Aussie outraged over fee to use cash at Australia Post – as the postal service is forced to clear the air
A woman was outraged after claiming a friend was charged a fee to use cash to pay their Australia Post bill.
Brisbane woman Gerrie Hoogland said the friend went to pay a bill at a post office last week when they were hit with the unexpected fee.
“He gave them $82 in cash and they said they would charge him $2.20 for using cash,” she wrote on X.
“He refused to pay after telling them that cash is legal tender and then left without paying the bill.”
Social media users were left in stitches, with one labeling Australia Post as ‘shady’ and others calling it a ‘scam’ and ‘disgrace’.
It is believed the fee is set by the biller and not Australia Post.
As many Australians become increasingly concerned about the rapid decline in the use of cash, an outraged woman has taken to social media to complain about the costs of using cash. The photo shows a woman taking cash from a wallet
The fee can be added regardless of whether the bill is paid by cash or card.
The additional charges apply to bills paid in person at post offices using Post Billpay.
Whether or not the costs are passed on to the customer depends on which organization initially issued the invoice.
“Some billers charge fees for bills paid in person,” Australia Post told us Yahoo.
The company said some exceptions may apply and to find out more, customers should contact the bill issuer directly.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Australia Post for comment.
Phone companies such as Optus, Vodafone and Telstra charge payment fees for bills paid at Australia Post stores.
Telstra charges a ‘non-electronic payment fee’ of $2.50 to customers who pay their bills in person at Australia Post or Telstra stores.
The charges will be added to the customer’s total bill, regardless of whether they pay by card or cash.
The fees charged are added by individual billers, rather than by Australia Post, and can be added regardless of whether the bill is paid by cash or card. An Australia Post store is pictured
“Australia Post charges the utility company a fee to process the payment and it is common for businesses to pass this on to the customer,” Telstra said.
Australia could be ‘technically out of money’ within three years, with cards or digital payments now accounting for three-quarters of small purchases.
Before the pandemic in 2019, just over half of all in-person, daily transactions under $10 were made with a card.
But in three years that rose to 73 percent for purchases of things like a takeaway cup of coffee or a gelato, a recent Reserve Bank report showed.