Studying in Australia and organising finances

If you’re heading to Australia to study, most likely you’ll need to sort out your banking for when you’re here. Read on to find out how Westpac can help with your everyday banking needs.

How can a Westpac Choice account help you manage your money while you’re studying?

A good everyday bank account should be more than just somewhere to keep your money – it should make your life easier by letting you manage your money on the go in a way that suits you. Enter Westpac Choice.

 

When you open a Westpac Choice account you’ll be able to take advantage of some cutting edge digital services that you can access from your smartphone. These include:

 

  • Google Pay™  – make purchases with Google Pay™ by simply tapping your mobile at contactless terminals2
  • Pay to Mobile – a secure and convenient way to split a restaurant bill or send money to friends - all you need is their Australian mobile phone number and for them to have an Australian bank account to receive the funds. And if you’re a Westpac customer, you can use Pay to Mobile to receive payments which are paid straight into your nominate Westpac account.
  • Fingerprint login – sign in to Westpac Mobile banking simply and securely with just your fingerprint on compatible devices.

What else does Westpac Choice offer?

  • Transfer money with online banking from anywhere in the world
  • Debit Mastercard®3 – Use your Debit Mastercard to shop securely online, access cash at ATMs and use PayPass™ to tap and go on purchases under $100.
  • Pay no ATM withdrawal fee at any Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA or at the Global ATM Alliance and partner ATMs4
  • Westpac Fraud Money Back Guarantee ensures that customers will be reimbursed for any unauthorised transactions.5
  • Unlimited electronic transactions.

Pay no account fees while you’re studying

If you’re a full time tertiary student studying in Australia, you’ll pay $0 Account-Keeping Fee on the Westpac Choice account for the duration of your full-time studies in Australia (because you’ll have better things to spend your money on than bank fees). 6

How do I open a Westpac Choice account?

Once you arrive in Australia, you can open a Westpac Choice account online or in a local branch in just a few minutes. If you open online, you may still be required to visit a branch to verify your ID.​

 

 

For a list of documents that we accept, refer to  Identification Checklist. (PDF 657KB)

Westpac Choice for international students

An everyday account packed full of features to help you bank with ease.

Find out more

Featured products

Related articles

Things you should know

This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Consider its appropriateness to these factors before acting on it.

2. Google Pay: Read the Terms and Conditions (PDF 125KB) before making a decision and consider if it is right for you. Available for eligible cards. To use Google Pay you will need to use a compatible device with a supported operating system.

3.  Debit Mastercard®: Westpac Choice Youth account, the eligible card age is 8. For any other transaction account, the eligible card age is 14. You must have an Australian residential address. 
4. Other fees may be payable. A 3% Foreign Transaction Fee applies to overseas debit or credit card withdrawals. A 3% cash advance fee applies to credit card withdrawals where the ‘credit’ option is selected. Refer to Global Alliance for a list of members.

5. Westpac Fraud Money Back Guarantee ensures that customers will be reimbursed for any unauthorised transactions provided that the customer has not contributed to the loss and contacted Westpac promptly. Refers to the cards’ terms and conditions for full details, including when a customer will be liable.

6. $0 account-keeping fee will automatically apply for as long as any account holder on the account is Under 30, or whilst you are a full-time tertiary student. You will need to have your full-time tertiary student ID verified at any Westpac branch to enjoy the $0 Account-Keeping Fee. Other fees and charges may apply.   

 

Android, Google Pay and Google Play are trademarks of Google Inc.
 

Mastercard® is a registered trademark and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.

 

Apple, the Apple logo and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC. Samsung and Samsung Pay are trademarks or registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
 

PayID® and PayTo® are registered trademark of NPP Australia Limited.