Click and collect in branch
Order your money online and pick it up in your nearest participating branch.
Buy travel money
- Buy South African rand online at Post Office
- Check the GBP to South African rand exchange rate for the best deal
- Order your South African rand online and pick up in branch the next working day
South Africa: get your rand ready
Breathtakingly beautiful, culturally diverse and easier on the wallet that you might expect, South Africa has to be seen to be believed.
If you’re making the trip, order your South African rand online from Post Office, buy currency in thousands of branches or load it onto a Travel Money Card.
Order holiday money online for home delivery or to pick up at your nearest branch. Orders placed before 3pm on a working day will be ready the next working day.
We’ll buy back any spare currency notes you bring home or refund all of your currency within 28 days or purchase if your trip gets cancelled. And we can arrange travel insurance for your trip too.
Get our best rates online. The more you buy the better the rate.
Get your South African currency from us
A few reasons to get your holiday money at Post Office:
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0% commission and competitive rates on over 60 foreign currencies
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Order travel money online or in thousands of participating branches
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Order South African rand online for a better rate (minimum order value: £400)
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Get a better rate for South African rand the more you spend
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Collect in any of the 11,500 Post Office branches around the UK
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Or get free home delivery on online orders of £500 or more (£4.99 charge if under £500)
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Get next-working-day delivery if you order on a weekday
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Order on Friday for home delivery on Saturday
Home delivery
Order between £500 and £2500 for free home deliver on a working day.
Travel smart in South Africa
You can top up our Travel Money Card with up to 22 currencies, including South African rand. Accepted wherever you see the Mastercard® symbol. And manage them online with our travel app.
What do things cost in South Africa?
Our reports help you get an idea of what things cost in many popular destinations worldwide. Here’s what we found about South Africa.
Three-course meal for two
£34.64
Suncream
£8.41
Cup of coffee
£1.31
How far will your currency go in South Africa?
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Although more expensive than many of its neighbours, travelling through the cities and savannahs of South Africa is normally cheaper than touring Europe or North America
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You’ll be astounded by the awe-inspiring beauty, magnificent wildlife, cultural diversity and high levels of comfort your money can get you
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At the other end of the scale, the country’s more upscale hotels and wildlife lodges can cost several thousand rand per day. But there’s also plenty of middle ground and most visitors should be able to travel comfortably on a few hundred rand per day
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We’ve got plenty of information on visiting South Africa – and don’t forget the importance of travel insurance
Some common questions
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The South African rand is the official currency of the Republic of South Africa. It’s abbreviated to ZAR and its issuing authority is the South African Reserve Bank.
There are legal limits on the amount of money, both in rand and in other currencies, that you’re allowed to take into South Africa with you. You need to declare currency you’re carrying if it’s over a certain amount. This amount can change, so make sure you check before you travel.
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Notes: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand
Coins: 1, 2 and 5 rand and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents
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While the South African rand is the legal currency of South Africa, it’s also used as currency in the Common Monetary Area between South Africa, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and Lesotho. Areas of these countries also use the South African rand in addition to their own currencies.
Namibia was formerly part of this union but, even though the South African rand has now been replaced by the Namibian dollar, it’s still widely accepted there. Other unofficial users of the currency are Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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It’s easy to buy South African rand online at Post Office or in thousands of participating branches. Find your nearest branch that sells currency.
Order travel money online and you can choose either to pick up in any branch, or home delivery (free for orders over £500). Order by 3pm on a working day to get either service the next working day.
Another way to take your holiday money is on a Travel Money Card. You can load this prepaid Mastercard with up to 22 currencies, including the South African rand, and manage it with the free Post Office Travel app.
To get a better rate, order online, buy more holiday money at one time. And, if you can, do it when the South African rand exchange rate is good.
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The 200 rand banknote is the highest value denomination in the South African currency. The lowest denomination is the 1 cent coin (worth about 0.00044 pence in GBP at the time of writing).
- Read all travel money FAQs
Popular currencies
Visiting several countries on the same trip or as part of future travel plans? These other currencies might be of interest.
Post Office Travel Money Card is an electronic money product issued by First Rate Exchange Services Ltd pursuant to license by Mastercard International. First Rate Exchange Services Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with number 4287490 whose registered office is Great West House, Great West Road, Brentford, TW8 9DF, (Financial Services Register No. 900412). Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.