In value terms, however, the difference is less stark, as cash accounts for R332 billion worth of purchases at retailers, and credit and debit cards accounting for R134 billion and R120 billion respectively. As at December 2011, there were a total of 24 063 automatic teller machines and 277 478 point of sale devices.
If one looks at the number of cards in issue, debit cards are by far the most widely used, amounting to 42 million out of a total number of cards in issuance of 62 million. Credit cards in issue are just under 8 million and gifts or pre-paid cards being the next highest at 5.8 million.