Cheque services are no longer provided. Listed below are all the important dates and changes to be aware of. You’ll also find all your alternative payment options to help make the transition as easy as possible.
Why have we phased-out cheques?
The use of cheques continues to rapidly decline, with many preferring instead to pay their bills through digital means, such as online and mobile banking. As a result, we have seen NAB, our payment services provider, make the decision to stop their chequing services, resulting in us being unable to issue or accept cheques.
So, what’s going to happen and when?
- Ordering cheque books and deposit books through online banking and our branches stopped, as did cheque book reissues.
- We stopped issuing Financial Institution Cheques (also known as Bank Cheques). Please talk to our helpful team to learn about other payment options.
- At Great Southern Bank branches, you can no longer make any deposits using your Great Southern Bank cheque book, deposit book or bank cheques. (We don’t accept cheques issued by an Australian bank. However, cheques drawn on an overseas bank in a foreign currency may still be deposited.)
- All personal cheques and deposit book services will cease.
- Any unpresented Great Southern Bank cheques will be dishonoured. You and your payee will need to arrange another method of payment.
- Great Southern Bank cheques cannot be banked at another bank.
- Deposits can no longer be made with your Great Southern Bank deposit book at other banks.
Still using cheques? Here are your payment options
Paying bills by cheque? There’s another way.
Whether it’s a council, utility, or phone bill, you have a range of convenient digital payment options
With BPAY, you can make one-off or schedule recurring payments on a date that suits you. Simply use the BPAY biller code (or BPAY QR code) and Customer Reference Number provided by the business who sent the bill for fast, easy payments.
Using your BSB, Account Number and Account Name, you can set up a direct debit that allows a merchant or service provider to withdraw an agreed amount of money from your account into a merchant’s or service provider’s account at set times.
You can make a payment using your credit or debit card both online and in-store.
If you have a compatible smartphone or wearable, some cards can also be added to your device’s digital wallet, which uses your biometric data (e.g., fingerprint or face scan) to authorise payments.
Sending money to someone?
If you’re making a big purchase like a car or house, or sending money to a friend, you have a range of safe and secure digital payment options.
If you have your payee’s BSB, Account Number and Account Name, you can make a transfer to their bank account from your mobile app or online banking with the Pay Anyone feature.
To receive payments, you’ll simply need to provide your payer with your BSB, Account Number and Account Name.
Using your BSB, Account Number and Account Name, you can set up a direct debit that allows a merchant or service provider to withdraw an agreed amount of money from your account into a merchant’s or service provider’s account at set times.
Telegraphic transfers are electronic payments of cleared funds that are credited directly to a nominated bank account.
Received a cheque?
If you receive a cheque after 31 March 2024, you have alternative methods to receive your money.
We’ve partnered with Australia Post to give you convenient access to key banking services at more than 3,400 locations around the country – from city centres to regional hubs.
If you receive cheques such as payments from the Government, or as shareholder dividends, consider giving them your BSB and account number. This will provide faster, more convenient, and more secure payments direct to your bank account.
For a full list of your alternative payment options, download the PDF.
Payment Options
Frequently asked questions
You can locate your nearest participating Post Office by visiting the Australia Post website at auspost.com.au
We encourage all cheque and deposit books to be destroyed. You can either return it to a branch, via mail or dispose of it yourself.
If you deposit a cheque after the 24 May 2024, it will be dishonoured, and the funds will be returned. The payee will need to seek an alternative payment from the payer.
Consider having funds directly credited to your bank account by providing your BSB and account numbers to those making the payments.
We only accept foreign currency deposits in Canadian Dollars, US Dollars, Great British Pounds and Euros.
The cheque currency must also match the country of the bank it’s drawn on. E.g. A cheque in USD must be from a bank based in the USA.
Cheques in Canadian Dollars over the equivalent of $5,000 Australian Dollars will be processed on collection and will attract a $65 fee. All other cheques have a $15 fee.
If you use our Foreign Cheque conversion service, you should know that:
- All cheques made payable in a foreign currency will be presented to the relevant foreign bank through our processing agent Convera. If successful, Great Southern Bank will deposit the Australian Dollar (AUD) amount received from our agent into your account.
- Foreign cheques can take up to eight weeks to clear due to international banking processes and must be valid for at least six weeks when deposited. This timing isn’t controlled by Great Southern Bank and Convera.
- Cheques must have a minimum amount that converts to 20 AUD. Convera will use their exchange rate at the time of payment to convert the funds into AUD.
- For On Collection cheques, Great Southern Bank accounts will only be credited when cleared funds are received. Great Southern Bank can’t provide any estimated timeframes and accepts no responsibility for any delays.
- Before processing any foreign cheque for deposit, the expiry date will be checked. Any foreign cheques that have an expiry date occurring within the next six weeks will be returned without processing.
- Stale cheques (cheques dated longer than six months ago) or cheques dated past their printed expiry date can’t be accepted.
- Notification of a dishonoured foreign cheque will be advised by our processing agent at any time during the clearance period and can even occur after the cheque has cleared.
- The payee must sign (endorse) the back of the cheque.
- The name quoted as the payee on the cheque must be the same as the account holder in our Great Southern Bank records. A cheque endorsed to another person or business can’t be posted to us for deposit.
- Cheques made payable to joint names must be deposited into a joint account in the same names.
- Great Southern Bank will deduct a Foreign Currency Deposit fee from the AUD amount received via our processing agent. Please see our Schedule of Fees.
- Great Southern Bank can’t accept any foreign cheques drawn on an Australian bank.
Alternative ways to bank
- Manage your accounts quickly and simply.
- Pay bills, transfer money and check your balance in one place.
- Safe and secure login.
- Transfer money, make payments and pay bills fast.
- View your transactions and check balances.
- Safe and secure login.