Can I use a DSTV Smartcard on Another Decoder?

This is a question that is asked by a lot of people around Africa. You, perhaps, have a DSTV decoder that has packed up, in spite of the fact that your subscriptions are still fully paid up. Perhaps you are going on holiday to the other side of the country and are wondering whether or not it is possible for you to carry your DSTV Smartcard with you. Then when you get there all that you will need to do to resume watching your favorite shows is insert the Smartcard into a new decoder and you should be good to go?

Is it possible to use DSTV Smartcards in other decoders?

The answer to the above question is, sadly enough, no. It is not possible to use DSTV smartcards in other decoders.

To put it simply, your DSTV smartcard is married to your decoder. This union is for life, and nothing that you do is going to be able to break decoder and smartcard apart.

What do I do if I am traveling?

This is a scenario that Zimbabweans in South Africa are faced with each Christmas holiday. It’s a well known fact that Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe mostly subscribe to low end DSTV bouquets.

When those in the diaspora, who are used to having the full DSTV package, come home for the holidays, they often wish there was a way through which they could transfer their subscriptions, thus enabling them to continue watching the shows that they are used to.

Carry both decoder and smartcard

Anyway, the only way that you are going to be able to continue watching your shows in this regard is by carrying both your decoder and your SmartCard to wherever it is that you are going. Should you carry only your Smartcard, then you will be in for some disappointment, because it wont work when inserted into another decoder.

The good news is that the DSTV decoder is small enough that if you are determined to watch TV during the holidays, instead of interacting with friends and family, then you should have no problems packing it somewhere among your luggage.

To sum up

To sum up, you cannot use your DSTV smartcard with another decoder. Each Smartcard is married specifically to one decoder, and removing it from there and trying to use it elsewhere will not work. If you need to continue watching your favorite shows, you need to carry both the decoder and smartcard when you travel.