Magnetic swipe cards will no longer be accepted at South African toll plazas from 1 December 2025.
This forms part of the South African National Roads Agency’s (Sanral) transition to contactless payment technology.
The agency is rolling out Tap & Go, allowing road users to pay toll fees using bank cards or mobile devices with EMV-compliant tap-to-pay.
Tap-to-pay at SA toll plazas
Sanral confirmed that all its self-managed toll booths, including those along the N1, N2, N3, N4, and N17, will support tap-to-pay by the end of 2025 following a phased rollout that began in October and November.
As reported by Mybroadband, most toll lanes on the N3 Toll Concession and N4 TRAC routes already offer contactless payments, having introduced the feature in 2024.
The only remaining network still completing its transition is Bakwena, which operates toll plazas on the N1 between Pretoria and Mookgophong and the N4 between Swartruggens and Doornpoort.
Bakwena confirmed that its system, using FNB and Verifone terminals, is already in testing and will go live across all plazas in the fourth quarter of 2025.
A shift driven by security and upcoming banking rules
The move away from magnetic stripes is partly driven by upcoming banking regulations requiring their phase-out due to vulnerability to skimming and card cloning.
Toll booths have long been flagged by the South African National Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) and police as hotspots for card fraud, largely because motorists often cannot see their cards once handed to attendants through high booth windows.
Sanral has previously rejected claims that cloning happens at its facilities, saying criminals typically arrive with already cloned cards. However, banks and Sabric have repeatedly advised motorists to avoid handing over cards at toll gates where possible.
The rollout of tap-to-pay is expected to reduce this risk significantly, allowing drivers to keep their cards, or digital wallets, in their own hands.
With every major toll operator now committed to tap-to-pay, South African motorists can expect a faster and safer toll payment experience nationwide during this busy festive season and beyond.
