Payment methods across the Mayfair precinct
Where cash, cards and transfers each work in a complex that is far more than a gaming floor.
Play online →The Mayfair complex is a precinct, so payment splits by where you are standing. Cards cover the 90-room Mayfair Hotel, the three restaurants on site and the 60,000 m² BT Ngebs City centre next door. The gaming floor runs on rand: notes into machines whose denominations start at 1c and reach R25, or cash exchanged for chips at one of the 6 tables from 11:00. Electronic transfer is the usual route for bookings made in advance and normally reflects within 2 working days. The Mayfair Rewards card records play but pays for nothing.
Paying your way around the precinct
- Everything in the complex is priced in rand, so the practical question is not which method is accepted but where each one is convenient.
- Cards are the natural choice across the 60,000 m² BT Ngebs City centre, the three restaurants on site and the 90-room Mayfair Hotel next door.
- Cash is the natural choice on the gaming floor, where machine denominations run from 1c to R25 and chips are bought at the table.
- Electronic transfer is the usual route for a hotel booking or a function arranged in advance, and it typically reflects within 2 working days.
- The Mayfair Rewards card sits alongside all of this. It records play and carries loyalty value, but it is not a means of payment.
- Bring both a card and some cash rather than one or the other: Mthatha is roughly 230 km from East London, so a wrong assumption is an expensive drive.
- Larger cash movements at the cash desk are recorded under South African financial-intelligence rules, so carry photo identification if a sizeable payout is possible.
Where each method fits
| Method | Works best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cash in rand | Gaming floor, tips, small purchases | Carrying more than you planned to spend |
| Debit or credit card | Hotel, restaurants, the shopping centre | Your own daily card limit |
| Electronic transfer | Advance bookings and functions | Allow up to 2 working days to reflect |
| Chips at the table | The 6 tables from 11:00 | They are cash — cash them in before you leave |
| Mayfair Rewards card | Recording play and loyalty value | It is not a payment method |
Payment methods
Cash in rand (ZAR)
| Type | Notes at the cash desk, at the tables and in the machines |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Machine denominations start at 1c |
| Maximum | Larger cash amounts are recorded and may need identification |
| Processing time | Immediate |
Bank cards (Visa and Mastercard)
| Type | South African debit and credit cards at the restaurants, the bar and the shops around the complex |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Whatever your bank allows |
| Maximum | Your own daily card limit |
| Processing time | Immediate at the till |
Electronic funds transfer (EFT)
| Type | Bank transfer, used mainly for hotel rooms, functions and conference bookings |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Set by the booking |
| Maximum | Your own banking limit |
| Processing time | Same day to 2 working days to reflect |
Mayfair Rewards card
| Type | Loyalty card, not a means of payment |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Free to join, 18 and over |
| Maximum | Points balance only |
| Processing time | Points post after play |
Why it pays to arrive with both
The precinct sits at 33 Errol Spring Avenue in Vulindlela Heights, on the periphery of the Mthatha CBD with direct access from the N2. That is convenient once you are in town, but town is roughly 230 km from East London and considerably further from Durban. Discovering that your card limit is lower than you assumed, or that you brought less cash than the evening needed, is not a five-minute problem at that distance.
It is also worth keeping the two budgets deliberately apart. Precinct spending — a room, dinner at one of the three restaurants, whatever the mall absorbs — is predictable and suits a card. Gaming spending should be a fixed amount of cash decided before you arrive. Keeping them separate is the simplest way to know at the end of the night exactly what the evening cost.
What you are paying for across the precinct
| Part of the complex | Detail |
|---|---|
| Casino | About 21,500 sq ft, 200 machines and 6 tables |
| Hotel | The Mayfair Hotel, 90 rooms, at 35 Errol Spring Avenue |
| Shopping centre | BT Ngebs City, about 60,000 m² of regional retail |
| Restaurants | 3 on site, plus a bar on the gaming floor |
| Function space | Seats up to 275 guests |
| Distance from East London | Roughly 230 km on the N2 |