AustPost Prepaid MasterCard and ATO Payment

arctan on 13/10/2021 - 16:43
Last edited 13/10/2021 - 17:17

I applied a new credit card where I will get reward points if I spend $1500 in 90 days. (I am thinking to get some prepaid MasterCards from Post Office)
https://auspost.com.au/money-insurance/buy-gift-cards/auspos… )~~

Anyone know if you can use the Prepaid MC from AustPost to pay ATO tax online? If not, what's the best option to maximise the value of prepaid MasterCards. I read that Suncorp Reward does not accept prepaid MC for gift card purchase.

Update - I just released Post office does not accept Amex card for purchase. I have to find another Prepaid Visa/MC to satisfy the spending requirement.
One option is the Officeworks Only 1 prepaid $500 visa. This card comes withs a fee around 7.5 bux.

https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/only-1-vis…

Another option is the Westfield prepaid digital visa card but the maximum is only $200. Only can be loaded into Google pay or Apple pay app.
https://www.westfield.com.au/shop/westfield-digital-gift-car…

Surely these items will not be counted as cash in advance right? Unsure if ATO accepts digital visa card so I might have to go with the Only 1 card from Officeworks.

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Comments

  • anglais on 13/10/2021 - 16:52

    Too many risks and variables in this. These are often treated as cash advance purchases.

    Just use it for your groceries? 90 days is a long time.

    • arctan on 13/10/2021 - 17:21

      Just wondering if buying from Officeworks ($500 prepaid giftcard) would work? I hope this will not be treated as cash advance right?

      • WookieMonster on 13/10/2021 - 17:41
        +4

        My experience with Amex is that if I purchase gift cards at a retailer (e.g. Coles, Woolworths), it is not treated as a cash advance. I assume it would be the same for Officeworks.

        If you bought a gift card directly from a gift card provider (e.g. TCN’s website), there is a chance it is charged as a cash advance, as TCN’s primary business is selling gift cards, but I have never done that myself.

        Btw Woolworths sells the Only1 Visa cards you are looking at, and the variable value gift cards can be loaded with up to $500.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 13/10/2021 - 16:58
    +3

    I thought that the ATO only accepted Apple Gift Cards.

    • plmko on 13/10/2021 - 17:27

      No man they're very efficient these days. Just hard cash in a duffle bag placed in a designated bin.

  • cloudy on 13/10/2021 - 17:05
    +1

    I used coles MasterCards to pay ato debt. There’s a small fee, about 50c for every $249.50. And confirmed my account has received it.

    • arctan on 13/10/2021 - 17:11

      Is it Coles Prepaid MC?

      • cloudy on 13/10/2021 - 17:36

        Yep

      • WookieMonster on 13/10/2021 - 17:37
        +1

        Yes, the prepaid Mastercard gift card that everyone loves.

  • kerfuffle on 13/10/2021 - 17:16

    $1500 in 90 days isn't that hard … Do you not buy groceries or anything?

    • arctan on 13/10/2021 - 17:20

      Main reason is to reduce my ATO debt and at same time to meet the spending requirement on Amex.

  • slknv on 13/10/2021 - 17:34
    +3

    Sniip charges 1.5% for amex ATO payments

    • WookieMonster on 13/10/2021 - 17:45

      And if OP uses the OzBargain referral system, they and a lucky person will get $10!

      • arctan on 13/10/2021 - 18:43

        Thanks for the info. I am looking into this option for ATO debt.
        If I use AMEX to pay with Sniip, does Amex treat the payment as eligible payments for reward points?

        • slknv on 13/10/2021 - 22:47

          Always tracked reward points for me.

        • daft009 on 17/10/2021 - 04:27

          Yes use sniip. I put through 5 figure every month on sniip

  • WookieMonster on 13/10/2021 - 18:02
    +2

    I don’t think you can use an Only1 Visa gift card as a payment method with the ATO anymore.

    A more recent comment seems to support that.

    • MrBr0 on 14/10/2021 - 20:24
      +1

      Yes they stopped working some time ago

  • arctan on 13/10/2021 - 18:43
    +1

    That is pretty sad. I'll have to look into Sniip then.

  • miwahni on 13/10/2021 - 23:16

    Why do you want to convert your ATO debt into a credit card debt? What rate is the ATO charging you, in comparison to the AMEX?

    • slknv on 14/10/2021 - 09:31

      Not quite that… eg pay off ATO bill using a credit card, in order to meet minimum spend requirements for bonus points. Then pay off credit card in full when payment is due prior to any interest accumulating. No extra debt, but maybe a % fee for paying with a card. Don't think anyone is quite that dumb to put their tax debt on a card at 20% and NOT pay it off instantly.

      • miwahni on 14/10/2021 - 22:36

        You don't think anyone is quite that dumb? Mate I've seen dumber stuff on here before. And OP is resisting people who are suggesting to use the card for groceries, which he could also pay off by the end of the month, so there has to be more to it. Otherwise he'd use the card for everyday bills, and use his cash to pay off his ATO debt, thereby saving the % fee for paying by card (assuming one exists), paying off the card at the end of the month and being ahead of the game.

        • Yola on 15/10/2021 - 11:45

          Maybe he just does not need to buy that amount of groceries. Anyway I would purchase no fee GC's.

        • arctan on 17/10/2021 - 22:48

          It's an Amex card so most of places I shop don't accept it. Hence I am looking for a way to get around it. That's why I was asking for prepaid visa/MC options.

  • arctan on 14/10/2021 - 09:52

    Also an added on question - does anyone have experience with Westfield digital prepaid visa card (can be loaded into Google pay and Apple pay)?
    Many places do not accept Amex so I am thinking to get this digital prepaid visa (use my new Amex card to purchase them) so I can shop at those places (eg Aldi) with google pay or apple pay.

    https://www.westfield.com.au/shop/westfield-digital-gift-car…

    • WookieMonster on 14/10/2021 - 10:47
      +5

      I haven’t had direct experience with the Westfield digital prepaid Visa card, because I only like buying prepaid cards when it is:

      • Fee-free,
      • Sold less than face value + purchase fee, or
      • It comes with bonus Flybuys or Everyday Rewards points that completely offset the purchase fee.

      However, I will say the purchase fee is quite low when compared to other prepaid gift cards:

      Prepaid Gift Card Sold At Load Amount Gift Card Purchase Fee Fee per $100 Loaded (Assuming Maximum Load Amount)
      Westfield Prepaid Visa Card Westfield website $10-$200 $2.95 $1.48
      Westfield Prepaid EFTPOS Card Westfield website, Coles, Woolworths, Australia Post website $50, $100 $5.95 $5.95
      Coles Gift Mastercard Coles, Coles Express $250 $7 $2.80
      Only1 Visa Card Woolworths, Officeworks $25-$500 $7.95 $1.59
      The Perfect EFTPOS Card Woolworths, BIG W, Officeworks $20-$500 $7.95 $1.59
      Vanilla Visa Gift Card Coles, The Reject Shop $200(?) $4.95(?) $2.48(?)
      TCN EFTPOS Gift Card Coles, TCN $200 $6.95 $3.48
      Australia Post Gift Card Australia Post $20-$500 $5.95 $1.19

      The fact that the Westfield Prepaid Visa Card is digital means that it should be able to be used with online merchants who accept Apple Pay or Google Pay, so that is handy. Plus you do not have to worry about carrying physical gift cards around with you, which can be a massive benefit!

      Keep in mind that some merchants (e.g. ALDI) will charge you a surcharge (in ALDI’s case, 0.5%) for paying with a Visa card. That’s why some people prefer purchasing EFTPOS gift cards instead.

      Another problem is that prepaid Visa and Mastercard gift cards are susceptible to BIN attacks (which is the most likely explanation for the recent attacks on Coles Gift Mastercards). I’m not saying these kinds of attacks are common for prepaid Visa and Mastercard gift cards, but they are probably more likely with prepaid Visa and Mastercard gift cards than a regular Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card issued by a bank, credit union or financial institution.

      Also, some of the gift cards listed in the table above have deals on them from time to time at some retailers, so it may pay to wait for a deal:

      • Coles Gift Mastercards have previously been sold at a 10% discount or with 1000, 2000 or 2500 bonus Flybuys points.
      • TCN EFTPOS gift cards are occasionally sold by TCN with no purchase fees and free postage. Coles also sold the $100 denomination (with a $5.95 gift card purchase fee) with 1000 bonus Flybuys points a couple of months ago, but no one posted that deal, because the bonus points did not completely offset the purchase fee.
      • The Perfect EFTPOS Gift Cards are occasionally sold at Woolworths with bonus Everyday Rewards points.
      • Only1 Visa gift cards are occasionally sold at Woolworths with bonus Everyday Rewards points, but I think there have been no recent deals posted here, which indicates that the bonus points you could earn had less value than the gift card purchase fee.
      • Australia Post previously had a glitch on their online store where they didn’t charge the $5.95 purchase fee for the Westfield EFTPOS gift cards. This has since been fixed, so don’t get too excited!
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