Sending money to a friend’s phone is as easy as texting.
Only a limited number of banks include Pay to Mobile functionality in its mobile banking applications. This feature lets you make payments to the contacts in your smartphone address book. You don’t need to the payee’s bank account details.
When you send money to a phone number the recipient gets a code and instructions on how to claim the money. If you’re both customers of the same bank the payment will clear instantly, if not, mobile payments can take a couple of days to process. You can find a list of institutions that let you make a payment to another person’s phone number further down this page.
Send money using Nab flik
Enjoy $0 monthly account fees on the NAB Classic banking account.
Free use at over 3,400 NAB and RediATMs in Australia
24/7 Mobile Banking, including Quick Balance checker
Tap and Pay for Android
Free linked NAB Visa debit card with payWave
MoreOpen
Read the NAB Classic Banking terms and conditions.
Rates last updated June 7th, 2016
Monthly Deposit
$
Monthly Account Fee
Debit Card Access
ATM Withdrawal Fee
Fee Free Deposit p.m.
Details
NAB Classic Banking
Tap and Pay with your Android Phone using NAB Pay.
No minimum deposit required.
Visa
$0
$0
No monthly account fees, ever. Free use at over 3,400 NAB and RediATMs Australia wide and $0 overdrawn fees.
Open
More
Westpac Choice
$0 ATM withdrawal fee at 50,000+ ATMs globally.
Via Westpac's Global ATM Alliance. Get Cash without your debit card (conditions apply).
Mastercard
$0
$2,000
No ATM fees when using St.George, Westpac, BankSA or Bank of Melbourne ATMs in Australia. Deposit at least $2,000 per month and enjoy no monthly service fee.
Open
More
ANZ Access Advantage
Apple Pay now available.
Unlimited transactions at ANZ ATMs, EFTPOS, Internet, Mobile and Phone Banking.
Visa
$0
$2,000
No monthly account fee when you deposit at least $2,000 per month. Other fee waivers available based on your personal situation.
Open
More
Bank of Melbourne Express Freedom
Get Cardless Cash and PAYG branch and cheque services.
Visa
$0
$1,000
No ATM fees when you use Bank of Melbourne, St.George, Westpac and BankSA ATMs. No monthly fees if you deposit $1000 into your account each month.
Open
More
BankSA Express Freedom Account
Get Cardless Cash, free SMS and email alerts.
Visa
$0
$1,000
Avoid ATM fees when using BankSA, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and Westpac ATMs. Avoid the monthly fee if you deposit $1000 into this account each month.
Open
More
St.George Complete Freedom Account
Additional $50 to new accounts (conditions apply).
$0 ATM withdrawal fee via St.George's Global ATM Alliance.
Visa
$0
$2,000
No account keeping fees, if you deposit $2,000 per month plus no minimum balance required. No ATM fees when using St.George, Westpac and BankSA ATMs.
Open
More
Commonwealth Bank Complete Access
No longer available for new applications.
Mastercard
$0
$2,000
Deposit at least $2,000 a month (or $1,000 if aged 21 to 24) to get the monthly fee waived.
More
How does pay to mobile work?
Pay to Mobile is an internet banking feature you can use to easily send money to bank accounts in Australia. All you need is the recipient's mobile number. If you’re both with the same bank the transfer is instant, otherwise the payee will receive a SMS code and instructions on how to claim the payment. Sending a payment to a friend’s mobile number doesn’t cost you anything extra. Mobile payment transactions are secure, internet banking encryption covers mobile payments too.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN
Your guide to banking with your mobile phone
How to compare digital wallets
PayPal international money transfers
ANZ goMoney
ANZ’s online banking application available on smartphones and tablets. ANZ have effectively turned participating merchants into mobile banks. You can make cash withdrawals and deposits to your ANZ account at any goMoney Merchant. Make payments to a mobile number from ANZ goMoney. The recipient also needs to be an ANZ customer registered for goMoney. ANZ goMoney Person2Person payments clear instantly. The recipient will get a SMS when you complete the Person2Person payment.
NAB flik
Anyone with a NAB transaction account can download NAB flik and make payments to Facebook friends, friend’s phone numbers and email addresses. NAB flik also supports payments using QR codes. You can send money to other NAB flik users instantly. Payments to non-NAB accounts are processed overnight if the transaction is completed before 6PM.
To make a payment to a friend’s phone number, choose the ‘send’ option on the NAB flik home page, when prompted to select your method of payment, pick the option which lets you make a payment to your phone contacts from your address book. The application is available from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Westpac Group
Westpac Group financial institutions, Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA provide the same Pay to Mobile service to customers. The following limits apply to Pay to Mobile transactions:
Limit of $250 per transaction up to $1,000 per day and a limit of 10 transactions per day.
Westpac Pay to Mobile
Pay to Mobile is a feature of Westpac mobile and internet banking. Make payments when you’re out and about to any bank account in Australia, all you need is the recipient's mobile number.
From Westpac mobile banking, select the make a payment option from the home screen. When you’re prompted to select the payee, choose the recipient by adding them as a new mobile payee from your smartphone contact list, or by selecting an existing payee by tapping on the mobile payments tab.
If the recipient is a Westpac customer and they have mobile payments enabled, they’ll get the payment right away. If they are not, a SMS code will be sent to their phone with information on how to claim the money. The payment is valid for 3 days until it expires.
St.George Pay to Mobile
St.George Pay to Mobile is a smartphone banking feature which lets you send money to another person’s phone number. The person receiving the payment doesn’t need to be a St.George customer, you can make a Pay to Mobile payment to any bank account in Australia. Transfers to non-St.George bank accounts can take up to 2 business days to clear.
BankSA and Bank of Melbourne
BankSA and Bank of Melbourne cardholders can make payments to mobile numbers in Australia using the smartphone online banking applications.
PayPal
PayPal is a great service for sending money to people in Australia and overseas. Split a restaurant bill, settle a round at the bar, give some money for a friend’s kid’s birthday. The catch is both parties need a PayPal account. You can search for the payee by their mobile number or email address. If the payee doesn’t have a PayPal account, the message sent to their mobile number includes a link to sign up for a PayPal account — it’s free.
To make a payment using a mobile phone number or email address, go to m.paypal.com.au on your smartphone browser. You can also send money to a mobile number or email address from the desktop PayPal website. Just look for the ‘Send’ menu option to get started.
Commonwealth Bank
Pay anyone with an Australian bank account from the CommBank mobile banking application. All you need is the payee’s phone number. The recipient has 14 days to collect the payment.
How to make a payment to a mobile from Commbank
Log-in to your Commbank online banking facility.
Look for the pay someone menu.
Select pay to mobile.
If you’ve made a payment before, you can navigate to the payee by looking for the saved payee details. If this is your first payment, you’ll need to add a new beneficiary. A SMS notification will be sent to the payee when you add them as a payment.
You’re issued with a unique payment code, this must be provided to the recipient.
Real questions from past users
How do I monitor the status of a mobile payment?
You can check on the status of a payment you’ve made to a mobile number by logging into your online banking facility. For example, ANZ goMoney shows you your last 10 transactions.
What happens if I enter the wrong mobile number?
When you make a payment to a mobile number, the transaction status shows ‘Awaiting Collection’ until the payment is received. You can cancel any Pay to Mobile transaction online while the payment is awaiting collection. If the payment has been received, you will need to contact your financial institution to arrange to reverse the transaction.
Someone has sent me a mobile payment, how do I collect the money?
If someone has sent a payment to your mobile, you will receive a SMS with the payment code, you’ll need this information as well as your BSB and account number. Enter this information on the website of the bank sending the payment and the funds will be deposited in your bank account.
How long do I have to collect a payment?
Pay to mobile transactions are valid for up to 3 days. If the money has not been claimed in 3 days, the payment is cancelled.
What are the limits of Pay to Mobile payments?
Check with your financial institution for information specific to your account. Westpac Group pay to mobile payments are subject to the these limits:
$250 per transaction up to $1,000 in 24 hours.
A limit of 10 Pay to Mobile payments per 24 hours.
Do I need an account with a bank to collect a payment?
No, you don’t need to be a customer of a bank to collect a payment. Provide the financial institution with your mobile number, payment reference number, BSB and account number and the financial institution will forward the payment to your account.
What is next?
Our guide to online banking.
Find out which banks offer tap and pay services.
A comparison of bank accounts with Apple Watch functionality.