How To Withdraw Money From a Capitec ATM Without a Card

Are you looking for a way to withdraw money from a Capitec ATM without a card? Whether you've lost your card, forgot it at home, or simply want to try out Capitec's cardless payment methods, you'll have several different options at your disposal.

In this guide, we go over how to use Capitec Masterpass and Send Cash as the two most practical methods to withdraw money from your Capitec account without a card, as well as explore some helpful workarounds when you don't have your bank card on hand.

Option 1 — Scan With Capitec Masterpass

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Instead of withdrawing physical cash from an ATM, Capitec allows you to make payments without using neither cash nor your card at all. This can be done using the Capitec Masterpass app, which you can download on your cellphone and used to scan QR codes to automatically pay using your Capitec bank account balance.

You'll be able to scan QR codes with any merchant who allows payments SnapScan, Zapper, or Masterpass QR — which constitutes an increasingly large number of merchants nationwide (mostly among small stores, but also among major brands such as DStv, SABC, Takealot, Quicket, Mango Airlines, and Pathcare).

Paying via QR code is completely free and only requires you to add your card or cards in advance onto the Masterpass app. When you want to pay (online and in-person), you'll just need to aim your camera at the QR code generated by the cashier and then enter your PIN on your cellphone. This is the most savvy way to pay with Capitec without a card, although it won't suit you if you're actually in need of physical cash banknotes.

What You'll Need

1. Your cellphone.
2. Capitec Masterpass app (available on Apple and Android).
3. At least one debit or credit card to add to the app.

Option 2 — Use Send Cash

Ossewa (CC BY-SA 4.0, modified)

The easiest way to withdraw money from a Capitec ATM without a card is to use the Send Cash feature. This option allows you to send money from your cellphone (via the Capitech Banking App or by SMS) to be collected using a unique reference number and four-digit PIN (which you set yourself). You can use Send Cash to send money to yourself or to other people, in which case you'll need to share the reference and PIN with them.

Once the money is sent, you can collect it at any of the following locations nationwide:

• Capitec ATMs;
• Shoprite stores;
• Checkers stores;
• Usave stores;
• Game stores;
• Makro stores;
• Pick n Pay stores;
• Builders stores.

Note that you can only send a maximum of R1,000 per transaction per day via SMS and R3,000 per transaction per day in the app using Send Cash. This makes it an easy way to withdraw small amounts of cash you send to yourself, but can be limiting if you're wanting to make a larger cash withdrawal.

What You'll Need

1. Reference number (received via SMS once the money is sent).
2. Four-digit secret code (set by the sender).

Option 3 — Use Another Account or Card

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If you don't have a Capitec card, you may well have another bank account, debit card, or credit card to use to withdraw money from at an ATM instead. If you have a debit card linked to another bank account, you can even transfer money from your Capitec account to the associated bank account. Once the transfer arrives (which usually takes less than two working days), you'll be able to withdraw money from an ATM with your debit card using cash that had initially been from your Capitec account.

However, naturally enough, this method won't work if you've lost or forgotten your entire wallet along with your Capitec card!

What You'll Need

1. An account and card from another bank or app or
2. A credit card.

Option 4 — Ask a Friend To Do It for You

Taylor Smith on Unsplash

If you have a friend who banks with Capitec or any other bank and is ready and available to help, then asking them to withdraw the money for you is an excellent option if you don't have a Capitec card yourself.

The good news is that if your friend is also a Capitec customer, they'll be able to use Send Cash (just as we discussed above) to send money to you. Once they provide you with the reference number and their secret code, you'll be able to head to a Capitec ATM or a partner store to withdraw the cash.

What You'll Need

1. A friend.
2. A cellphone.

Option 5 — Use a Global Debit Card

Whether you don't own a Capitec card, lost it, or forgot it at home, the most effective way to withdraw cash is to use a prepaid debit card specially designed for low-fee transactions — including cashpoint withdrawals.

Using a competitive travel card product, you can dodge cash withdrawal fees altogether, even when travelling overseas and spending in a foreign currency. (The only costs you might incur in these instances could be network fees from the cash machine itself or a small Visa or Mastercard exchange rate markup, although it depends on the card.)

If you travel abroad from the UK often, one of the best options available is Wise's Multi-Currency Account, which gives you access to a current online account, multi-currency balances, and a debit card.

Once you're signed up, you'll be able to take advantage of the following unique features:

• Local bank details in the US, Eurozone, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Romania, Canada, Hungary, and Turkey;
• Hold, exchange, and top-up up to 56 currencies;
• A virtual Visa debit card that's handy for paying in foreign currencies without the hidden fees;
• Access to Wise's powerful international money transfer service right from your account balance.

What You'll Need

1. Proof of residence in SA.
2. A valid ID (e.g. driver's license, passport, ID, etc.).