1. How to Make a BPayment
2. Do BPay payments earn reward points?
3. Can I BPay the day before due date?
4. How do I find out if the biller accepts BPay?
5. Are BPay payments purchases or cash advances?

What is BPAY?

Let’s start with the basics. BPAY is a payment facility that allows you to make payments to Australian institutions. This can include bills, or really any other payments, as long as the receiving institution accepts BPAY as a form of payment.

Say you want to pay your water bill. When you receive the bill, check for the BPAY symbol. Once you’ve found the BPAY payment details, simply log on to your bank account online, select BPAY, and enter the details as set out in the bill. Alternatively, you can use phone banking if you prefer.

The payment will usually take around three days to clear. Easy!

However, BPAY isn’t just accessible through your bank account. You can also make BPAY payments through your credit card. This makes paying bills not only more convenient, it can also earn you rewards points.

As with most things in life, there are certain factors to be aware of when using BPAY. Check out our FAQs section below for more information.

Getting your Rewards

Before we get into the BPAY payment process, let’s have a quick look at how you can benefit from using your credit card to make a BPAY payment. One word: Rewards.

By choosing the right rewards credit card, you can earn rewards points on your BPAY payments. Each eligible BPAY payment you make will earn you rewards, allowing you to rack up more rewards points, more quickly.

Read on to find out what you should be aware of when choosing a rewards card for BPAY payments (some card providers don’t allow you to earn rewards points on BPAY payments, and some will process the payment as a cash advance, making it very expensive indeed).

Finally, here’s some helpful info on how to make the most of your rewards card.

How to make a BPAY payment

Now on to the essentials – how to make a BPAY payment. Most services will accept payment through BPAY. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps:

1. Find the BPAY logo and payment details on your bill,
2. Log onto your online credit card login  (or internet banking or even phone banking,)
3. Select the BPAY or bill payment option,
4. Choose the account you wish to pay the bill from,
5. Enter your Biller Code, Customer Reference Number (CRN), the amount to pay and when you wish to schedule the payment; and
6. Wait for and record your receipt number.

Paying bills this way is mostly popular with rewards cardholders, as it allows them to earn more rewards points, but it can be convenient for any credit cardholder. However, as you’ll see below, not all transactions will earn points.

Paying bills with your credit card could be an easy  option for you, but it’s important to know whether the biller you’re trying to pay accepts credit card payments.

You can find out which companies accept BPAY payments from a credit card quickly and easily. Just search the name or biller code on the BPAY website. That should make it easier to decide how to pay.

BPAY and Credit Card Transactions: Purchase Or Cash Advance?

One thing to be aware of when you are using your credit card for BPAY is whether it is charged as a purchase or a cash advance.

In most instances, issuers will process the payment as a purchase so you will be able to earn rewards points for it.

ANZ, for example, outlines that BPAY payments made to companies that accept credit cards will be processed as purchases and earn any applicable reward points.

Some banks may allow you to use BPAY if the biller does not accept credit card payments, but the transaction will be treated as a cash advance and you will be charged a cash advance fee. You can easily find out the situation with your bank by checking your credit card’s terms and conditions and looking up the biller you are interested in on the BPAY website.

With higher interest rates and additional fees being charged for cash advances, it may not be worth it if that is the case.

The solution is to find out what types of account payments your biller prefers, so that you can decide whether or not a credit card is the right choice for BPAY.

Then you will be able to pay bills, earn rewards and keep costs as low as possible in any situation.

Some commonly asked questions about using BPAY with a credit card include:

How do I find out whether the biller I am paying accepts BPAY?

This is simple, check your monthly statement if it’s your credit card, or the latest bill if it’s something else, and the BPAY logo should appear on the bottom, where all payment methods should be listed. This section of the bill will also show you the biller code you need to use for the company you want to pay, and all you need is this, plus a reference number located at the top of the bill, to pay the bill. To find out whether the biller accepts credit card payments you can also check the BPAY website and see the list of billers and their status.

Do BPAY transactions earn Frequent Flyer points?

Something we get asked fairly often here at creditcard.com.au is whether or not BPAY payments will attract rewards points. It’s a fair enough question as many rewards programs have decreased their return to customers per $1 spent. Finding out can take a few minutes but it can be time well spent and save you some disappointment when you find out the money you were putting through the credit card using BPAY wasn’t actually earning you points when you thought it should have been.

Some will and some won’t. Not only do you have to be aware of whether the biller you are trying to pay accepts credit cards, you now have to check whether your bank will allocate points for the transaction.

This does not only apply to Frequent Flyer points either, it can also mean rewards points in general are excluded so it is important to check the terms and conditions between your bank and the rewards program to find out whether it’s worth paying BPay bills with your credit card.

How can I maximise the Frequent Flyer points when paying BPAY bills by credit card?

Apart from making sure that BPAY transactions earn points, it’s important to understand whether there is a limit to the number of points that can be earned with your card. You can check this in the credit card’s terms and conditions or product disclosure statement. If you’re looking to maximise the number of points you earn you should consider whether a card with a points cap suits your needs.

Can I pay by BPAY the day before the payment is due?

This is not generally advised, whether paying off your credit card or paying another bill. BPAY payments take up to three days to be cleared in the receiving account, even though the funds will leave your account immediately. This means that your bill could become overdue during the lag period and could mean you incur late payment fees. It’s best to schedule BPAY payments at least a few days in advance of the due date.