We have removed cheques and drafts as payment methods

After 25 June 2021, your cheques are no longer a valid payment method. You should destroy the cheques (cut them in two or more) and dispose of your cheque book.

Any HSBC cheque will not be honoured after 25 June 2021, regardless of where they are deposited, in New Zealand or overseas. You may need to make payment to a payee via an alternative method.

If you have an HSBC bank cheque or HSBC bank draft in your possession after 25 June, please return them to us, to refund to your HSBC bank account. See Question 16 (bank cheques) or Question 19 (bank drafts) for details on how.

We can no longer accept any cheques for deposit after 25 June 2021. If you receive a cheque, you’ll need to contact the person who gave it to you and ask them to pay you directly into your bank account.

We can no longer issue cheque books after 16 April 2021. Now is a good time to start transitioning to alternative payment methods.

There are alternative methods that don’t involve using cheques – however, the best solution for you depends on your specific needs. Please phone our New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply).

You can also visit our new branch at HSBC Tower, Level 21, 188 Quay Street for help on this change.

Internet Banking remains the quickest and safest means of paying people and organisations in New Zealand on any smartphone, tablet or computer. If you don’t have HSBC Internet Banking access, visit our website to learn more or call our New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply).

For regular payments of a fixed amount, you can set up a recurring transfer to a regular payee in HSBC Internet Banking. See our website Ways to bank for a step by step guide in setting these up. Alternatively please complete an automatic payment authority form, you may download a copy from here.

If the amount you pay varies each time, or you don’t wish to set up an Automatic Payment, setting up a Direct Debit may be a more suitable option. To set up a new Direct Debit arrangement with a particular company, please ask them for a copy of their Direct Debit form.

To receive a payment as an individual, the easiest option will be to provide your account number to the payer so they can pay you via internet banking.

Learn more about Ways to bank with HSBC Internet Banking at our website. 

To get started with internet banking, you need the following:

• A Personal Banking Number (PBN)
• A Personal Identification Number (PIN)
• A Secure Key

Please ensure we have your mobile number registered in file, a ‘one-time password’ text message will be sent to your mobile number in order to activate your Secure Key.

If you have all of these, you can register online for HSBC Internet Banking.

If you are missing any of the above, call us on 0800 02 80 88 within New Zealand or if calling from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply), and we can help you get set up for Internet banking.

• Transferring money between your accounts, to other bank accounts in New Zealand and internationally.
• Establish future-dated and recurring instructions for your transfers.
• Pay bills.
• Balance enquiries and account transaction histories.

If the amount paid varies each time, contact your service provider as they may be able to send you out a Direct Debit form to complete. Most common service providers will provide a Direct Debit service to receive payments.

Other alternatives could include paying with your HSBC Debit Mastercard. It is never recommended to give card numbers, expiry date or Card Verification Code details details over the phone or in an email, but a company may accept card payments securely online.

If none of these are suitable, please call our New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply), and we’ll work out the best option for your payment.

Visit our HSBC Security Centre at our website for more tips and preventative measures. 

With HSBC Internet Banking, security is our top priority. Your financial information is protected by your Username, Password, Security Code from your Secure Key, our powerful 128-bit encryption code and automatic 'time-out'. If there's no activity after a short period of time, your Internet Banking session is terminated to prevent unauthorised access.

HSBC's Secure Key provides superior protection from a large variety of attacks, including fraudulent and spoof websites, spyware, phishing and trojan horses.

The Secure Key will need to be used every time you log on to internet banking and when completing certain transactions such as transfers to a third party or changing your personal details online.

When using your HSBC Debit Mastercard to pay online, always remember:

• To regularly check your transaction history on the accounts linked to your card to ensure transactions were performed by you. 
• Check that you are dealing with a trusted and reliable business by confirming company details and researching online feedback and complaints. 
• Only enter your Card Details into a secure web page. A secure web page has ‘https://’ at the beginning of the address bar and a picture of a locked padlock in the browser.
• Do not make an online purchase using a public computer or Wi-Fi network.
• Never send your card details via email or read them out over the phone.
• Be wary of websites making offers that seem too good to be true.

Your bank account or debit card is not affected by these changes. The transaction or current account linked to the cheque option on your card will remain the same.

We understand that charities in New Zealand still receive a significant number of cheques from donors. With the banking and payments industries moving away from cheques, the charities will need to talk to their bank to get ready to take alternative sources of donations.

Accepting card payments online could be one solution for them.

Cheques are not legal tender in New Zealand, rather they are a method of payment. People and businesses are not required to accept cheques. Cash (notes and coins) are the only legal tender in New Zealand.

The bank cheque will need to be returned to our HSBC New Zealand office in Auckland to be repurchased to your HSBC New Zealand bank account.

Please visit us at HSBC Tower, Level 21, 188 Quay Street Auckland, or you can mail the bank cheque to us with our indemnity completed.

Please call our 24/7 New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply) to get a copy of our Bank Cheque Cancellation Indemnity Form. 

Please complete the form and mail it and the bank cheque to:

HSBC New Zealand

PO Box 5947

Victoria St West

Auckland 1142

New Zealand

Attn: Payment Services

Please call our 24/7 New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply) to get a copy of our Bank Cheque Cancellation Form and Original Indemnity. Two separate documents. Please mail them to:

HSBC New Zealand

PO Box 5947

Victoria St West

Auckland 1142

New Zealand

Attn: Payment Services

Internet Banking transactions can be processed within the same business day, offering a quicker and cheaper alternative to Bank Cheques. For large payments you may need to send us your instruction via secure message or lift your daily internet banking limit by contacting our 24/7 New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply). 

1. If the draft is intended for an overseas beneficiary and is still valid (i.e. not stale / older than 6 months), you can still send it overseas. The beneficiary’s bank will clear it via us, and the New Zealand cheque processing system is not used. 
   
   
2. If it’s for a New Zealand beneficiary, stale, or you are not going to use it, you should return it to our HSBC New Zealand office in Auckland to be repurchased to your HSBC bank account. 
   

Please visit us at HSBC Tower, Level 21, 188 Quay Street Auckland, or you can mail the bank draft to us with our indemnity completed.

Please call our 24/7 New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply) to get a copy of our Bank Draft Cancellation Form. Please complete the form, and mail it and the bank draft to:

HSBC New Zealand

PO Box 5947

Victoria St West

Auckland 1142

New Zealand

Attn: Payment Services

Please call our 24/7 New Zealand Contact Centre on 0800 02 80 88, or from overseas on +64 9 368 8557 (international toll charges apply) to get a copy of our Bank Draft Cancellation Form and Original Indemnity. Two separate documents. Please mail them to:

HSBC New Zealand

PO Box 5947

Victoria St West

Auckland 1142

New Zealand

Attn: Payment Services

International Bank Drafts will no longer be issued from 16 April 2021. If you wish to send a payment to an overseas beneficiary after 16 April, you can either remit funds by international payment to the beneficiary’s account or see if they can accept a debit/credit card payment.

You can send an international payment via HSBC Internet Banking.

Alternatively, if you have HSBC accounts in the country of the beneficiary, you can send a Global Transfer free of charge to your own account, and then send a local payment in that country.

Yes, we will continue to accept foreign or overseas cheques to send for Collection or for deposit to your HSBC account (at HSBC discretion), until further notice.