Transactional FAQ's.

There is a daily limit on cash withdrawals over the counter transactions of $5,000 per day.

Where you may be seeking to withdraw an amount that is greater than the daily limit, you will need to contact your local branch and provide at least one business day's notice before the withdrawal can be processed.

You can click on the transaction within your online banking or through the app to get more information. This will often give you additional details, such as contact numbers or email addresses to get in touch directly with the merchant.
If you’re still unsure, we can always look into it for you - call our Contact Centre or visit us in-branch. Outside of business hours, you can send us a Secure Message or use the Contact Us form.

In some cases, the account you incorrectly sent the funds to may not currently be active, in which case the funds will bounce back into your Defence Bank account within 3-5 business days.
If the account is active, we can lodge a trace on the money and attempt to retrieve it for you. Get in touch with our Contact Centre or your nearest branch and we can get this process started as quickly as possible for you. The quicker we get this trace lodged, the more likely it is we can retrieve your funds.

If you don’t recognise a transaction on your account, use our “Look Who’s Charging” feature.

1. If you are in the mobile app simply tap the transaction you need further information about.
2. If you are in Online Banking click on the red ellipsis (ie. '…').
3. Look Who’s Charging will display extended transaction information including the exact address, trading or business name (which can be different to the merchant name), merchant contact details and for some transactions a map showing the location.

If you are still unsure the transaction, call us on 1800 033 139, visit your local branch, send us a Secure Message or use the Contact Us form for further assistance.

Warning: Please DO NOT send sensitive information such as login details and passwords over email.

Cash deposits can be made:

• At any Defence Bank branch.
• Using Bank@Post at over 3,500 Post Offices providing access to banking services.

If you’re a member of the Australian Defence Force, simply log into PMKeyS. and enter your new Defence Bank account details to direct your salary into your Defence Bank account.

If you’re not employed in the ADF, simply provide your employer with our BSB 833 205 and your account number to direct your salary into your Defence Bank account.

You can arrange for a third party to electronically deposit (direct credit) funds to your Defence Bank account by providing our BSB number 833-205 and your account number, or your PayID if you have set one up.

App

1. Log in to your app.
2. Go to the menu and choose 'Pay'. Then select ‘Pay Someone’.
3. Pick the person you want to pay. Note that you can only schedule payments using a BSB and Account number, not a PayID.
4. Enter the amount for the transfer and click ‘Schedule this payment’.
5. Choose either ‘Once’ and enter a payment date, or select ‘Recurring’ to set up a regular payment.
6. After confirming your scheduled payment details, click 'Set recurring schedule’.
7. Follow the prompts to add a description and select the account from which the money will be transferred.
8. Review your transaction details and click ‘Schedule payment’ to complete the process.

Online Banking

1. Log in to your Online Banking account.
2. Go to the 'Transfer/Pay' section in the menu and choose 'Pay Someone'.
3. Select 'Request code' to receive a code via SMS or email (if you have one-time passwords set up).
4. Enter the code received and click 'Next' to verify.
5. Under the heading 'Pay Someone', there are two options, ‘Now’ and ‘Later’. Select 'Later' to schedule a payment.
6. Pick a saved payee or select 'Someone New' to enter new payee details.
7. For a new payee, enter their bank account details and click 'Next'. Note: You can only schedule a transfer to a BSB and Account number, not PayID.
8. Select the account you want to transfer money from, enter transaction details, and click 'Set Schedule'.
9. Review transaction details and click 'Confirm' to complete the payment.

You can cancel your credit or debit card through either Online Banking or the Defence Bank mobile app.

Online Banking.

Select Services > Card Management, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.

Mobile app.

Select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.

You can then order a replacement card within the mobile app and be issued with a virtual card which you can add to your digital wallet and use immediately. This removes the stress and inconvenience of having to wait until a physical card arrives in the mail.

Alternatively, you can contact us and we can block your card and arrange a new one for you.

Members can make fee-free cash withdrawals at Commonwealth, NAB, Westpac or ANZ ATMs, Defence Bank ATMs or any of the atmx by Armaguard machines using their Defence Bank Visa debit card and associated PIN.

Members can also withdraw cash fee-free at any Australia Post Office providing Bank@Post services.

No. As the amount has been authorised when you supplied your card to the merchant, Defence Bank cannot remove a hold. You must wait for the hold to close automatically. The cardholder will need to contact the merchant to have a hold removed prior to the end of the four days or prior to the account being debited.

Ask the merchant to remove the hold immediately when you pay your final bill. If they won't, ask them to specify exactly how many days it will take for removal.

Generally holds last for up to four days but they will close if the merchant processes the debit transaction against your card earlier than the four days.
If the merchant does not process the debit within the four days, the hold will close automatically and the available balance in your account will be increased by the amount of the closed hold.

Even if the hold closes after four days, and your account has not been debited, the merchant can still legally take the funds for up to 180 days. Once a transaction has been granted an authorisation, or pre-authorisation, the merchant has the right to process the debit at any time within the 180 days. If the funds have been ‘re-used’ (ie. you did not continue to allow for the debit, if the ‘hold’ had closed before the debit was processed) the account may become overdrawn.

When you use your debit or credit card to conduct an online or payWave transaction, the merchant electronically sends your bank a pre-authorisation request for the amount of your purchase.

This amount is placed on ‘hold’ but not actually debited from your account immediately, and the available balance in your account is reduced by the amount of the purchase. The amount is kept on hold/locked for up to four days, until the transaction is settled and the funds are debited (taken) by the merchant's bank.

When you select savings and you enter a PIN, the amount of the transaction is usually immediately deducted from your bank account and is not placed on hold first.

Yes, there is - and it depends on how you use your card.

• If you’re using PayWave, there is a $400 daily limit. Where your transaction exceeds $100 you may be requested to enter your pin. Where you have exceeded your $400 daily limit, you will need to insert or swipe your card and enter your pin.
• When inserting or swiping your card, there is a $1,000 limit, which also takes into account cash withdrawals. If you need to spend over this amount, you can insert the card, press ‘Credit’ and enter your PIN, and spend up to what is in your account. Be aware that the merchant may charge a surcharge for this option.
• If you’ve loaded your card into your digital wallet (i.e. Apple Pay, Pay, Garmin Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), you can spend up to your account balance.

Defence Bank offers Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay and Garmin Pay. You can set your cards up through the Defence Bank app, or directly through your phone depending on the device. There are no additional charges by Defence Bank to use these services.

We’re more than happy to order you a camo designed card! They come in Army green, RAAF blue, Navy grey and pink, and are only available on our Visa Debit cards. We will need to cancel your current card and order a new one, which will have different card numbers and a new PIN.

Defence Bank does not charge monthly or transactional fees for using your Visa Debit card.

Members can withdraw cash fee-free from thousands (yes thousands!) of ATMs Australia-wide including from our own Defence Bank network, any of the big 4 ATMs (Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ) and from any atmx machine.

If you use an ATM outside of these networks, ATM direct fees may apply but an alert will appear outlining the cost of the fee and if you would like to proceed with your transaction. 

For any other fees and charges please refer to our fees and charges schedule.

You can activate your card through Online Banking or the Mobile App.

Mobile app.

1. Log into your Mobile app.
2. Under the menu select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards.
3. Select the card you wish to activate and follow the prompts.

Online Banking.

1. Log into your Defence Bank Online Banking.
2. Select Services > Card Management.
3. Input your one-time password or VIP security code.
4. Select the card you wish to activate and follow the prompts.

Alternatively, you can call our Contact Centre on 1800 033 139 or visit us in-branch to activate your new card.

You can cancel your credit or debit card through either Online Banking or the Defence Bank mobile app.

Online Banking.

Select Services > Card Management, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.

Mobile app.

Select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.

You can then order a replacement card within the mobile app and be issued with a virtual card which you can add to your digital wallet and use immediately. This removes the stress and inconvenience of having to wait until a physical card arrives in the mail.

Alternatively, you can contact us and we can block your card and arrange a new one for you.

If your card expires 09/20 this means that it will expire at the end of September, with a new card automatically sent to you midway through that month. You don’t need to do anything other than making sure that your postal address listed with Defence Bank is correct.

Your virtual card in your digital wallet card will automatically refresh with your new card details however if this does not happen please call us on 1800 033 139.

Our cards expire at the end of the month as shown on your card. Renewal cards are sent in the first week of that month to ensure they reach you in time. If you haven’t received your renewal card, please give us a call on 1800 033 139 so that we can check on it for you.

This is easy. You can now update your PIN without knowing your old PIN through Online Banking or your mobile app.

Online Banking.

1. Log into your Online Banking portal.
2. Select Services > Card Management.
3. Enter your one-time password or VIP security code.
4. Select the card you wish to change PIN and click Change PIN and follow the prompts.

Mobile app.

1. Log in to your mobile app.
2. Under the menu, select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards.
3. Select the card you would like to update and click Change PIN and follow the prompts.
   
   

While the True Blue credit card is no longer available for new applications all existing cardholders can continue to use their credit cards as normal.

Yes please - our fraud team are monitoring transactions for suspect and unusual activity 24/7.

Log in to your account using the Mobile App and selecting Overseas Travel from the menu.

Then select Your Travel Plans. Record your travel dates, destinations and contact details just in case we need to contact you to confirm any transactions while you are away.

Of course you can always call us on 1800 033 139 or visit your local branch to give us details of your travel plans.

You can activate your card through Online Banking or the Mobile App.

Mobile app.

1. Log into your Mobile app.
2. Under the menu select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards.
3. Select the card you wish to activate and follow the prompts.

Online Banking.

1. Log into your Defence Bank Online Banking.
2. Select Services > Card Management.
3. Input your one-time password or VIP security code.
4. Select the card you wish to activate and follow the prompts.

Alternatively, you can call our Contact Centre on 1800 033 139 or visit us in-branch to activate your new card.

A common misconception is that 55 days “interest-free” means that you will have 55 days to pay off a card purchase before any interest is charged.

However; 55 days interest-free refers to the maximum number of interest-free days that are available on a purchase. To attain the full 55 days interest-free, a purchase would need to be made on the first day of your statement period.

For example, if your statement commences on 1 March and you make a purchase on this day, you will have 55 days or until 24 April to repay that amount before you are charged interest starting 25 April on any outstanding amounts. Alternatively, if you receive your statement 1 March but you make a purchase on 10 March, you will only have 45 days to make payment before you are charged interest from the 25 April.

Read more about how your credit card interest-free period works.

To avoid your account going over its limit or falling back into arrears in the future, we strongly suggest that you set up a regular transfer for your credit card. To do this simply login to the Defence Bank app and:

1. In the top left-hand menu, choose Pay.
2. Select Transfer.
3. Select the From and To accounts.
4. On the following screen, you will see a calendar icon in the upper right-hand corner.
5. Select Recurring.
6. Select the first payment date (prior to the due date of the 24th of each month).
7. Select if it is to be an ongoing payment, or a set amount of payments.
8. Press Set Schedule which will return you to the previous screen where you can update the amount.
9. Select an amount.
10. Enter a description if required.
11. Select Schedule Transfer.

A pre-authorisation hold on your credit card is not an actual debit. It's a request by the merchant for the amount to be held (similar to a pre-authorisation request for the amount of a purchase), pending the merchant processing a transaction for the amount of the pre-authorisation, or a lesser amount, on your card. This pre-authorisation guarantees that you have the funds available in your account to cover the final transaction amount.

For example, merchants may estimate the cost of your bill and ask you to provide a card as a guarantee. This amount may be larger than your final amount because the merchant wants to cover any potential losses (for example, if you damage a rental car). The real charge will go through after you complete the transaction.

One of the optional features of a Defence Bank Everyday Access, Offset accounts or Pension Saver (eligible accounts) is automatic Round Ups.

Each time you spend with your Defence Bank Visa Debit card, your purchases are rounded to your choice of the nearest dollar, nearest $5 or nearest $10 with the funds transferred to your nominated Defence Bank savings account.

1. Open the Defence Bank app.
2. Select Manage Accounts from the drop-down menu.
3. Select Round Ups.
4. Tap your Everyday Access account.
5. Select the account you want your Round-up amount transferred to (see below).
6. Select the amount you wish to round-up ($1, $5, $10)
7. Hit Start Saving

The Round Up feature is only available via the Defence Bank app.

To set up Round Ups, you are required to have an Everyday Account, Offset Account or a Pension Saver (‘eligible accounts’) with a Visa card attached, and be the primary owner of one of the following savings accounts, which are the ‘to accounts’:

• iSaver.
• Max eSaver.
• Salute.
• Home Loan Offset Account.
• Pension Saver.
• Everyday Access.
• Cadet Saver.
• Teen Saver.
• Kids Club.

You can stop or change your Round Up amounts any time via the app in ‘Manage accounts’ under ‘Round ups’ any time.

With over 3,500 Post Offices providing access to banking services, you can conveniently make withdrawals and deposits in communities all across Australia.

Look for the Bank@Post sign which will be displayed at the entrance of a participating Post Office.

With Bank@Post, you can:

• Securely make cash deposits and withdrawals on your account using your Defence Bank Visa card and the associated PIN.
• Pay your bills.
• Get immediate access to cash deposits (funds from cheque deposits are available after 5 business days).

A cash advance fee does apply where you use billpay services or obtain a cash advance at an Australia Post outlet.

For further information on our fees and charges refer to our fees and charges schedule for domestic transactions.

A BPAY payment can take between one to two business days.

Paying for bills via BPAY through our app is not only convenient but really easy to do by following these steps:

1. Log into the Defence Bank app.
2. Select ‘Pay’ from the Dashboard and select ‘BPAY’ from the menu.
3. Select the provider you wish to pay or select ‘New Biller’.
   • If you selected New Biller, enter the Biller code and Reference Number, then swipe ‘Save biller’ to save the Biller details for future payments.
4. Tap the next arrow icon and enter the amount.
5. Tap the next arrow icon to select the account you wish the debit to come from.
6. Tap the next arrow icon to review the payment summary. Once you’re happy, click ‘Pay Now’, and a receipt number will display if the payment has been successful.

Yes, we have all the pays – Apple, Google, Samsung, and Garmin pays.

Absolutely, your Visa Debit and credit cards can be used with Apple, Garmin, Google and Samsung Pays. You can set your cards up through the Defence Bank app, or directly through your device’s digital wallet.

Click here for set up instructions.

Your PayTo agreements will be available through Defence Bank Online Banking and the app.

Customers will have the ability to:

• View their PayTo agreements.
• Accept or decline a new PayTo agreement.
• Cancel, pause or resume a PayTo agreement.
• Change or update your PayTo agreement account information.
• Receive notifications of any changes made by a merchant or service.
• Provider to a PayTo agreement and be able to accept or decline these changes.

All the above will be available within your mobile app or Online Banking.

All agreements are still set up between the merchant or service provider and the customer, so if you have questions about the details of an agreement, please contact the merchant or service provider.

As PayTo agreements are subject to you (the account holder) pre-authorising the agreement, PayTo payments will be initiated from your Defence Bank account only when you have provided authorisation.

This authorisation is subject to the same levels of security as other payments and transfers made by Defence Bank.

PayTo agreements are stored centrally in a secure and encrypted database managed by New Payments Platform Australia (NPP Australia), the organisation that operates and over sees PayID and Osko.

Yes, you can use your PayID or BSB and account number.

The PayTo agreement is cancelled, and the merchant is unable to debit payments from your account.

If you change your mind and wish to pay using a PayTo agreement, you’ll need to ask the payee to send you another authorisation request.

Once you’ve authorised your agreement, you can only change the Linked Account/Pay ID.

You’ll need to contact the merchant/payee for any other changes to your agreement. They’ll send an update request for you to authorise or decline in Online Banking or the Defence Bank app.

Once you’ve authorised your agreement, you can only change the Linked Account/Pay ID.

You’ll need to contact the merchant/payee for any other changes to your agreement. They’ll send an update request for you to authorise or decline in Online Banking or the Defence Bank app.

You should check with the merchant/payee cancelling an agreement. They may charge fees for missed payments if your contract or subscription hasn't ended.

You’ll need to contact the merchant/payee.

A regular payment is an agreement between a customer and a merchant to debit either a bank account or a card at a determined interval agreed by both parties.

There are two types of regular payments - direct debit and recurring payment.

A direct debit is an automatic transaction that transfers money from your account to another.

Direct debit payments are considered a type of ‘account-to-account’ payment method. When you set up a direct debit, you authorise a merchant or service provider to take an agreed amount of money from your nominated account using your BSB and Account Number. Direct Debits are set up with the supplier.

A recurring payment is a regular payment from your Visa Debit or credit card.

When you set up a Recurring payment, you give your credit card or debit card details (card number, expiry date and security code) to a merchant or supplier to allow them to charge your credit card regularly to pay for the services they provide you.

Direct debits are handy for paying regular bills, such as your monthly phone bill, Insurance, loan repayments, gym membership. Automatic payment means you don't have to remember to pay the bill, and you don't risk any late fees.

To set up a direct debit, you arrange a direct debit authority. This allows a service provider to withdraw money from your account.

Providers may specify direct debit payments as a condition of signing up for a product or service.

You can set up a direct debit to withdraw money from your bank account or set up a recurring payment from your credit card.

The amount can be fixed or variable and can come out at set dates or at regular intervals. For example, you could set up a direct debit with:

• your real estate agent to pay your rent on the first day of every month.
• your electricity provider to pay your bill from your transaction account or credit every 3 months.
• your insurance provider to pay your monthly insurance premium from your transaction account or credit card.

If you are wanting to stop a direct debit payment you can request the bank to make the direct debit inactive via a call to our Contact Centre or by a secure message in your Online Banking if it is before the date the debit is due to be processed.  Alternatively, you can contact the merchant or service provider.

To cancel a recurring payment from your Visa Debit or credit card, you should contact the merchant at least 15 days before the next scheduled payment and keep a copy of the cancellation request.

If the merchant does not act in accordance with your instructions you may be able to dispute the transaction. Disputed transactions can be completed over the phone or requested by a secure message in your Online Banking.

As the payments are set up directly with the provider any changes would need to go through them directly.

Before you set up a direct debit, make sure you trust the service provider. You are giving them permission to withdraw money from your account.

Check your accounts regularly to make sure the provider is taking out the agreed amount of money.

If you find an incorrect or unauthorised transaction, contact Defence Bank as soon as possible.

For extra security, your card comes with a new CVC and expiry date.

This means that if you’ve set up direct debits or regular payment arrangements linked to your old card like Spotify, Netflix or your weekly gym membership fee, you’ll need to update these services with your new card details so you don’t miss a payment.

You may want to complete our regular payment letter template to help you with this.

Usually when:

• You don't have enough money in your account on the day the payment is due to be taken out.
• The payment is not inline with your pay cycle.
• The service provider is untrustworthy.
• You don't know how to cancel the payments when you need to.

We have made some cost savings in the way we process direct debits so we can reduce our fees. We want to provide a better experience through a text message notification service.

As part of this change, we have:

• The introduction of a free SMS service which notifies you automatically of when there are insufficient funds in an account to honour a direct debit request. This SMS will give a small grace period-of- time to transfer funds to the nominated account to avoid the payment dishonouring and attracting a dishonour fee.
• A reduction in the fee charged if a direct debit payment is dishonoured due to insufficient funds from $10.00 to $0.00.

The fee will be reduced from $10.00 to $0.00.

We no longer charge members a $10.00 fee for honouring payments where there are insufficient funds in an account, as the process of honouring direct debit will cease.

We will therefore be removing this fee from all our products and services.

The dishonour fees changes will take place 1st of November 2024.

Yes, we will be sending you a text message on the morning of the next business day.

The text message will be sent on the next business day, generally first thing in the morning.

You will have approximately 2-3 hours to deposit funds into your nominated accounts to meet your direct debit obligations.

The payment will dishonour. Suppliers, such as a gym membership or insurer will not receive any money.

We will look at the direct debit declines the next business day and then it’s usually 2-3 hours from the time you get our first text message.

No, we will no longer honour payments, therefore there is no honour fee that will apply.

No, the bank will not be moving funds from one account to the nominated account to cater for direct debits. The onus is on you to ensure you have sufficient funds to meet your direct debit obligations.

This is the account where funds have been nominated to come out of in a direct debit arrangement.

You will receive a text message on the next business day (after the direct debit has failed) advising you to add funds to your nominated account.

The text message will be sent to you on the next business day (in the morning) after a failed attempt. You will then have around 2-3 hours to deposit funds to meet your direct debit obligations otherwise your payment will fail to be transferred to the supplier.

The text message service is for free; therefore, it will not cost anything to receive a text message from us.

Set up direct debits to come out of your account the day after pay day, so you know you have enough in your account.

Any time a member goes overseas, it’s best to let us know so we can be aware of any overseas transaction, or we know why we’re unable to contact you. You can lodge your overseas travel in the app, or by giving us a call.

Defence Bank only deals in Australian Dollars, so if sending funds from overseas in foreign currency you are required to use the Intermediary Swift Code to have the funds converted into AUD before reaching Defence Bank/Cuscal.

To provide the correct details to the sending bank, follow the following steps in online banking:

1. Log on to Defence Bank online banking.
2. Select Transfer/Pay from the menu and select Receiving Money from Overseas.
3. Scroll down and choose Click here to use Defence Bank’s Inward Transfer Service.
4. Fill in the details as prompted so it will generate a Remittance that can be supplied to the Initiating Bank.

If you require further assistance, contact our Member Care team on 1800 033 139.

Definitely! Just make sure you’re on top of any fees and charges that may apply.
View fees and charges.

Your Visa card will automatically convert any currency it needs to while you’re overseas. You can also contact your local branch to ask them about the Cash Passport that we offer as a third party.

Sending money to someone located overseas is easy through our app and uses the real-time foreign currency exchange rate. Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to the Defence Bank app.
2. Select ‘Pay’ from the dashboard and select ‘International’.
3. Follow the prompts by entering the transaction details, receiver’s personal details, and receiver’s financial details.

If you require further assistance, contact our Member Care team on 1800 033 139.

The ‘VISA debit cash advance overseas’ $4.10 fee for ATM transactions. This does not include any of Defence Bank credit cards.

Prior to the fee removal, the visa debit card overseas fee was normally charged when you obtain a cash using any Visa Debit Card at an ATM whilst overseas.

Yes, 3% (percentage of transaction value) and ATM owners, merchants may also charge a separate direct fee.

$4.10 per ATM cash withdrawal.

Yes, there is a 3% (percentage of transaction value).

No, you can make as many transactions as you would like, and the VISA Debit cash advance for overseas’ $4.10 fee ATM transactions will no longer apply.

Note, ATM operators may still charge a fee per transaction.

Withdrawal limits may apply.

No, there are no rules that apply to gain access, all you need is a Defence Bank Visa Debit card and a Defence Bank transactional account.

An ATM operator or merchant may charge a separate fee.

No, anyone can get the benefit of not having to pay the ‘Visa Debit cash advance overseas’ $4.10 fee ATM transactions.

No, we will never charge the fee in the first place to your transactional account.