Use your Amex at Aust Post to pay bills

[futago flyer]

Hi, A couple of people have mentioned not being able to pay their phone, net, gas, electricity and water using an amex - well some of these providers offer the Australian Post Bill pay option.

I took my electric and gas bills to Aust. Post and paid using an amex - no surchange either.

Thought it might be worth mentioning to those keen on points with no % fee charged on top for paying with a card.

 

[straitman]

futago flyer,

Good option thay I certainly had not thought of, thanks.

 

[QF WP]

There are plenty of good ways to pick up transactions, like donating to Movember (it accepts Amex)...even if you don't know anybody doing it, but we know two from the Movember thread...or simply go here

 

[simongr]

I trie dto use the online post bill pay function with Energy Australia yesterday and it was not allowed. Might be interesting to try again in person at a post office.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I took my electric and gas bills to Aust. Post and paid using an amex - no surchange either.

Thought it might be worth mentioning to those keen on points with no % fee charged on top for paying with a card.

Interesting.

May I ask which companies?

I hada lok at my utilities...and yes they had that you can pay them at Aus post...but it also specifically listed payments types accepted AT the counter..and did not include Amex.

Or does Amex just ignore this and allow payment anyway?

 

[glass]

Yeh, I also looked and austpost changes whether it takes amex depending on the biller.
Also, if they charge a fee it's on your next bill, not at time of payment.

 

[futago flyer]

I live in canberra so it was Actew and Actew AGL bills (our provider).

Yes I tried paying online and it won't let me on the Aust Post website.

Yes it only said mastercard and visa on my bill.

However, when presented the bills they were accepted and no talk of an extra charge. I won't see the next bill for 3 mths, so I guess I'll have to wait and see. My experience with surchanges is that they are added at the time of paying not in retrospect, so I'm pretty sure it won't be on the next bill.

I guess you should just try if your interested and if concerned about a charge ask before you pay.

 

[Mal]

I believe just like normal Bpay, it is up to the biller to choose which forms of payment are allowable.

The physical bill paying system at the register will advise the Aust Post person whether Amex is acceptable, and they can't accept if it not.

 

[one9]

I believe just like normal Bpay, it is up to the biller to choose which forms of payment are allowable.

The physical bill paying system at the register will advise the Aust Post person whether Amex is acceptable, and they can't accept if it not.

When I worked at Australia Post around 5 years ago, when accepting a bill payment, the computer would come up with a screen asking what payment method the customer was going to use. We (the staff) were meant to ask the customer what payment method they were going to use and select this in the computer. If we selected Amex and the biller did not allow Amex, an alert would come up. However often we just hit enter and selected the default (Cash). After selecting the payment method entry, the computer would then allow us to accept any payment method. ie. The selection of payment method at the prompt did not restrict us to what payment method we could actually accept.

I am not sure if the system still is the same.

 

[serfty]

... The physical bill paying system at the register will advise the Aust Post person whether Amex is acceptable, and they can't accept if it not.

Having worked on the Apost ePOS retail system, this is precisely the case ... it's all related to the transaction code in the bar code (being the first 3 numbers after the initial *).

 

[NM]

When I worked at Australia Post around 5 years ago, when accepting a bill payment, the computer would come up with a screen asking what payment method the customer was going to use. We (the staff) were meant to ask the customer what payment method they were going to use and select this in the computer. If we selected Amex and the biller did not allow Amex, an alert would come up. However often we just hit enter and selected the default (Cash). After selecting the payment method entry, the computer would then allow us to accept any payment method. ie. The selection of payment method at the prompt did not restrict us to what payment method we could actually accept.

I am not sure if the system still is the same.

Hmm, I wonder if the customer payment was then processed as if it was a cash advance from Amex - meaning no points and instant interest :evil:.

 

[beardoc]

Hmm, I wonder if the customer payment was then processed as if it was a cash advance from Amex - meaning no points and instant interest :evil:.

They used to have signs up in Auspost stores saying exactly this. They've long since gone, though.

 

[NM]

They used to have signs up in Auspost stores saying exactly this. They've long since gone, though.

Is it just the signs that have gone? Or have they changed the way the payment is processed?

 

[adamonline]

Seems like it's not just some bills that aren't supposed to be paid with AMEX at Austpost. This afternoon I bought a gift card for the ABC Shop and was promptly told that I would need to pay with Visa/Master or Debit Card. I can't be sure if it was before or after the gift card was scanned into the system but I was already holding my AMEX card at the ready and had to reach back into my wallet.

 

[futago flyer]

It showed up on my card statement as a purchase, not a cash advance. and I have earned points for it.

 

[PaulZ]

on my council rate notices, visa and master card are mentioned all over it. I took a chance taking them to australia post. Lady said v/m, i said amex? She said well there is an option for credit, ill give that a go, and incredibly, all went off without a hitch!

Now to see if it works with land tax, that would make my week!

 

[glass]

on my council rate notices, visa and master card are mentioned all over it. I took a chance taking them to australia post. Lady said v/m, i said amex? She said well there is an option for credit, ill give that a go, and incredibly, all went off without a hitch!

Now to see if it works with land tax, that would make my week!

Wonder who foots the surcharge if the council didn't want amex...

 

[serfty]

... Or have they changed the way the payment is processed?

The payment processing was changed ... people were shunning the post office for CC bill payments when most were treated as cash advances.

 

[codash1099]

Wonder who foots the surcharge if the council didn't want amex...

My guess is that it would be the Post office. I would think that the money goes initially into their accounts for later payment to the individual biller. It would be awfully complicated program for the payments to be linked to dozens of individual accounts, although it would be possible. If that was the case, it would show up as the biller on your statement.

The post office would be on a commission that greatly exceeds any rate that they have negotiated with Amex.

 

[ColinP]

I've just tried to pay my council rates in person, at the Post Office, with my Amex.
Even though there is a prominent sign stating "Amex Welcome Here" my card was refused. The explanation was: "That biller doesn't accept Amex".

I've reported them to Amex via the Amex website. It does state clearly on the bill that only Visa or MC are acceptable but I've reported Aus Post because of their prominent Amex signage. My Amex certainly wasn't "welcome".