Absa CashSend SMS Not Received? What To Do (2026)

In short: If the Absa CashSend SMS has not arrived, do not follow a random WhatsApp or SMS that asks for your PIN. Collection needs a 10-digit reference (from the SMS) and a 6-digit PIN (from the sender). Absa lists collection at an Absa ATM, Pick n Pay or Boxer. The send is available for 30 days only. Ask the sender to check the cellphone number, check the CashSend on Absa Online Banking, or call Absa. Betting winnings sent by CashSend follow the bookmaker’s own rules, covered below. Confirm on Absa’s CashSend page. Not financial advice.

Source: Absa CashSend.

What the SMS is for

Absa says the beneficiary receives an SMS with a 10-digit reference or withdrawal number. Separately, the sender creates a 6-digit access PIN / code and must share that safely with the recipient. The sender should share it themselves, not through anyone else.

What you need to collect

10-digit reference number
6-digit PIN from the sender
A collection point Absa currently lists: Absa ATM, Pick n Pay or Boxer

Collect at an Absa ATM

Select CashSend Withdrawal
Enter the 10-digit reference from the SMS
Enter the 6-digit PIN from the sender
Withdraw the money

Collect at Pick n Pay or Boxer

Go to any till point
Give the till operator the 10-digit withdrawal number and 6-digit PIN
Collect the full CashSend amount

Older posts that name Shoprite, Checkers or Spar as CashSend collection points may be outdated. Stick to what Absa lists today.

SMS still not here: what to try

Confirm the cellphone number the sender typed (one wrong digit blocks the SMS)
Check signal, phone power, SMS storage and spam / blocked messages
Ask the sender to log on to Absa Online Banking, where Absa says unredeemed CashSend transactions can be managed, and check that the CashSend went to the right number
Remember the transaction is available for 30 days only (Absa)
If it still fails, the sender should contact Absa (CashSend page lists 0860 111 123 and branch / head-office contacts)

Got the SMS but not the PIN?

The 6-digit PIN is not in the Absa SMS. The sender creates it when they send the CashSend and must give it to you directly. If you have lost it, ask the sender to share it again by phone or in person. Absa staff and strangers on WhatsApp cannot “resend” a PIN for you, and nobody else needs it.

Hollywoodbets or betting winnings by CashSend

Some bookmakers pay out winnings by Absa CashSend. This is a withdrawal from your betting account, not a deposit. Hollywoodbets’ CashSend withdrawal terms say:

CashSend requests are completed within 24 hours, and the SMS only arrives once the request is processed
Absa CashSend requests are not processed from 20:00 to 06:00 Monday to Saturday, or from 17:00 on Sunday to 06:00
The CashSend goes to the cellphone number linked to your betting account, so check that number first
Withdrawals need your FICA documents, and are R100 to R3 000 per transaction
For the PIN or access code, follow the instructions Hollywoodbets gives with your withdrawal

If 24 hours have passed with no SMS, contact Hollywoodbets’ withdrawals helpline on 087 353 7634 or hwhelpline@hollywoodbets.net rather than Absa, because Hollywoodbets is the sender. Betting is for 18+ only.

Limits (from Absa’s CashSend page: confirm live)

App / online / ATM sends: Absa notes R5 000 per day and R25 000 per month for existing and once-off beneficiaries on those channels
Cellphone banking (*120*2272#): Absa notes lower limits. R500 per day and R3 000 per month
Amounts are often sent in R50 increments or rounded to the nearest R100

Scam warning

Nobody from Absa needs you to read your PIN aloud on a cold call, or to “verify” by sending the reference and PIN to a WhatsApp number. If someone who is not the sender asks for both codes, stop.

Last checked October 2026 against Absa CashSend and Hollywoodbets withdrawal terms. Limits and collection points can change. Confirm on Absa. Not financial advice.