Information for members

General information

Your membership includes access to internet banking tools you can use on any computer, our mobile banking apps you can install on your phone and a Visa Debit card so you can withdraw cash from thousands of ATMs, fee-free.

Statements: you can choose to receive statements on paper or electronically (which is the fee-free option). We definitely recommend online statements because they remain secure in your internet banking portal and all your past statements are accessible for future reference. The environmental impacts are also reduced by not printing and posting paper and, yes, it saves us a little bit of money each month.

Fraud monitoring is something we take very seriously to protect you, your money (and our money too). Sometimes when you do a transfer, our protective systems will kick-in and you might get a call from one of our team to check if you wanted that money to leave your account. 

Account alerts and reminders sent by SMS or email can be set up to automatically notify you when money comes into, or goes out of, your accounts or if your balance drops below a certain amount. Just go to 'Alerts' under 'Inbox' in your internet banking portal. 

Complaints: if you want to send us feedback, complaints or compliments or just your thoughts on ways we can improve... please see our Complaints Handling Policy for how to send it.

Losing a loved one: Please notify us if you have recently suffered the loss of a family member or friend, we are here to help you. For more information on what to do next, please see the deceased estates page. 

Accessing your money

Internet banking - click the login button at the top of the page to log in to our internet banking platform where you can manage your bank accounts, view your balances, make money transfers and send secure messages to our member support team.

ATM access - your First Option membership includes fee-free cash withdrawals from any of the 'Big Four' bank ATMS, using your First Option Visa debit card. Make sure you look for branded ATM machines from the following banks in order to avoid a fee from commercial ATMS: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB or Westpac

Bank@Post is Australia Post's over-the-counter service, so you can treat any post office in Australia as a virtual branch of First Option Bank and make the banking transactions you need, in person. Small service fees apply to some transactions.

Phone banking - of course as a First Option member you can call our team of personal bankers in Melbourne and Sydney during Australian business hours for any help with your banking needs

Mobile phone apps  - if you have an Apple phone (iPhone) or a Google phone (Android) you can download the First Option mobile banking apps from here.

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Paying for things

Sending money to a friend, a seller or paying your bills is quick and easy through the range of payment platforms included with your membership.

Visa cards are available with your membership. You can elect to receive a Visa Debit Card attached to your Pay account and you can apply online for a First Option Visa Credit Card.

eftpos is a convenient, secure and very widely-used payment method. You can also withdraw extra cash from your account when making a payment 

Apple Pay and Google Pay are next-generation payment platforms enabling you to securely save Visa card details electronically to pay for goods and services directly with your mobile phone or smart watch. Your First Option membership includes access to both. Refer to the linked website pages for instructions on setting it up on your own device. 

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Transferring money

Your membership includes access to our internet banking tools you can use on any computer, our mobile banking apps you can install on your phone and a Visa Debit card so you can shop online.

Osko gives you almost-instant money transfers between Australian bank accounts, extreme convenience!

Standard bank transfers, the traditional way to move money between banks and accounts, it takes a little longer than Osko transfers but there are less limitations on the amounts you can transfer

Staff-assisted transfers - call our Member Services team and we can help you make a transfer, to make sure the right amount goes to the right person. There is a $5 fee per transaction.

PayID allows you to set-up your mobile phone number or email address to direct money transfers into a bank account without needing the BSB or account number

BPAY - the famous Australian online bill payment platform which allows you to pay most bills from your council rates or speeding fines to power bills and school fees

Sending /receiving money overseas with your First Option membership is straightforward in a range of currencies using SWIFT, International Drafts and Transfers or through our partnership with Convera. Ask our Member Services team for help with the best tool for your needs. If you are expecting money to be transferred from overseas to your First Option account, please see the information and complete the form on this page: Receiving money from overseas.

Direct credits into your account, such as having your salary from your employer automatically paid into your Pay account, is easy - just give them the First Option BSB number (802 876) and your account number.

Direct debits from your account mean you save yourself remembering to pay regular bills like insurance premiums, council rates or utility bills and avoid any transaction fees by authorising the organisation to directly debit funds from your account. To arrange authorisation, just provide them with the following details: financial institution: First Option Bank Ltd, BSB 802-876 and your account number (which is also your member number).

Regular payments between your bank accounts, or to others, are easy to arrange with simple tools to set-up the details and schedule it to happen automatically.