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Kiwibank has gone cheque-free. If you need support transitioning to different ways of making payments, we’ve got resources and friendly experts to help you learn about fast, cheap and safe payment alternatives.
On 16 May 2019, we announced our decision to stop issuing and accepting cheques from 28 February 2020. This means after 28 February 2020:
After 31 March 2020, all customer cheque facilities will be closed.
Stopping our cheque service wasn't an easy decision to make. However, for the last five years the use of cheques at Kiwibank has been declining at a rate of 20% year-on-year as customers choose less expensive ways to pay. In fact, more than 99% of our customers' payments are via alternative methods.
If you're a business customer, we've created a checklist and resources to help you inform your customers that you'll no longer be able to accept cheques.
There are a number of ways we can help you through this change, including Stepping UP digital banking workshops, Kiwibank Tech Teas or our digital support hub. We also created a handy list of frequently asked questions.
Kiwibank no longer provides personalised deposit books. However customers can continue to use their personalised deposit slips to deposit cash into Kiwibank bank accounts. You'll also still find deposit and withdrawal slips in Kiwibank branches.
For a full list of frequently asked questions about the changes to cheques, visit our FAQs page.
There are plenty of ways to make and receive payments.
To make a payment:
To receive a payment:
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to accept cheques after 28 February 2020.
If this happens, you’ll need to contact the person who gave you the cheque and ask them to pay you directly into your bank account. This can be done online or in branch.
If you receive regular payments by cheque, please contact the person paying you to set up a payment direct to your bank account.
We have an internet banking guarantee to help protect our customers from scams. If you've been the victim of unauthorised activity on your accounts within internet banking or our mobile app, we'll reimburse any money you've lost as long as you’ve complied with our general terms and conditions (PDF 200.5 KB), haven’t acted dishonestly or negligently and have taken reasonable steps to protect your banking.
We’re also partnering with Stepping UP to run workshops for anyone keen to learn more about staying safe online.
The best way to pay is through a direct deposit into their account. Ask them for their account details and save them as a payee to make it easier in the future.
We can help you set up more efficient ways of accepting payments.
Options to help your customers pay you electronically are:
Options for charities to receive donations electronically are:
Educate your customers on the advantages of paying electronically:
Alternatively, let them know they can give us a call on 0800 113 355 (anytime between 7am and 8pm, Monday to Friday and between 8am and 4:30pm on weekends).
We're here to help as you switch from cheques to alternative methods of payment. The good news is there are lots of easy and convenient ways to make payments, that are cheaper, faster and secure.
We've partnered with community organisation, Stepping UP, who will run workshops at selected libraries for anyone keen to understand the basics of digital banking.
Our how-to-videos and step-by-step guides will talk you through the basics of internet banking and keeping safe online.
We’ll be holding Tech Teas at branches around the country, where you can learn more about internet banking, phone banking, EFTPOS, in-branch withdrawals and ATMs.
If you need to pay a bill or transfer money to a tradesperson, friend or family member, you can do this online with internet banking.
You can pay bills and transfer money on your mobile while you’re out and about with our app which offers a full range of banking services.
Use a Visa Debit Card for your everyday spending – you can pay for your shopping online or in person, or get cash out of an ATM.
We do everything we can to protect your money and personal information. This includes two online authentication services that provide an extra layer of security when you're using internet banking and our mobile app.
There are a range of questions and answers to help keep your account secure. You’ll set it up the first time you log in to internet banking and then each time you log in, you’ll need to answer a KeepSafe question to access your accounts.
Some transactions you make online or on our app will require two-factor authentication. You’ll be sent a one-time PIN to your mobile to complete your transaction. This is to make sure that you're the person who has requested the transaction.
If you haven’t spent a lot of time online, then the independent online safety watchdog Netsafe would be worth a visit. Netsafe is full of information and tips about how to stay safe online and avoid scams. We also have resources to help you stay safe online.