I don't really want to be stuck with a non-accepted card there.

2. Tipping etiquette; I read the sticky which dates to 2007. Still valid?

3. Electricity: I read that most of SA uses a 3-prong, 220V socket; are there any places that run the European 2-prong? I'll be in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Thanks in advance for any comments and advise!

1. Do debit cards have to be one of those "smart chip" cards like in Europe? I don't really want to be stuck with a non-accepted card there.No. I have never had any issue with my non-chip ATM card. There are ATMs absolutely everywhere in SA, too.

3. Electricity: I read that most of SA uses a 3-prong, 220V socket; are there any places that run the European 2-prong?Not really. You need that bizarro SA adapter, which is (as far as I know) unique, not to mention ridiculously bulky. It is NOT the same plug shape as the UK 3-prong.

Please follow this thread in the FT Africa Forum.
Thanks...
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Hi all,

I'm going on a class trip to South Africa in a couple months, and wanted to iron out a couple details before leaving.

1. Do debit cards have to be one of those "smart chip" cards like in Europe? I don't really want to be stuck with a non-accepted card there.

2. Tipping etiquette; I read the sticky which dates to 2007. Still valid?

3. Electricity: I read that most of SA uses a 3-prong, 220V socket; are there any places that run the European 2-prong? I'll be in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Thanks in advance for any comments and advise!

1) You should be fine with a non-chip debit card, though I´d always recommend having a second (credit) card with you

2) 10%-15% in restaurants, round up or 10% for taxis

3) Some upscale hotels have both SA 3-prong outlets and the European style 2-prong outlets, however I´d definitely buy an adapter for the 3-prong SA outlets as youth hostels, private homes etc. will most likely only have those

3) Some upscale hotels have both SA 3-prong outlets and the European style 2-prong outlets, however I´d definitely buy an adapter for the 3-prong SA outlets as youth hostels, private homes etc. will most likely only have those

That has been my experience, too. Some of the South African upscale hotels and safari lodges do have both types of outlets.
However, my husband and I always pack a SA 3 prong type.
We bought ours at our local luggage/travel store.
I believe you can find the SA adaptor on Amazon as well.

Okay, thanks for all the replies. Will check with the hotels to see what they have, and probably will buy an adapter anyway to be safe.

I have several of those adaptors because so many of our appliances come with European plugs on them! They are very widely available. I bought one recently in Pick 'n Pay, a big grocery store chain, for about ZAR110 (which I thought was rather expensive actually - but haven't compared). In many hotels the bathroom will have a shaving plug which takes the European plug pins.

I have only this year received my first ZA chip & pin card. All my others are still without a chip (but will presumably have one when they get renewed over time). So no problems at all using cards without a chip.

I have only this year received my first ZA chip & pin card.I've used foreign chip & PIN cards many times in SA. My cards are chip & PIN, not chip & sign. Nevertheless, almost invariably, I am asked to sign the chitty after the transaction has been authorised.

When the chitty says 'No signature required', I have been known to 'sign' 'No signature required'. :eek: (It makes a change from M Mouse.)

More seriously, I noted that on check in at certain hotels - specifically City Lodge, but perhaps others - the desk clerks write down card details INCLUDING the 3-digit CVV code on the back designed specifically for card-not-present payments such as mail order and online.

So they have my name, passport number, card number and CVV number and more. Hello, identity theft! This must surely be against Visa/MC regulations.

Last time at the CL V&A, I asked them not to do this, explaining why, and they agreed. They said it was in case they needed to charge unpaid items after departure. Of course, as hotels they would be able to do that anyway without using the CVV number.

This is one aspect of using cards in SA that I do not like.

I've used foreign chip & PIN cards many times in SA. My cards are chip & PIN, not chip & sign. Nevertheless, almost invariably, I am asked to sign the chitty after the transaction has been authorised. Yes, I get a mixture of responses all the time - when asked I just sign but I think "what the heck was the PIN for??".

This is one aspect of using cards in SA that I do not like.
You are probably wise to be cautious. There have been numerous cases of card fraud in ZA with tourists particularly targeted for card cloning. That is why most restaurants these days process your card at the table - visitors are strongly advised not to let their cards out of their sight when making payments.

Was in SA in May. No problem at all with my mag strip credit cards. Everything was the strange SA outlets. Plug adapters are cheap, so buy several. I have a tendency to leave these behind.

Have a great time.

Adapters for European mainland type plugs are very easy to get, even most supermarkets will have them. They are known as 'double adapters'. Adapters for UK or US plugs are much more tricky to find (and also the voltage is 240 in SA). Many hotels will have 'shaver plugs' in the bathroom, they take both European and US and are dual voltage. You can charge laptops and 'phones with those (but that of course is not a uniquely SA thing, I have charged my laptop in the bathroom in many countries!)