During these trying times of COVID-19 it is prudent to use your credit card wisely to keep your head above water. We have the know-how to make sure you stay debt-free and enjoy the benefits that come with your credit card.

  • Interest free periods

    We offer a 57-day interest free period on our Absa Credit Cards. What this means is that you can spend on your credit card and repay what you owe within the interest-free period without incurring interest. Some consumers are scared of using credit cards, but a credit card provides you with protection and rewards unlike any other card, so it’s a good idea to use it to shop. You don’t ever have to incur interest on your card and many customers actually choose to pay funds into their credit card, use these funds to shop and benefit from the credit provider’s Rewards programme and protection benefits. One of the protection benefits your credit card provides you with is the ability to dispute the non-delivery of goods or services. For example, if you buy a pair of shoes online using your credit card and they aren’t delivered to you and you aren’t able to resolve the matter with the online retailer, you can contact your credit provider and lodge a dispute with them to help you get your money back.

  • Set up a monthly debit order

    Life is busy, and there’s so much to remember to do in a day. Why worry about repaying your credit card instalment too? You should set up a debit order on your credit card to ensure that the amount you owe monthly is deducted from your account without you needing to remember to do it. Paying your credit card late can result in penalty interest being charged, and your credit record being negatively impacted, impacting your ability to apply successfully for credit in the future.

  • Straight and budget payments

    When making a purchase on your Absa Credit Card, you can choose between a straight or budget option.

    What is the difference?

    • When you make a payment and select the straight repayment facility, it means that you start to repay the purchase within the next month.
      • Depending on the status of your account, you generally do not incur interest on qualifying spend within the first 55/57/60 days, depending on your product and bank.
      • You need to repay a minimum percentage of your outstanding balance every month, plus agreed fees and interest at your contracted rate when you took up your credit card.  The minimum percentage payable once again depends on your product and bank, but can be either 3%, 5% or 10%. At Absa the minimum repayment percentage is 3%.
         
    • When you make a payment selecting the budget (extended terms) repayment facility, you are choosing to pay the purchase amount back over a selected period of time in set instalments.
      • The minimum repayment percentage applicable to straight payments will not apply. The budget transaction amount is divided by the number of months selected, and every month your credit card payment due will be the sum of the budget amount/transaction repayment premium (plus the associated interest) plus the minimum repayment amount on the straight facility.
      • The minimum amount for a budget transaction on an Absa Credit Card is R300.
      • You can choose a term between 3 and 60 months (3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60) when the transaction is set up via a merchant or Absa card division, and 6 to 48 months when you structure the transaction via Absa online banking.
      • Interest on the budget transaction is charged from day one.
      • Your credit facility is allocated overall between your straight and budget transactions. For budget transactions – the full purchase amount of the budget transactions is deducted from your total available credit facility.

    What to know about the budget facility

    • Your contracted interest rate applies to both budget and straight transactions.
    • If you need to buy a big-ticket item such as a television or computer and you’d like to repay it over a specific period, you could consider using the budget facility.
    • This facility can be compared to taking out a term loan where you repay in an agreed number of instalments, which means that you know exactly when you will have paid off the item in full, provided that you do not miss any repayments.
    • Consider the cost of interest over the period and whether it makes sense to use the budget facility based on the cost of the item.
    • Consider selecting the shortest budget term that you can manage to avoid interest accruing over a longer term.
    • It is important not to miss a payment at any time as additional interest and penalties may apply and your credit bureau profile may be negatively impacted. Setting up a debit order for your credit card account can assist you to avoid missing payments.
    • It is possible to decrease your outstanding balance on your budget facility by paying more than the minimum amount monthly and you can also select to pay off the full outstanding budget transaction amount at any time, or to convert it to a straight transaction.
    • Certain transactions such as fuel, cannot be purchased on the budget facility.

    Phone the number on the back of your card for assistance or for changes to your facility or structured transactions.

     

  • Save on transaction fees

    A credit card is designed to be used as a transaction tool to use when you shop. This means that you can shop using your credit card without ever needing to incur interest on the transactions, if the credit is repaid within the interest-free period. However, you will be charged for doing things that are outside of the credit card’s primary purpose. When you swipe your card, or transact via Contactless, you are not charged a transaction fee to encourage you to use it in this fashion. However, if you withdraw funds from your credit card at an ATM or transfer funds out of your credit card to pay an account, you will be charged a transaction fee. What’s more, when you withdraw cash or make a fund transfer, the interest-free period does not apply and you are charged interest from the day in which you have withdrawn or transferred funds.

    Keep safe and limit carrying excess cash with you – it increases the risk of theft and costs you money.

Need more help?

Let one of our call centre agents help you get the best account for your needs.

Apply online 24/7 or call:

0861 114 411
Weekdays 08:00 - 17:30
Saturday 08:00-13:00

General card support:

0861 462 273
Weekday: 08:00 - 20:00
Weekends: 08:00 - 13:00
 

Visit your nearest branch

For 24-hour Services:

Premium Banking

0860 109 085
International: +2711 501 5006

Private Banking

0860 553 553
International: +2711 501 5011

For Lost and stolen cards call:

0800 111 155 | Absa App

For application status updates call:

0861 114 411

Email us at:

contactcard@absa.co.za
premiumbanking@absa.co.za
privatebanking@absa.co.za