It’s been a decade since South Africans were first able to pay for petrol with a credit card. We are living in an age where people can unlock their cars using an implanted RFID chip. And the South African Traffic Department will now allow debit or credit card payments for licence renewals. Around the country, not just in the Western Cape.

We all know the hassle. You haven’t seen the blue face of Madiba on a R100 banknote in years. You’ve just arrived at the bullet-proof cashiers box at your local post office. You’ve been standing in a line with similarly-annoyed local folk for what seems like days. “Only cash,” the attendant mutters. “Where’s the closest ATM?” you hastily ask. Because, honestly, you forgot that physical money was still a thing.

Last week the South African Post Office tweeted (yep, they’re even on social media now) that motorists can now pay for licence renewals using either debit or credit cards. What took them so long? We have no idea. Maybe there has been a shortage of card terminals over the past decade.

https://twitter.com/PostofficeSa/status/1159396337672249344

This high-tech service is limited, though. You’ll only find access to card facilities at selected post offices. The only snag is that the link in the original tweet does not seem to work — which may sum up your typical post office experience rather neatly. You can, however, head here to see which branches actually have card terminals installed now.

If you’re not in the mood to time travel back to the stone age, and you bank with FNB, FNB’s nav»Car feature allows users to renew their car licences through the app, for a small fee.