Getting started
You can open an everyday banking, savings, or term deposit account online in a matter of minutes – even if you're not a BCU Bank customer.
If you're a new customer you’ll need to be at least 18 years old and have two forms of ID to open your account online.
To open a term deposit, you'll need to first open a fee-free Access Account (or a savings account) and transfer your money in. Once your funds have been received, you can log in to internet banking or the BCU Bank app and open your term deposit.
If you already bank with BCU it's even easier. You can open most deposit accounts online by going to ‘Apply’ in internet banking or ‘Open account’ in the BCU Bank app.
To have your salary credited to your BCU Bank account, you simply need to give your BSB number and account number to your employer or payroll officer.
Your account will need to be an everyday transaction account or savings account to receive your pay directly.
Whether you're a new customer or already bank with us, you can open a new account online in minutes.
You should receive your physical Visa Debit card by mail within 7-10 business days.
If you've recently opened a new account online, you can set up your digital card straight away and use it with the digital wallet on your smartphone.
Switching has never been easier – you can open a new account with BCU Bank online in just a few minutes.
We can guide you through the the steps to open your account, set up new payment arrangements with your new account or card and provide tips for a smooth changeover.
If you're a new BCU Bank customer you'll need to have at least one photo identity document to open your account with us.
Open your account online
If you're opening a new everyday or savings account online, you'll need to confirm your identity using any two of the following documents:
- Australian driver licence
- Australian passport
- green Medicare card
Open your account in branch
If you're opening your account in person at one of our branches you need to bring one of the following photo identity documents:
- Australian driver licence
- Australian passport
Don't have your photo ID?
If you're under 18, not an Australian citizen or simply don't have an Australian photo identity document, you can use a combination of primary and secondary documents to open your account at one of our branches.
If you're under 18, not an Australian citizen or simply don't have an Australian photo identity document, you can still use a combination of primary and secondary documents to open your account at one of our branches.
You can use one form of primary identification (eg. your birth certificate, overseas driver licence or citizenship papers) with one form of secondary ID (eg. a Medicare card, Seniors Card, Australian marriage certificate, utility bill).
Primary documents with a photograph
- Australian passport (current or expired within 2 years)
- Current foreign passport
- Current Australian driver licence
- Proof of age card (issued under law of Australian state or territory)
- Current Australian ImmiCard
Primary documents without a photograph
- Australian birth certificate or birth extract
- Foreign birth certificate
- Australian citizenship certificate
Secondary documents
- Current Centrelink card
- Notice to the individual from the Australian Taxation Office (less than 12 months old)
- Notice to the individual from a local government or utilities provider
- Children (less than 18 years) – educational institution statement specifying the name of the child and confirming attendance of the child at the institution and signed by a specified officer of the institution
We accept original and certified copies of documents.
New customers
If you're both new customers of BCU Bank and looking for an account where either person can authorise transactions, the easiest and quickest way to apply for a joint account is to open an account online.
You'll both need to confirm your identity using two of the following identity documents:
- Australian driver licence
- Australian passport
- green Medicare card
Remember to have your tax file number (TFN) handy if you want to avoid being charged general withholding tax on any interest you earn. You can provide us with your TFN at a later date, but in the meantime, withholding tax may be applied to interest earned over a certain threshold.
You can also open your new joint account at your local branch. You’ll need to bring your Australian driver licence or a valid passport with you.
Find out what other identification documents you can use to open an account.
Existing customers
If you both already bank with us then you can open your joint account by calling 1300 228 228, or by visiting your local branch.
If you'd like to set up your account so that both account holders need to jointly approve transactions, you'll need to visit us in branch to sign an Authority to Operate Form.
To use our digital banking services you’ll first need to register for internet banking.
If you joined BCU Bank online you will be registered already and should have received your password.
If you joined in branch you can register there, and our team will help you do that. Alternatively, a quick call to our friendly team on 1300 228 228 can get you registered.
After you’ve registered you'll be able to login to internet banking from the website, or download the mobile app from your app store and use your internet banking credentials to login.
You can register a PayID in internet banking or the mobile app.
A PayID is a unique identifier – a mobile phone number or email address – connected to your account. You can receive instant and secure payments direct to your account using your PayID.
In internet banking go to Accounts > Register PayID and in the mobile app go to Pay > Manage PayID and follow the prompts.
If the PayID is available to link to your account, then you need to:
-
- Select the account you would like to connect to the PayID.
- Select the account name from the options provided.
- Review and accept the Terms and Conditions.
- Enter the secure code sent to your PayID to validate ownership.
Note: If you're setting up a PayID on an email address, the code will be sent to that email address and not via SMS.
You will be advised if the PayID you’ve entered is not available, or if it is already being used. You can dispute ownership of the PayID by clicking on Dispute.
You can personalise the names of your accounts that appear in the mobile app and internet banking. This can be helpful when you’re saving for different goals or opening accounts for specific purposes e.g. My home deposit, New car account, Takeaway fund.
-
- In the mobile app select the account you wish to personalise. Tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner, and then select Rename account > Personalised account name > Update.
- In internet banking, go to Settings > Account preferences > Preferred account name > Update and save.
You can change or remove your personalised account name any time. To revert the account name back to display its original name, simply delete the custom name you have loaded and save your change.
Everyday & savings accounts
The interest on a savings accounts is calculated on your daily balance and is credited to your account on the last day of every month. This means that every deposit you make throughout the month will earn interest from that day onwards.
Bonus interest, if applicable to your account, will also be calculated on your daily balance in line with the bonus interest conditions for your account.
You can easily find out how much interest you have earned (or paid) in our mobile app or internet banking. The amount of interest for the previous and current financial year will be displayed as well as any tax that has been withheld.
-
- In the mobile app go to Menu > Accounts > Interest.
- In internet banking go to Accounts > Interest details.
You can also find the interest on individual accounts by selecting the account you want the information for on the Accounts screen and selecting the ‘i’ info icon.
You can find information about the fees and charges applicable to your BCU Bank account on our fees and charges pages:
These should be read in conjunction with the fees and charges specified for the product outlined on the product page in the relevant Terms and Conditions document.
You can make a cash or cheque deposit at most BCU branches. Some of our smaller branches do not handle cash, which will be listed in their branch services.
We accept bank cheques or a cheque drawn on another financial institution.
If you can't get to a branch you can also deposit cash and cheques at participating Post Offices using Bank@Post. Limits may apply.
If you have any queries about the branch services available at your local branch please call us on 1300 228 228.
If you deposit a cheque to your BCU Bank account, in most instances it will take four working days to clear, and the funds should be available on the fifth working day.
With the increase in popularity of digital payments and the move towards instant payments, we no longer issue cheque books for personal or business banking accounts.
Other payment options include online transfers to a BSB and account number or to a PayID. You can also pay bills using BPAY® or PayTo.
If you've been asked to pay for something by cheque, you can request a bank cheque by calling us on 1300 228 228.
Our Boss Saver can be linked to an Access Account held in your name as a single account holder only. You cannot link to an Access Account held in joint names.
Please visit a branch or contact us on 1300 228 228 if you would like to open an Access Account in your name.
When the 4 month bonus interest term of your Bonus Saver Account ends, you will continue to earn interest at the standard variable rate.
You can open a new savings account online at any time in internet banking or via the BCU Bank app.
Once the account holder turns 13, the Scoot Super Saver account will be automatically converted to an Access Account. This account will be in the child’s name and will continue to have the parent or guardian as a signatory.
Term deposits
You can open a BCU Bank term deposit with just $1,000 and invest up to $1 million.
Up to $250,000 of your total deposit is protected by the government’s Financial Claims Scheme.
You can add money to your Term Deposit on the day you open the account, or when it matures if you choose to roll over your investment.
You can manage your maturity instructions, including adding new funds to the account in internet banking or the mobile app.
If you already have a transaction or savings account with us, you can log in to internet banking or the BCU Bank mobile app and open up a Standard Term Deposit online in a matter of minutes.
To open a Regular Income Term Deposit or a term deposit for over 55s, you can contact us via secure mail, call us on 1300 228 228 or visit your nearest branch.
New customer?
If you’re new to BCU Bank, you can easily open a transaction or savings account online to receive your funds, which is quick and easy. Once your funds have landed in your account, you can open a term deposit using internet banking or the BCU Bank mobile app.
You can close your term deposit account early at any time, but doing so will likely affect the amount of interest you receive.
Further information is available in our Term Deposit Account Terms & Conditions.
At the time of opening your term deposit account, you set instructions for what you want us to do with your deposit and interest when it matures.
When your term deposit is due to mature you can explore your options to:
- add some funds to your term deposit,
- transfer funds to another nominated account,
- renew your term deposit for a new term,
- change your interest payment instructions, or
- a combination of these options.
You can also choose to leave your money – and the interest you've earned – in the same term deposit (it’s what we call a rollover).
Your instructions can be provided any time up to your term deposit maturity date, or within the seven-day grace period following the account maturity.
View the Term Deposit Account Terms & Conditions for more information about rollovers.
Account access
If you have misplaced your card or left it somewhere by mistake you can easily place a temporary lock on your card while you look for it.
The temporary lock can be applied in internet banking or the mobile app and will restrict all transactions on your card. This does not include regular recurring withdrawals such as direct debits or digital wallet transactions made using your mobile phone.
To put a temporary lock on your card in internet banking or the mobile app, go to Manage Cards.
Permanently lost your card?
You can report your card as lost or stolen and reorder a new card using our digital channels, or by calling us on 1300 228 228 during business hours. To report a card as lost or stolen or report card outside of business hours call 1800 648 027 .
To report your card lost or stolen using internet banking or the mobile app, log in and go to Manage Cards. Select the card you need to report as lost or stolen and then follow the prompts to cancel your card and order a new one.
If you need any help please call us or visit your local branch and we'll be happy to help.
You can send money to another bank or financial institution in Australia using the Pay someone function in internet banking or the mobile app.
From the main menu go to Transfer/Pay > Pay someone. You can send money to a:
- Saved payee (a payee you have sent money to and saved previously).
- New payee using a BSB and account number.
- New payee using a PayID.
- Another BCU account using the PayID or BSB and account number.
Payee Nickname - by ticking 'Add to Favourites', the payee’s details will be saved to use in the future. This is an optional field and can be used to provide a nickname for your saved payee.
Description - this can be added to your payment so you can easily identify the payment on your statement.
Reference - this is an optional field and will display on the payees statement.
Saved payees
To transfer funds to a saved payee, simply select their name in your Favourite payees list. You can sort the favourites list by Payee Name, Account Name or the Last Payment Date. You can also search for a previous payee by selecting the Search icon in the top right hand corner of the list and typing in your search criteria.
Remember, transfers between different financial institutions can take up to 48 business hours, so make sure you allow enough time for your funds to arrive as required. If the receiving bank is a participant in NPP the funds may be sent via Osko and could be received in minutes.
Your daily ATM withdrawal limit is $1,000.
To increase your limit, please call 1300 228 228 or visit your local branch and one of our friendly team will be happy to assist.
Please note, limits can only be increased for 24 hours and then will revert back to the standard amount.
To protect your funds, there is a limit on how much you can pay each day using digital banking.
When you first open your account with BCU your transfer limits using internet banking or the mobile app are:
- $5,000 per day to another BCU Bank account.
- $5,000 per day to an account held with another bank.
- $10,000 per day for BPAY payments.
- For international payments, you'll need to register first and request your limit.
Your limits are a combined daily limit that apply to all accounts within your membership, using internet banking or the mobile app.
Can I set a lower daily transaction limits?
Your limits can be managed using the Transaction Limits section of internet banking or the mobile app. You can bring your daily limits down to $2,000, $1,000 or even as low as $0, and you can manage you own limit changes up to $5,000.
We recommend you keep your daily limits set at the minimum you need for your regular banking to reduce the risk of fraudulent activity. And if we feel your account may be at risk of fraudulent activity we may reduce these limits without notice.
How do I request an increase to my daily limit?
To have an account in two or more names, you will need to apply for a new account together.
If you have an existing individual account, you can authorise another person to access and use your account. This is called an authority to operate, however the account ownership will remain unchanged in your name.
If you'd like more information about joint accounts, you can message us, call us on 1300 228 228 or visit your local branch, and one of our friendly team will be happy to assist.
You can close your BCU Bank account by contacting us in any of the following ways:
- Call during business hours on 1300 228 228, or +61 2 5646 5900 if you’re overseas.
- Send us a secure mail from internet banking or the BCU Bank app.
- Get in touch via webchat after logging into your internet banking, so that we can confirm your identity.
- Visit your local branch with your photo ID.
If the account requires two signatures to authorise transactions, we'll need to speak with both account holders before we can close your account.
And remember, before closing your account, make sure that all recurring payments and direct debits set up from the account are cancelled, and any overdrawn balance is cleared in full.
If you want to close your membership with BCU Bank in full you can download and complete the Resignation of Membership Form.
Because we're here to help
Talk to the team
Got a question? Call us on 1300 228 228, pop into your local branch, or chat to us online.
Find your local branch
You’ll find us from Maroochydore to Port Macquarie – drop in and say hi!
Get answers online
Check out our how-to guides, search our FAQs, and find support services.