Gift Card Purchases and PostBill Payments Listed as 'cash Advance' on Westpac Credit Card PDS?

tunzafun001 on 01/03/2024 - 15:36

So just got a Westpac Platinum card. Just reading the PDS books that come with it.

Under Meaning of words - Pg 12 - Cash Advance- Any transaction where you pay for a stored value card. So this seems to imply buying the Coles Prepaid Mastercards etc are a Cash Advance?? Also means they aren't eligible spends for bonus points etc.

If true, this a huge change from the norm!

Even worse, it also lists a Cash Advance as any time you pay bills over the counter or through a third party (other than BPay).

I'd assume 99% of us would pay bills via PostBillpay or Paypal etc, so that points are earnt.

Anyone confirm this in a real world application?..ie. is the PDS wrong?

Financial Gift Card

Comments

  • Summoner on 01/03/2024 - 20:04

    Not sure of physical gift cards, but egiftcards that i bought from shopback did not incur any cash advancement fee.

  • tunzafun001 on 01/03/2024 - 20:24

    Yeah, I've never heard of such a clause ..but just read it.
    When the Coles Mastercard deal didn't work 2 days ago..which I was massively $hitty about, as I have a new $3000 spend / 100k bonus points card..and have $1000s in rates to pay and rates don't count for bonus points….
    BUT the bank agent said giftcard purchase wouldn't count for points or bonuses anyway..and it was likely a cash advance!

    Also said the transactions were rejected as Mastercard themselves flagged the transactions as "high risk" and only allowed half to process. Sounds stupid..yet sounds about right.

  • avoidfullprice on 01/03/2024 - 22:05

    Prepaid Visa or Mastercard has been a cash purchase at Woolies or Coles for me.

    Store giftcard does not require a cash payment

    Dunno about billpay

  • Baghern on 01/03/2024 - 22:46

    I thought it has always been the case with mastercard,

    I rarely do mastercard because of so many exceptions

    Unless its changed recently Visa allows Bpay for points and bonus eligibility…. except of course where the Bpay biller doesnt accept credit cards… you can check the BPAY website to check what billers accepts

    The only card that Im aware of that accepts gift cards for points and eligibility is AMEX

    • tunzafun001 on 02/03/2024 - 01:14

      I churn and burn a lot. Never seen this before in any other card.

      • avoidfullprice on 02/03/2024 - 08:09

        Which other card have you churned that doesnt count Prepaid Visa or Mastercard as Cash Advance? I’ll like to churn them for points too

        • tunzafun001 on 02/03/2024 - 13:41

          HSBC, St George, ANZ, CBA and Westpac last year

  • timhn on 04/03/2024 - 06:58

    I've seen that T&C in every CC that I have applied in last 10yr or so. Almost every CC I have owned in the past, I have bought gc - either online or in-store, to meet the spending requirement. No extra fees at all.

    CC providers can only categorised your purchases as buying gc if the MCC told them so. How can they tell if you buy gc if you paid together with your milk from WW?

    Not sure about paying for bills as i normally either direct debit or via Bpay.

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