An EFTPOS card allows you to electronically withdraw or deposit funds in your bank account.
The benefits
An EFTPOS card allows you to access available funds in your transactional accounts to make purchases using EFTPOS so you don’t need to carry so much cash around.
An EFTPOS card may help manage your spending as you must have sufficient funds available in your nominated account to make a purchase.
An EFTPOS card can be used at many retailers in New Zealand to obtain cash at the same time as paying for purchases.
You can also use an EFTPOS card to withdraw cash from your account via an ATM.
EFTPOS cards can only be used in a face-to-face environment and cannot be used to make purchases online or by phone.
Things to keep in mind
Banks will generally accept responsibility for fraudulent transactions on your EFTPOS card unless the card holder disclosed, or did not keep safe, their Personal Identification Number (check your bank’s terms and conditions).
EFTPOS failover systems
The New Zealand EFTPOS system is designed to process payments on a 24/7 basis. However, technical problems such as telecommunication or system outages can occasionally prevent EFTPOS transactions from being processed. In these instances, the merchant is able to use the Electronic Offline Voucher (EOV) process to complete the EFTPOS transaction.
EOV enables the transaction details to be stored electronically in the terminal and process the payment once the system becomes available.
Further information regarding failover systems for EFTPOS is available from ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac.
Security
A PIN is usually required to be entered when you make a transaction using your EFTPOS card.
An EFTPOS card is safer than carrying large amounts of cash.