Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Frequently Asked Questions General FAQs 1. Who uses BPAY? BPAY is Australia s most widely used bill payment service which enables bill payers to transfer funds electronically from their bank accounts to billers. It is offered as a payment channel by over 170 financial institutions through their phone and Internet banking services. Since BPAY s launch in 1997, electronic bill payment in Australia has grown at a phenomenal rate. BPAY can be used to pay over 16,000 different bills Australia wide and each month BPAY processes over 18 million individual payments. Over the last couple of years there has been a substantial increase in the number of people who have access to internet banking which has resulted in a large increase in the number of people using BPAY. Now 76% of the Australian bill paying population use BPAY* with 85% of BPAY payments being made via the internet. *source: TNS Research Nov What are the benefits of offering BPAY as a payment method to my customers? By offering BPAY, you can improve cash flow, decrease costs and reduce administration time. Cleared funds are deposited directly into your account each banking business day. BPAY is also quick and easy for your customers. It allows your customers to pay a wide range of bills with just one phone call or the touch of a computer key, seven days a week, day or night, within the security of their banking environment. BPAY offers an efficient and user-friendly solution for receiving payments that provides significant cost and time benefits for not only you, but your customers too. 3. Am I required to promote BPAY as a payment option and what promotional material is available for me? All you are required to do is clearly display the BPAY logo, your biller code, the Customer Reference Number (CRN) and payment information on your invoices. 4. How does BPAY work? Using BPAY for payment collection is simple: You send your customer an invoice displaying a BPAY logo, your unique BPAY Biller Code and their Customer Reference Number (CRN). Your customer logs into their Internet banking site or dials their telephone banking number and follows the prompts to make a BPAY payment. Your customer will be asked to provide your Biller Code, their Customer Reference Number and the amount they wish to pay. The customer s financial institution validates the payment and gives the customer a receipt number. Your customer s payment details are forwarded to your financial institution via BPAY. Westpac deposits funds into your bank account.

2 5. Is BPAY safe for my customers? BPAY payments are all made within the secure environment of your customer s financial institution Internet banking site or telephone banking system. The only parties who are authorised to have access to information about BPAY payments are, you the participating biller, and financial institutions. Additionally, BPAY does not receive any identifying personal or individual account details at any point during the payment process. As BPAY is part of Internet banking, consumers are also protected by the Electronic Funds Transfer Code of Conduct (EFT Code). Thousands of Australians pay their bills with BPAY every day using the Internet and phone banking services of over 170 financial institutions, building societies and credit unions. As with all aspects of Internet or phone banking, it is vital that your customers protect information such as PINs or passwords. 6. Can BPAY assist in achieving environmental savings? BPAY is an enabler for better environmental outcomes - for both Australian consumers and businesses. By offering your customer the BPAY payment option, not only do they save paper by not writing a cheque or using an envelope, but a phone or Internet payment system eliminates the need to transport the cheque from their mailbox to yours, saving energy and reducing pollution. 7. What type of information is passed through the BPAY system? Your customer s payment details The Biller Code The customer reference number The amount to be paid Whether the payment was made over the phone or using the internet What type of account is being used (Bank account or Credit Card Account) and from what bank The date that the payment was made and when payment was settled. The system also applies coding to ensure that if there is any mistake, the customer s financial institution is able to trace the payment. BPAY does not receive any identifying personal or individual account details at any point during the payment process. 8. What is BPAY View? BPAY View allows customers to have a single point of access to receive and pay bills electronically via their internet banking. BPAY View is predominantly used by large organisations with high BPAY volume (for example, utilities and government departments). Setting Up BPAY 9. How much does BPAY cost? Refer to the Biller Agreement for applicable fees. 10. What is the difference between a payment made from a Cheque or Savings Account, and a payment made from a Credit Card Account? When your customers make BPAY payments to you, this may be from their Bank Account (eg. Cheque Account) or a Credit Card Account. Payments made from both account types incur transaction fees for you as the biller, however Credit Card Accounts also incur a Merchant Service Fee (MSF).

3 11. Do I have to offer all payment methods if I offer BPAY to my customers? No, you have the choice of which payment methods you offer your customers through BPAY. These include bank accounts (eg. cheque accounts), or credit card accounts. 12. What is the Customer Reference Number (CRN) and how does it work? The CRN is a unique number allocated to a customer s invoice that identifies the account to be paid. Generate your CRNs. This may be done either through using the BPAY CRN Generator tool, or if you would like to use a Check Digit Routine which is different to Mod 10 Version 5, let Westpac know by specifying this on the Application Form. Print the CRN on the customer s invoice The Customer enters the CRN when paying a bill through BPAY If a customer enters the CRN incorrectly, they are notified through their internet or telephone banking and prompted to re-enter it. 13. How do I generate Customer Reference Numbers (CRNs)? The website contains the CRN Generator Tool this should be used to generate the Customer Reference Numbers which will be appearing on your invoices. Alternatively, you may use a Check Digit Routine which is different to Mod 10 Version 5, but ensure you let Westpac know by specifying this on the Application Form. 14. Can I have alpha characters in my Customer Reference Number (CRN)? No, CRNs must all be numeric (alpha characters can not be entered on all phone keypads). Therefore only numbers can be used in the Customer Reference Number. 15. What is a Check Digit? A Check Digit is the last digit of a CRN. The last digit is used to verify the accuracy of the CRNs once they have been generated. An incorrect Check Digit is usually caused by an incorrect calculation. If you have calculated a CRN incorrectly, your customers will not be able to pay you and will receive an error message through their internet or telephone banking when attempting to make the payment. 16. What is a Check Digit Routine? A Check Digit Routine is a mathematical formula used to calculate CRNs. Once established, if you wish to change the Check Digit Routine, you must advise Westpac otherwise your customers may not be able to pay you. 17. What is the difference between a Biller Long Name and a Biller Short Name? The Biller Long Name is what your customer will see on internet banking when they make a payment. The Biller Short Name is what your customers will see on their statements showing that they have made a BPAY payment to you. 18. Am I required to include the BPAY logo on electronic bills as well as paper ones? Yes, electronic bills must include a payment methods section with a reference to BPAY. This section must include the BPAY logo. 19. When will I know what my Biller Code and Live Date is? If your application is successful, Westpac will advise you of your Biller Code and other important details.

4 20. Do I need to do a test payment before I issue invoices to my customers? How do I know what the BPAY payments I receive will look like on my statement? Westpac recommends that test payments are made using your allocated Biller Code and the CRNs which you have generated. This will show you how BPAY payments will appear on your account statement, and confirm that your Biller Code and CRNs are working properly. Westpac also offer a separate file to your bank statement. This file contains more detailed payment information such as the CRN, receipt number, transaction type, and value of transactions. Contact us if you would like more information. Receiving Payments 21. How do I tell my customers to pay me using BPAY? You will need to provide your customers with an invoice containing your biller code, a CRN, and the BPAY logo. See the Using BPAY tab, then select Invoice Templates and Logos to see an example of the invoice you will need to provide your customers with. The BPAY Brand Guidelines will be able to assist you with the logo requirements. You ll need to generate some CRNs too, so see the Using BPAY tab and select Customer Reference Number Generator Tool to download the software. Westpac will advise you of your biller code once your application has been processed. You can then start to put your invoices together and send them to your customers. 22. How long will it take for me to receive a BPAY payment? As long as your customer makes the BPAY payment before the cut-off time, (this varies between Financial Institutions), you should see the funds deposited into your account on the next banking business day. Transactions will be processed overnight and deposited to your nominated account. Each of these will appear on your account statement. 23. How will I know who is paying me? Your statement will show individual statement credits paid by each of your customers. The description will contain the CRN which has been used to make the payment. 24. What if I receive a payment from a customer and can t match it against my CRNs? Can I contact Westpac to request more information? If you find you have a payment from an unknown customer, you should contact your Local Business Banker or Customer Care in order to raise an Error Correction. Due to privacy laws, Westpac will not be able to provide payer information (eg. Payer Name). 25. My customer has made an incorrect BPAY payment how do they stop it? Once a BPAY payment has been made, it cannot be stopped. 26. My customer has paid me $ instead of $ what should they do? If your customer has not paid you enough, another BPAY payment may be made to make up the difference. 27. My customer has paid me $ instead of $ what should they do? If they are a Westpac customer, they should contact Telephone Banking on Otherwise, they should contact their own financial institution.

5 28. What if my customer pays the wrong Biller Code or uses the wrong Customer Reference Number? If they are a Westpac customer, they should contact Telephone Banking on Otherwise, they should contact their own financial institution. Alternatively, you may use a Check Digit Routine of your own choice, but ensure that you use the same Check Digit Routine you used when you first became a biller with Westpac. Growing your business 29. My customer base is growing how can I generate more CRNs? You will need to refer to the CRN Generator Tool to generate more CRNs. You will need to ensure that you use the same Check Digit Routine. Remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that the CRNs generated are correct, otherwise customers will not be able to pay you. Alternatively, you may use a Check Digit Routine of your own choice, but ensure that you use the same Check Digit Routine you used when you first became a biller with Westpac. 30. How do I know which Check Digit Routine I am using? Refer to the Help Options within the CRN Generator Tool software for more information. If you have chosen to use a Check Digit Routine of your own choice, ensure that you use the same Check Digit Routine you used when you first became a biller with Westpac. 31. I have redesigned my invoices what do I need to do? If you make any formatting or design changes to your invoices, you must ensure that you continue to comply with the BPAY Identity Standards. 32. The maximum payment amount is too small for the services I am providing and the invoices that I am issuing. How do I increase the maximum payment limit? Contact the Local Business Banker at your nearest branch or Customer Care on in order to request an increase. 33. Who do I call if I have more questions about BPAY? Customer Care can be contacted on You may also visit your local Westpac branch, Business Banker, or Relationship Manager. 34. I want to change my Check Digit Routine. What do I need to do? You should contact your Local Business Banking team at your nearest branch or call Customer Care with the details of what you wish to make changes to, including your biller code. 35. I want to be able to accept (for example) CRNs of 8 and 9 digits in length instead of just 8. What do I need to do? You should contact your Local Business Banking team at your nearest branch or call Customer Care with the details of what you wish to make changes to including your biller code. Westpac Banking Corporation ABN (03/10)