The Western Pacific Banking Corporation, also known as Westpac, is one of Australia’s biggest banks, at least by market capitalisation. It is the world’s second most sustainable bank, according to the Dow Jones sustainability index.
Westpac is also an international bank. It has a big market presence in the pacific region. It recently merged with the St. George bank, which means that it has 10 million customers and 1,200 branches (the largest network in the country). For users of the debit card, most of which can also be used in Westpac ATMs without any charge, Westpac operates over 2,800 ATMs. The Westpac credit card is relatively well accepted for charge free ATM withdrawals in the Pacific region.
Westpac offers a large amount of loans including mortgages, car loans and personal loans, both secured and unsecured. The debit card has to be used in conjunction with a Westpac current account.
Westpac’s debit card is offered through the American MasterCard company. This means that there is an impressive international network of both shops that will accept the card and almost a million ATMs where the card can be used.
MasterCard also has a zero liability policy which applies for its Westpac cards. This policy means that if the card is stolen then the card holder will not be liable for any extra charges that occur on the card. The same goes if the card is involved in fraud. There are certain conditions that revolve about not being careless with the card and obviously, not colluding with any fraud. If these terms are met then unauthorised transactions are fully reimbursed by MasterCard or Westpac.
MasterCard also operates a detection technology known as Falcon. This is aimed to give extra security and reassurance if the card is stolen or attempted to be used in a fraudulent way by cloning.
MasterCard’s ticket finding service, Applause, operates on the Westpac card. This allows people to find and buy tickets for concerts and sporting events, even when the tickets are in otherwise short supply. This is also integrated with the card to allow for easier payment.
Unlike many debit cards there are no application charges, or monthly holding charges. This does not rule out transaction charges that can vary depending on what type of Westpac current account that the card holder is operating. There are also likely to be fees for using ATMs outside the St. George or Westpac networks.
To be able to use the Westpac MasterCard there are some minimal conditions. The applicant has to be both over 18 and an Australian resident. There may be further conditions that relate to the Westpac current account that is chosen to be used in conjunction with the card.