NSFAS Voucher | National Student Financial Aid Scheme

By | September 16, 2021


NSFAS Voucher | National Student Financial Aid Scheme

sBux is a new cellphone payment system developed by Celbux which NSFAS uses to pay allowances to students who qualify for an FSFAS bursary. sBux issues NSFAS allowances (in the form of cellphone vouchers) to students on their cellphones for the payment of food, accommodation, books and travel. These vouchers can ONLY be used at sBux registered merchants.

How safe is the sBux system?
Very! The sBux system is hosted on the Google app platform and all payments are supported by NSFAS.

What can I purchase on the site with my sBux Vouchers?
Students are able to purchase their academic or prescribed books, selected laptops and tablets.



Can my cart contain sBux as well as non-sBux products in the same transaction?
Yes absolutely, you can fill your cart with anything you like, however the sBux voucher may be used as a payment method ONLY for eligible sBux products. There are 2 steps to this process. The sBux transaction will be handled first, followed directly by the transaction for the remaining cart products.

Please note:

  • On the Checkout Details page, sBux needs to be selected as the payment option even when a split payment is required.
  • Only the sBux eligible products will be included in the sBux transaction.
  • For the remaining products, the customer will be directed to conclude the transaction using an immediate payment option i.e. either a Credit card, Debit card or Instant EFT.

How do I obtain an sBux voucher?
Students can simply follow these steps:

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  • Dial the short code *133*798#
 from your cellphone.
  • Enter your password
  • Click Send
  • Select option 1. Cash Voucher and click Send
  • Enter amount and click Send
  • You’ll receive an SMS with cash voucher number
  • This sBux voucher number can be used for the purchase

Please call the NSFAS Contact Centre at 0860 067 327 for all matters relating to sBux voucher creation and usage.

What is an eligible sBux product?
Only prescribed/ academic books, selected laptops and tablets will be eligible.

How long will the sBux voucher remain valid?
The NSFAS via Celbux will control the validity of the voucher. takealot.com simply validates whether the voucher is still redeemable. Hence, a student would need to confirm this with NSFAS.

How can I use my sBux voucher on the website?
During checkout, when selecting sBux as your payment method, a specific voucher field for sBux vouchers will be available. Here you can enter your sBux Voucher code and redeem it as payment.

The sBux voucher is being rejected on the website. Help!
When entering the sBux voucher code, be sure to capture the numbers correctly. Added spaces and dashes between the numbers should not matter. If you’re still having problems, the problem might be that the SBux voucher is not sufficient to cover the cost of the product. Otherwise, contact the NSFAS Contact Centre at 0860 067 327 for help.

Can I use an sBux voucher as payment for other products on the website?
No, sBux vouchers can only be used to purchase eligible products approved by Celbux.

Can a Takealot voucher or coupon be used in the same transaction as the sBux voucher?
Yes. If you input a Takealot voucher or coupon code, or you have credit in your Takealot account, the Takealot voucher or your account credit will be applied to the order first, and then the remaining balance will be deducted from your sBux voucher.

Why can’t I select the sBux payment option even though a book from Unisa or Academic categories has been selected?
This is because the products are not regarded as academic or prescribed books. The sBux payment option will be enabled for selection ONLY for products that have been flagged as eligible.

Takealot does not regard my prescribed book as an academic/prescribed one OR I cannot find my prescribed book. What can I do about this?
Not to worry – you can ask us a question about your prescribed book here then one of our friendly customer service agents will be in touch with you to assist.



If I decide to split payment, but the cash portion of the transaction fails, what will happen to the redeemed sBux voucher on that order?
If this occurs, please contact sBux Customer Service on 0860 067 327 immediately to request a reversal of the sBux voucher. Unfortunately the Takealot customer service can’t do this for you.

Can I complete a purchase where the value of the sBux products exceeds the value of the sBux voucher?
No – you’ll see a screen message indicating that there are insufficient funds in your sBux account.

If I order the wrong product by mistake, can I cancel the product and request the correct one?
Yes of course. There are two ways in which this can be done.

  1. If you you have not yet been notified that the product has been shipped to you, you can request a cancellation here.
  2. If the product has already been shipped, you’ll be able to log a return and request a refund via our website. Any amount paid using sBux vouchers will be credited to your sBux account.

Note: In the event of a return where multiple products were purchased with an sBux voucher, the sBux account of the student will receive a chargeback for only those products being returned.

What happens to an sBux refund where a Takealot discount voucher or coupon has been applied?
Your sBux account will only be refunded with the amount that was charged for the transaction, or the product within a transaction.

Can I request a refund of all products in the order where it is mixed cart – both sBux and non-sBux products?
Yes this is possible. Your sBux account will be credited only with the returned sBux products, and the return of the non-sBux products will be handled in the standard takealot.com manner.

Can I request that my Takealot account be credited with the amount of the returned sBux product?
No, this won’t be allowed. The Merchant terms provided by NSFAS dictates that Takealot may not provide credit in any form, to the student.

Note: In the event of a return where multiple products were purchased with an sBux voucher, the sBux account of the student will receive a chargeback for only those products being returned.

How will I know that the sBux refund has been successful?
You’ll receive an SMS indicating the amount that has been refunded to your sBux account. This amount should be equivalent to what was taken for the products from the account. The SMS will include a new voucher number which will include the new balance.

Why is the Shipping fee added to the sBux portion of the transaction?
If you select a value-added shipping option e.g. same day or weekend delivery, this fee will be included in the sBux transaction whether the cart contains only sBux products or is a mixed cart. This is in accordance with Takealot’s agreement with NSFAS.