This is due to decisions taken by Northern Inland’s service providers. We regret that we are unable to source other service providers at this time. Due to the reduced usage of cheque services across the industry, many service providers and financial institutions are ceasing cheque services.

From 1 July 2023, no new cheque books will be issued. From 2024, Northern Inland will cease to offer:

• Presentation of Member cheques
• Corporate cheques
• Bank cheques.
At this stage our service provider has advised that they will be able to facilitate the deposit of cheques to Member accounts until November 2024. 

Northern Inland will continue to accept cheques for deposit to Northern Inland accounts until November 2024. After that time, Members can use bank@post services at participating Australia Post shops. By using their Visa Debit card to identify their account, a cheque can then be deposited to the Member’s Northern Inland account.

You need to ensure that the cheque payee matches with the name shown on your Visa Debit card, and the account holder name.

Northern Inland offers a range of payment services, including Online Banking, Phone Banking, and the SmartPAY App, in addition to our over-the-counter services. You can use these services to make BPAY payments.

Also, check your bill; some merchants have a Bill Pay option which means you can pay them at participating Australia Post shops.

For regular bill payments (such as rates, electricity or telephone) we can assist you to set up direct debits from your nominated account. A set amount, or the total bill, is then taken by your service provider each month.

To do this you need to provide Northern Inland’s BSB (802-298) and your nine-digit account number to the service provider. Your nine-digit account number shows on your account statement. If you need assistance, call Northern Inland on 6763 5111.

Many service providers will accept a BPAY payment via Phone Banking. Phone Banking does not require a smart mobile phone.

If you have access to a Northern Inland branch, our staff can make an electronic funds transfer or BPAY payment for you if you bring in your bill. We will set up a future payment for you that debits your account the following business day.

You can make an electronic funds transfer via Online Banking – just take care to ensure you have the recipient or merchant details correct as we cannot always recover mistaken internet payments. You can elect to make the transfer via the BECS system which can take up to 3 days, or via the National Payments Platform, which occurs in real-time.

If you are not comfortable using Online Banking, staff can make a payment via the SWIFT system for you. Please note a $25 fee applies.

Call us on 6763 5111 so we can talk to you about your payment options.

You can use your NICU card to identify an account to which you can deposit cheques via participating Australia Post shops offering bank@post.

The payee on the cheque being deposited, and the name on the NICU card and accountholder will need to match. You will not be able to deposit third-party cheques.

Please note, if you had an arrangement to clear deposited cheques at NICU branches, this is no longer available.

To protect against fraud it is always a good idea to destroy unused cheques; Northern Inland staff can place your unused cheques in our secure shredding bins.

If your cheque is presented in 2024, it will not be able to be exchanged for value. This may cause you inconvenience and some embarrassment if you attempt to present a cheque after cheque services have been withdrawn.