Using a payment card
How to use your payment card, where you can use it and what you can buy.
Make sure you:
- sign the back of your card
- set a personalised PIN before you use it
- spend the money within 7 days from when it's loaded onto the card (for glasses you have up to 28 days)
- use the card at shops that are registered with us and accept payment cards
- only spend up to the amount of money on your card.
You can now set a personalised PIN on your payment card, to keep the money on your card safe and secure. From 23 September you must set a personalised PIN before you can use your payment card. Find out how to set your PIN
How to use the card
- At the checkout, swipe the payment card through the EFTPOS terminal.
- Select the CHQ option.
- Enter your personalised PIN – if you haven’t set a PIN yet, enter the last 4-digits of the card number.
- Sign your receipt – the shop staff will check this matches your signature on the back of your card.
Don't throw the card away after you've used up the balance. Keep it so we can use it again if you need more help
What you can buy
You can only use your payment card to buy the essential items you applied for. This is things like:
- food and groceries
- clothes
- dental treatment.
You can't buy non-essential items like:
- alcohol
- cigarettes, tobacco or vaping products
- gift cards or vouchers (except for phone top-ups)
- lotto tickets
- non-essential appliances or electronics (such as an air fryer or gaming console).
Where you can use it
You can only use payment cards in shops that are registered with us and accept our cards. When you apply we'll talk with you about what help you need, how much money has been granted and which shops you can go to. You can check which shop your payment is for in MyStudyLink.
You may be able to use the card in more than one registered shop, depending on what you've applied for. For example, you can use food grant payments in more than one grocery or food shop.
Money leftover
You can check how much money you’ve spent and how much is left online in MyStudyLink.
You may have money leftover if you:
- haven't spent all the money yet because you're planning to spend it at more than one shop
- didn't need to spend all the money.
Any money you don't need will stay on the payment card until the 7 days is up. After the 7 days is up it will expire. If the money is for glasses you have up to 28 days to spend it.
If you don't spend the full amount on your card, you can't get cash out for the rest. You also can't get vouchers or gift cards for the rest.
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