What you'll notice
Intermittent card errors that come and go, often improving briefly after the card is removed and reinserted, and worsening over time.
Why it happens
Physical wear on the gold contacts from repeated removal, or damage from bending, heat, moisture or a cleaning attempt with alcohol or an abrasive.
Cards do wear out, though far less often than they are blamed. The distinguishing feature is intermittency that responds to reseating: pull it out, put it back, it works for a while, then fails again.
What damages a card
- Repeated removal. Every insertion abrades the plating slightly. There is no reason to periodically remove a working card, despite what the internet says.
- Cleaning with the wrong thing. Alcohol, solvents, erasers and abrasive cloths all strip plating. A dry lint-free cloth is the only safe option.
- Bending. The chip is rigid and the plastic is not. A card carried in a wallet or pocket can crack internally with no visible mark.
- Heat and moisture. A car dashboard will kill a card; so will a damp environment over time.
Card or reader?
Substitution answers it. If another card reads correctly in your decoder, your card is worn. If no card reads, the reader has failed and the box is the problem. We carry a test card precisely so this question does not require guesswork.
Replacement
New cards come from MultiChoice, not from us — take the old card and your account details to a branch or arrange it through self-service. We would rather tell you that in a two-minute phone call than take a callout fee to deliver the same news at your house.
How we fix it
We confirm whether the card or the reader is at fault by substitution, and advise you accordingly — a worn card needs replacing through MultiChoice, which is a quick errand rather than an installation job.
Still not working?
If the checks above haven't restored your smart card, this usually needs a technician. Our DStv Error Code Repairs service covers exactly this fault — from R450, quoted upfront.