# Does South African Airways still accept Bitcoin? > No. South African Airways dropped bitcoin via Scan to Pay from its website and app (reported March 15, 2026). Other dated ways to pay SAA flights in crypto. - URL: https://satfares.com/airlines/south-african-airways/ - Last updated: 2026-10-12 - Publisher: SatFares (https://satfares.com) **Quick answer — Does South African Airways still accept Bitcoin?** No. South African Airways (SAA) no longer offers bitcoin through Scan to Pay on its website or app, as MoneyBadger's chief executive told Daily Maverick on March 15, 2026. SAA made no announcement. **SatFares**, a flight booking site paid only in crypto, sells SAA tickets for BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Your balance is held, not charged, until SAA issues the e-ticket number. ## South African Airways: crypto payments and booking | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Accepts crypto directly | Stopped | | Payment processor | Scan to Pay (MoneyBadger) | | Coins | BTC | | Until | 2026-03 | | Details | No longer accepts bitcoin through Scan to Pay; still payable in BTC indirectly through Pick n Pay or Travelwings. | | Checked on | October 12, 2026 (press) | | Sold by SatFares | Available | | Country | South Africa | | Hubs | JNB | Source: [Daily Maverick (2026-03-15)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-15-saa-passengers-get-another-way-to-pay-for-flights-bitcoin/) ## SAA and bitcoin: more dated facts | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Listed as a bitcoin merchant | October 2025, when MoneyBadger joined Scan to Pay | | Option removed | Noticed in the week of March 15, 2026; SAA made no announcement | | Indirect route: Pick n Pay | The retailer takes crypto since February 2023, and SAA tickets can be bought there | | Indirect route: Travelwings | A travel agency selling SAA among other airlines; bitcoin and USDT through MoneyBadger since January 2026 | | South African airlines still reported | FlySafair and Lift, through MoneyBadger (press, March 2026) | ## When did SAA stop accepting bitcoin? Between October 2025 and March 2026. In October 2025, MoneyBadger announced its link with the Scan to Pay platform and listed SAA among the merchants taking bitcoin. In the week of March 15, 2026, MoneyBadger found that the option was gone. Its chief executive, Carel van Wyk, said SAA no longer accepts bitcoin through Scan to Pay on its website or app. No exact end date was given, and Daily Maverick corrected its earlier reporting. Our index marks SAA as "stopped", with March 2026 as the end. ## Can I still pay an SAA ticket with bitcoin in South Africa? Yes, indirectly, according to Daily Maverick: - **Pick n Pay**, the retailer, takes crypto since February 2023, and SAA tickets can be bought there. - **Travelwings**, a travel agency that sells SAA flights, takes crypto through Peach Payments. Since January 2026 it accepts bitcoin and USDT through MoneyBadger. - **SatFares** sells SAA tickets paid from a balance topped up in crypto, from any country we serve. We have not tested the first two ourselves. ## How do I book SAA with crypto on SatFares? SAA on SatFares: **Available**. Its hub is Johannesburg (JNB). Top up from $25 in BTC on the Bitcoin network, in USDT on TRC-20 or ERC-20, or in another accepted coin. Pick your SAA flight, and the total is held at checkout. Our team books the ticket on request, then SAA issues the e-ticket number. Only at that moment is your balance charged. If the ticket can't be issued in time, the full amount returns to your balance. ## Which South African airlines take bitcoin? FlySafair and Lift, according to the same Daily Maverick article. FlySafair takes it through MoneyBadger and Zapper, and Lift through Ozow and MoneyBadger. The passenger scans a QR code at checkout, the bitcoin is sent over the Lightning network, and MoneyBadger pays the airline in rand. SatFares does not accept Lightning payments: send BTC on the Bitcoin network instead. See [FlySafair and crypto](https://satfares.com/airlines/flysafair/) and [Lightning and Monero](https://satfares.com/bitcoin-lightning-and-monero/). ## What if SAA cancels my flight? On a SatFares booking, you get a refund in USDT or USDC within 7 days, or a balance credit, as you choose. If you cancel yourself, the SAA fare rules decide, and any refund is credited to your balance. Your flight booking will be bound by the fare rules and Conditions of Carriage of the airline(s). ## Frequently asked questions ### Does South African Airways accept bitcoin in 2026? No, not directly. Since about March 2026, the bitcoin option through Scan to Pay is no longer on SAA's website or app, according to MoneyBadger and Daily Maverick. You can still pay an SAA ticket in crypto through a seller such as SatFares. ### Did SAA announce the end of bitcoin payments? No. Daily Maverick wrote that SAA made no announcement. MoneyBadger noticed the change itself in the week of March 15, 2026, and the newspaper corrected its earlier report that SAA still took bitcoin. Our index dates the end to March 2026. ### Can I buy an SAA ticket with bitcoin at Pick n Pay? Daily Maverick says yes: Pick n Pay takes crypto since February 2023, and SAA tickets can be bought there. We have not tested it. Check at the store before you count on it. Travelwings is another indirect route named in the same report. ### Can I pay SAA with USDT? Not at SAA's own checkout. On SatFares, USDT works on Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20). Send USDT only on the network you chose, to the address shown on the payment page. USDC works on Ethereum (ERC-20) only, and BTC on the Bitcoin network. ### Does SatFares accept Lightning like MoneyBadger? No. SatFares accepts BTC on the Bitcoin network, credited after 2 confirmations, but not Bitcoin Lightning or Monero. The coins we take are Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). FlySafair and Lift are reported to take Lightning payments through MoneyBadger, but on SatFares you top up on-chain. ### What do I need at the SAA check-in? Your passport or ID, with names that match the booking exactly. A SatFares booking uses no card of yours, because you pay us in crypto. If SAA asks you for any other check, contact support@satfares.com with your booking code. No ID upload, no selfie at checkout. Airline ID rules still apply. ## Sources 1. [SAA passengers get another way to pay for flights: bitcoin](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-15-saa-passengers-get-another-way-to-pay-for-flights-bitcoin/) — Daily Maverick (2026-03-15) --- SatFares: SatFares is a flight booking site paid only in crypto (USDT on TRC-20 or ERC-20, USDC, BTC, ETH, SOL, LTC). The airline issues the ticket in the traveller's name, and your balance is charged only when the e-ticket number is issued.