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Tap to Pay at Toll Gates: What Drivers Can Expect in South Africa by 2025
A new era for road payments
If you have ever fumbled for cash or handed over your bank card with a sigh of worry at a toll gate, change is on the horizon. By December 2025, every toll plaza in South Africa will be upgraded to accept tap-to-pay with debit cards, credit cards, and digital wallets. This move by Sanral and its concession partners signals the end of the awkward handover system that many drivers have long criticised for being slow and risky.
The rollout will begin in late 2025 at Sanral’s 30 self-managed plazas, with full coverage across the N1, N2, N3, N4, and N17 routes. Concessions such as N3TC and N4TRAC have already introduced tap-and-go, while Bakwena’s 15 toll plazas will switch on the system by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Why the shift matters
For years, toll gates have been flagged as hotspots for card fraud. Drivers often had to hand over their cards through narrow windows to cashiers sitting above them, making it difficult to monitor transactions. Security bodies like the South African Banking Risk Information Centre have highlighted the risk of cloning and skimming at these sites.
Contactless payments eliminate this issue. With a simple tap of your card or phone, transactions are processed in real time, minimising fraud and saving precious minutes on long journeys.
The bigger picture: banking rules and e-tags
This change is not just about convenience. It also ties into future banking regulations that will phase out the magnetic strip cards most vulnerable to cloning. South African merchants, from supermarkets to corner cafés, have already embraced contactless payments at record speed, and toll roads are simply catching up.
E-tags, once deeply unpopular due to their association with Gauteng’s scrapped e-toll system, are also making a comeback. Since the shutdown of e-tolls in May 2025, Sanral has reported a sharp increase in e-tag sales. These devices, preloaded with credit, offer the fastest payment option at plazas.
Public reaction: relief and scepticism
While many motorists have welcomed the news, organisations like OUTA argue that Sanral should have acted far sooner. On social media, reactions have ranged from excitement about smoother road trips between Joburg and Durban to concerns about whether the system will handle peak holiday traffic. Others are simply relieved that debit cards, not just credit cards, will be accepted, as this brings inclusivity for drivers who prefer to budget without credit.
What will still work at toll gates?
Even with the new system, cash will remain an option for those who prefer it. Digital wallets such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Garmin Wallet will all be supported. The only cards excluded are American Express, Diners, and RCS.
For South Africans used to long queues at toll plazas, this change feels overdue. Yet by the end of 2025, road trips may finally be faster, safer, and just a little less stressful.
Also read: Why South Africans Still Can’t Let Go of Cash, Even as Digital Payments Surge
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Source: MyBroadband
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