Convenient bill paying now available over any counter

The over-the-counter market is far from declining with nearly 80 per cent of Australia choosing to pay their bills over-the-counter last year compared to just 44 per cent switching to online payments.

"The continuing dominance of over-the-counter market is driven by consumers’ preference to pay their bills using cash rather than credit," said Steve Baric, General Manager, Sales and Account Management. "However current over-the-counter bill payment options are often not only inconvenient for consumers, they are also expensive for billers."

"In response, the Commonwealth Bank is today launching an exciting new concept, BPOINT making bill paying easier, cheaper and more accessible for consumers and billers across Australia."

Tapping into the Commonwealth Bank’s vast and extensive network, consumers will now be able to pay their bills through EFTPOS terminals at any participating BPOINT retailer.

"The ability for consumers to pay at places like their local pharmacy, supermarket, video store or newsagent means you no longer need to spend your lunch hours waiting to pay bills.

"The Commonwealth Bank is also the largest biller institution, and we’ve had a positive response from our billers who have been looking for a cheaper alternative to the current options. Our merchants think BPOINT is a great draw, attracting more customers into their store and they also earn a commission on each bill processed," said Mr Baric.

The Commonwealth Bank has just completed a successful trial of BPOINT in South Australia where retailers and billers have expressed excitement at the new payment method.

"For the customer, I think BPOINT is a benefit because they can come into somewhere like a pharmacy and it's virtually a one stop shop," said Ms Victoria Leibe, Pharmacist and owner of City East ChemPlus in South Australia. "While they’re waiting for the script to be filled they can pay some bills."

"BPOINT has been developed with the consumer and our customers in mind," said Mr Baric. "The fact that we’ve had such a successful pilot in South Australia, and with billers like Optus jumping straight on board, we are excited about the prospect of BPOINT changing the way bills are paid."

 

- Ends -

Media inquiries:

Bryan Fitzgerald
Commonwealth Bank
Phone: (02) 9378 2663
Email: fitzgeb@cba.com.au

Notes to Editors:

Additional high resolution images available on request.

How does BPOINT work?

 

 

List of BPOINT billers

Biller	Bills per annum	Coverage
Optus	36m	National
Commonwealth Bank Credit Cards	33.6m	National
Western Power		WA
SA Water	2.6m	SA
SA Government (preferred supplied)		SA
TRUenergy	1.65m	VIC