Changes to payments via DEFT

From Thursday 1 October 2026, you’ll no longer be able to make payments on deft.com.au using a credit or debit card.

Any payments you may have already scheduled using a credit or debit card from 1 October 2026 will be cancelled on this date.

Following recent changes by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), card companies including Visa and Mastercard have announced they’ll prohibit businesses from charging customers a surcharge on card payments.

As a result, we’re evolving the payment options available on DEFT to focus on fast, fee-free methods, and removing the option to pay by card.

By transitioning to options like PayID^®, we can offer you a fast and secure way to pay directly from your bank account in real-time^{^}.

Note:

^{^PayID payments made on a non-business day will not be settled until the next business day. Some banks may apply a hold or delay on payments to complete fraud security checks.}

Depending on what your biller offers, payment options include:

• PayID - make instant^{^}, fee-free payments via mobile or internet banking using <deftreferencenumber>@deft.com.au
• BPAY^® – pay by mobile or internet banking using the DEFT Biller Code advised by your biller. Use your DEFT reference number as the Customer Reference Number. 
• deft.com.au – make one-off or recurring direct debits (from your bank account)
• Australia Post – pay in-store at Australia Post via eftpos or cheque. You’ll need a barcode generated by your biller. This can usually be found on your invoice or levy notice for strata lot owners.

To avoid late fees, please read our FAQs guide to find out how long it takes for a payment to clear using different payment methods.

^{^PayID payments made on a non-business day will not be settled until the next business day. Some banks may apply a hold or delay on payments to complete fraud security checks.}

For customers who prefer paying in person at Australia Post, payment can be made by eftpos or cheque. You’ll need a DEFT barcode or rent card provided by your biller. Australia Post is unable to accept payments with only a DEFT reference number.

To avoid late fees, please read our FAQs guide to find out how long it takes for a payment to clear using different payment methods.

If you need help making payments, you can contact your biller or you can call us on 
1800 672 162 (overseas +61 02 8550 5642) Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 5.00pm (Sydney time).

To help make the switch and avoid late fees, please see the table below which outlines payment timeframes which will help you determine when you should schedule your next payment*:

Note:

*Your biller may charge fees that vary by payment method.

1. On deft.com.au, click the ‘Login’ button under the Pay online section.

2. Enter the email address you used to register your profile, then click ‘Log in’. On the next page enter your password, then click ‘Log in’ again.

^{Note, you’ll need to ‘Register now’ if you don’t have a DEFT profile set up.}
 

3. Navigate to the ‘DEFT reference numbers’ tab.

4. Find the DEFT reference number you wish to update, then click ‘Edit’.

5. In the Direct debit authorisation (Biller-initiated) section, select the dropdown arrow on the current payment method and click on your preferred bank account to update your payment method.

6. If you don’t have a preferred bank account in your wallet, you’ll need to click ‘Add payment methods’, enter in your bank account details and ‘Add bank account’.

7. Click ‘Update’ to update your payment method to be your selected bank account. Your selected bank account will be debited for future Biller-Initiated Direct Debits.

1. On deft.com.au, click the ‘Login’ button under the Pay online section.

2. Enter the email address you used to register your profile, then click ‘Log in’. On the next page enter your password, then click ‘Log in’ again. 

^{Note, you’ll need to ‘Register now’ if you don’t have a DEFT profile set up.}
 

3. Navigate to ‘Scheduled payments’. 

4. Select the scheduled/recurring card payment you’d like to change and click ‘Edit’.

5. Select the dropdown arrow on the current payment method and click on your preferred bank account to update your payment method.

6. If you don’t have a preferred bank account in your wallet, you’ll need to click ‘Add payment methods’, enter in your bank account details and ‘Add bank account’.
 

7. Click ‘Update’ to complete the payment method update for your scheduled / recurring payment. Your selected bank account will be debited for future scheduled or recurring payments.

• Email template - this can be used to send to lot owners to let them know about changes to DEFT payment methods. You’ll need to update information required in the highlighted fields before sending this email.

• Newsletter wording - this wording can be used for newsletters you issue to your lot owners.

• Email signature wording - this can be added to the bottom of your corporate email signature to let your lot owners know where they can find out more about changes to DEFT payment methods.

• Shortened wording - this wording is suitable for SMS or other scenarios where you need shorter wording to communicate the change to DEFT payment methods to your lot owners.

Please use the wording supplied in each of the templates above.

Yes. They can make instant*, fee-free payments via mobile or internet banking using <deftreferencenumber>@deft.com.au. They can simply follow instructions on deft.com.au/payid.

It’s an alternative to paying from debit card where lot owners are using their own funds to pay their levies.

Note: If your lot owner is using their PayID for the first time, and they’re receiving an error, they’ll simply need to use a different payment method for this one-time transaction. This will activate their PayID, so they’ll be all set for future payments.

^{*PayID payments made on a non-business day will not be settled until the next business day. Some banks may apply a hold or delay on payments to complete fraud security checks.}

Besides PayID, lot owners can use the following ways to pay:

BPAY^®: Pay by mobile or internet banking using your DEFT biller code and their DEFT reference number as the Customer Reference Number.

deft.com.au: Pay by bank account with their DEFT profile. They can make one-off, scheduled or recurring payments.

Post Billpay: Pay in-store at Australia Post via eftpos or cheque. They’ll need to use the barcode on their levy notice to pay.

Note: you may choose not to offer all the above payment options to your lot owners.

There is no like-for-like solution we can provide that will guarantee the same experience as paying by credit card today.

It is possible to pay by BPay using credit card, however lot owners should assess if this is suitable based on their circumstances.

There are also other payment apps or websites that are available for lot owners to pay their levies by card. These may change from time to time so lot owners should complete their own research and should assess if any of these options are suitable to their needs.

There are international payment providers available which may allow lot owners to pay their levies. Lot owners should complete their own research and assess if these providers are suitable to their needs.

Alternatively, lot owners can arrange an international transfer to their Australian bank account. They’ll need to set up an Australian bank account if they don’t already have one. They can then pay their levies via DEFT payment options including PayID, BPay or deft.com.au, from their Australian bank account.

Your software providers have been informed of the changes that need to be made to levy notices. We’ve asked them to make these changes prior to 1 October 2026.

• Email template - this can be used to send to tenants to let them know about changes to DEFT payment methods. You’ll need to update information required in the highlighted fields before sending this email.

• Newsletter wording - this wording can be used for newsletters you issue to your tenants.

• Email signature wording - this can be added to the bottom of your corporate email signature to let your tenants know where they can find out more about changes to DEFT payment methods.

• Shortened wording - this wording is suitable for SMS or other scenarios where you need shorter wording to communicate the change to DEFT payment methods to your tenants.

  Please use the wording supplied in each of the templates above.

Yes they can. They can make instant*, fee-free payments via mobile or internet banking using <deftreferencenumber>@deft.com.au. They can simply follow instructions on deft.com.au/payid.

It’s an alternative to paying from debit card where tenants are using their own funds to pay their rent.

Note: If your tenant is using their PayID for the first time, and they’re receiving an error, they’ll simply need to use a different payment method for this one-time transaction. This will activate their PayID, so they’ll be all set for your future payments.

^{*PayID payments made on a non-business day will not be settled until the next business day. Some banks may apply a hold or delay on payments to complete fraud security checks.}

Besides PayID, tenants can use the following ways to pay:

BPAY^®: Pay by mobile or internet banking using your DEFT biller code and their DEFT reference number as the Customer Reference Number.

deft.com.au: Pay by bank account with their DEFT profile. They can make one-off, scheduled or recurring payments.

Note: you may not be set up to offer, or may not choose to offer, all the above payment options to your tenants. If your tenant needs to pay in person, you can request a Post Billpay barcode for them to pay at an Australian Post outlet through your relationship manager.

There is no like-for-like solution we can provide that will guarantee the same experience as paying by credit card today.

It is possible to pay by BPay using credit card, however tenants should assess if this is suitable based on their circumstances.

There are also other payment apps or websites that are available for tenants to pay their rent by card. These may change from time to time so tenants should complete their own research and should assess if any of these options are suitable to their needs.

There are international payment providers available which may allow tenants to pay their rent. Tenants should complete their own research and assess if these providers are suitable to their needs.

Alternatively, tenants can arrange an international transfer to their Australian bank account. They’ll need to set up an Australian bank account if they don’t already have one. They can then pay their rent via DEFT payment options including PayID, BPay or deft.com.au, from their Australian bank account.

Your software providers have been informed of the changes that need to be made to rent notices. We’ve asked them to make these changes prior to 1 October 2026.

• Email template - this can be used to send to your payers to let them know about changes to DEFT payment methods. You’ll need to update information required in the highlighted fields before sending this email.

• Newsletter wording - this wording can be used for newsletters you issue to your payers.

• Email signature wording - this can be added to the bottom of your corporate email signature to let your payers know where they can find out more about changes to DEFT payment methods.

• Shortened wording - this wording is suitable for SMS or other scenarios where you need shorter wording to communicate the change to DEFT payment methods to your payers.

  Please use the wording supplied in each of the templates above.

Payers can use the following ways to pay:

BPAY^®: Pay by mobile or internet banking using your DEFT biller code and their DEFT reference number as the Customer Reference Number.

deft.com.au: Pay by bank account with their DEFT profile. They can make one-off, scheduled or recurring payments.

Post Billpay: Pay in-store at Australia Post via eftpos or cheque. They’ll need to use the barcode on their invoice to pay.

Note: you may not choose to offer all the above payment options to your payers.

There is no like-for-like solution we can provide that will guarantee the same experience as paying by credit card today.

It is possible to pay by BPay using credit card, however payers should assess if this is suitable based on their circumstances.

There are also other payment apps or websites that are available for payers to pay their bills by card. These may change from time to time so payers should complete their own research and should assess if any of these options are suitable to their needs.

There are international payment providers available which may allow payers to pay their bills. Payers should complete their own research and assess if these providers are suitable to their needs.

Alternatively, payers can arrange an international transfer to their Australian bank account. They’ll need to set up an Australian bank account if they don’t already have one. They can then pay their bills via DEFT payment options including PayID, BPay or deft.com.au, from their Australian bank account.

Your software providers have been informed of the changes that need to be made to invoices. We’ve asked them to make these changes prior to 1 October 2026.  

We are actively working with software providers to update their DEFT invoices (to include PayID as a payment option) and to integrate with us so your payers can take advantage of PayID.