Getting a payment card

Payment cards are used to buy one-off costs, for example food, groceries, glasses or dental treatment. To get this you need to:

• apply for help with the cost, and
• have a payment card so we can load the money onto it.

How to apply for help with a cost

Call us on 0800 88 99 00

We'll talk with you to understand what you need and how we can help with this. If it’s something we can help with, we'll check if you're eligible and get the application started for you. If it's approved we'll talk with you about how we can pay this, and whether you need to go get a payment card.

How to get a payment card

You can get a payment card from any Work and Income service centre. There's a list of their locations on the Work and Income website:

Go to the reception area and ask for a payment card. You don't need an appointment to do this. You need to have:

• your client number
• a government issued identity document (for example a driver licence, birth certificate, or passport).

Once you've got a payment card you need to call us back to get the money loaded onto the card. The card doesn't have money loaded onto it automatically.

We'll let you know:

• how much money is on the card - you can also check this online in MyStudyLink
• which shops you can use it at
• what you can buy with it
• how long the money will stay on the card for
• how to set your PIN.

You also need to sign the back of your card – the shop staff will ask you to sign your receipt, and check this matches your signature on your card.

Setting your PIN

You can set a personalised 4-digit PIN on your payment card to keep your payments safe and secure. It’s a good idea to set your PIN now so your card is ready to use if you need it.

How to set your PIN:

• 1) Log in to MyStudyLink
• 2) Go to 'My payment cards'
• 3) Select the card you want to add a PIN for
• 4) Enter a 4-digit PIN, and re-enter it to confirm
• 5) Done! Your PIN is now ready to go.

If you can't use MyStudyLink to set your PIN, then call us and say “set my card PIN”. If you've registered your voice you can do this at any time without waiting to talk to person. If you haven't registered your voice you’ll need to call during our contact centre opening hours to talk to us. 

You use your PIN the same way you do for EFTPOS cards, and you can reset it if you need to – find out more about using your card and resetting the PIN.

Getting a Notice of Credit letter instead of a payment card

There are times when we need to give you a Notice of Credit letter instead of a payment card. This can happen when:

• the EFTPOS network or our internal systems are down
• there's a state of emergency or natural disaster
• you're unable to use a payment card.

When you call us to apply, we'll talk about whether you need this letter.