COVID-19: Customer Support

Supporting our business customers

We have introduced a number of measures to help our business customers manage the impacts of COVID-19.

We’re here to support you

We are currently receiving a high volume of customer enquiries and appreciate your patience. We are working hard to ensure that you have the help needed to support your business at this challenging time and will respond as soon as possible. We want to assure you that we’re here to support you and here’s some options you may like to consider:

Business loans and business credit card repayment deferrals

What is available?

Eligible St.George business customers who need help with managing their cash flow can defer principal and interest payments1 of business terms loans, business auto loans, equipment finance facilities, equipment loans2, for six months.

Eligible customers can also defer repayments for St.George business credit cards including Amplify Business, BusinessVantage and Corporate Connections Mastercard3, for six months. Eligible customers will also receive an interest rate reduction to 9.46% per annum on new and outstanding purchases and cash balances during the deferred repayment period.

If you are eligible for the COVID-19 business loan repayment relief and your application is approved, your deferred repayment period will be effective from the date of submission and processed from June 20204.

Please note: Customers who have applied for repayment deferral on their eligible loans before 17 April 2020 and would like to extend the deferral to also include Business Credit Cards, can resubmit an application. Resubmitting your application will not impact any deferrals that have already been approved.

Who is eligible?

The deferred repayment period applies to eligible business connections impacted by COVID-19:

  • with total business exposure of less than $10 million per customer group;
  • includes commercial property customers who confirm, for the deferred repayment period, that they will not terminate leases or evict tenants on the basis of non-payment of rent as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • where the business is operated in Australia with less than 20% foreign ownership; and 
  • for those customer's above $3 million total business exposure, with current facilities that have not been in arrears in the last 90 days.

Please note that for business loans:

  • any current fixed rate period will also be extended by 6 months at that fixed term rate; and
  • your loan term will be extended by at least 6 months.

What happens if my application is successful?

For Business loans, if your application is approved, your deferred repayment period starts from your submission date and will be applied from June 20204. What this means is, if your application is approved and a repayment has been made between the time you applied, and the time we actioned your request, we will return these funds to you. If this isn’t possible, we will apply them to the balance on your accounts.

For Business credit cards, the repayment deferral will apply from the date of processing.

 

 Tips to help you apply

  • You must be a borrower, guarantor or signatory to be the person applying for deferral
  • Have the following details to hand before starting your application:
    • Customer Access Number or Card Number
      (8-digit number used for telephone or online banking, which is also on your statements along with your Card Number)
    • BSB and loan account number(s)
      (For any loan(s) you are requesting relief for. Find these on your statements and in online banking.)
    • Credit card number
      (If requesting credit card relief)
    • Email address
      (Must be the one registered to your business bank account)

 

Apply for repayment relief

We are currently receiving a high volume of customer enquiries and appreciate your patience. We are working hard to ensure that you have the help needed to support your business at this challenging time and will respond to your application as soon as possible.  
 

1. Interest deferred will be capitalised. Terms and Conditions and eligibility criteria apply. For Equipment Finance facilities and loans only, instalments will be deferred and finance charges will still apply over the deferred period. Instalments will be recalculated at the end of the deferral repayment period and will include finance charges.

2. Please note that customers with an overdraft facility should utilise their available balance in the first instance and speak to their Relationship Manager if further assistance is required. Customers with cashflow/invoice/trade finance and commercial bill facilities requiring assistance should also refer to their Relationship Manager.

3. For business credit cards interest on outstanding purchase and cash balances, including those made during the deferred repayment period, will be calculated and accrued daily at a reduced rate of 9.46% per annum. Interest will be capitalised to the account monthly unless the closing monthly statement balance is paid in full. Standard fees otherwise continue to apply and will be charged to the credit card account. You will not be required to make any repayments during the deferred repayment period, however, the removal of the minimum monthly repayment does not prevent you from paying down your balance at any point in time, and we encourage you to do so to minimise interest costs where possible.

4. Depending on the type of loan, the deferment may be effective immediately after your last interest payment date. This could be earlier than the date you submitted your application.


Frequently Asked Questions for business repayment relief

Whether you’ve already applied for our Customer Support package or are exploring this option, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about our support measures below.
 

We’ve introduced repayment relief initiatives to help our business customers impacted by COVID-19.

If you’re a St.George customer and need help making repayments on your business loan, equipment loan or business auto loan (business loans), you can apply for a deferral on repayments for six months.
 

Eligible customers can also defer repayments for St.George business credit cards including Amplify Business, BusinessVantage and Corporate Connections Mastercard3, for six months. Eligible customers will also receive an interest rate reduction to 9.46% per annum on new and outstanding purchases and cash balances during the deferred repayment period.
 

Businesses eligible for repayment deferral include:

  • those with total business exposure of less than $10 million per customer group;
  • commercial property customers who declare that, during the deferred payment period, they will not terminate leases or evict tenants due to non-payment of rent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • where the business is operated in Australia with less than 20% foreign ownership; and
  • those customers above $3 million total business exposure, with current facilities that have not been in arrears in the last 90 days.

If you have an overdraft facility, you should use your available balance in the first instance and speak to your Relationship Manager if you require assistance.

If you have a cashflow/invoice/trade finance or commercial bill facility, please speak with your Relationship Manager.

 

 

Home loan repayment deferral

To find out more or to apply for repayment deferral, please go to the home loans support page.

 

Learn about home loans support

Business loans and overdrafts

Temporary business overdraft

For  existing customers currently enrolled in the JobKeeper Payment Scheme, we’re offering a temporary business overdraft facility to help them continue paying their employees while they wait to receive payments from the Government’s JobKeeper Payment Scheme

  • If you have an existing overdraft and require additional funds to meet your employee wage or salary requirements, you can apply for a temporary increase [for up to 45 days] of your existing facility limit at the same interest rate as your existing facility.*
  • If you do not currently have an overdraft facility, you can apply for a temporary overdraft facility for up to 45 days.* The temporary overdraft facility is available at an interest rate of 7.99% per annum. Throughout the period of the overdraft facility, you will need to clear the balance using any JobKeeper payments you receive.

Select ‘JobKeeper Payment scheme- temporary funding assistance’ on this page to find out more including eligibility criteria, terms and conditions and how to apply.

 


Unsecured Lending

To support our business customers through this challenging environment St.George is offering an unsecured 3-year term loan up to $250,000 to eligible business customers with a turnover of less than $50 million. This offer is available with a 6 months repayment deferral, with interest to be capitalised.*

No establishment fees or monthly account keeping fees apply. Other fees and charges may apply.

Applications are available between now and 30 Sept 2020 to both existing and new customers.


Who is eligible?

In order to apply, your business must meet certain eligibility requirements as follows:

  • Businesses affected by COVID-19
  • Businesses with annual turnover of less than $50 million
  • The business must be a tax resident of Australia, that is based, registered and operating in Australia
  • Both existing St.George customers and new customers are eligible
  • Loans must be used to support current and upcoming cash flow needs
  • Loans must be used for business purposes only
  • Loans cannot be used to refinance drawn facilities with St.George or any other lender
  • The total sum of your unsecured loans (including those from other financial institutions) relating to COVID-19 relief must not exceed $250,000.

 

Ways to Apply

If your business has more than $3 million in existing St.George business lending please contact your Relationship Manager, otherwise you can apply in one of the following ways:

 

Existing St.George business customer

You can enquire about a variable rate unsecured term loan of up to $250,000 by completing the form below*.      

Enquire now
Not a St.George customer?

You can enquire about a variable rate unsecured term loan of up to $250,000 by completing the form below*

Enquire now

We are currently receiving a high volume of customer enquiries and appreciate your patience. We are working hard to ensure that you have the help needed to support your business at this challenging time and will respond to your application as soon as possible.
 

* Terms and Conditions and Eligibility Criteria apply.

 


Equipment finance

  • No establishment fees for equipment finance loans until the end of June 2020.

This helps small and medium businesses take advantage of the increased instant asset write-off and accelerated depreciation provisions in the Federal Government stimulus package.

 

Learn about equipment finance

Business Term Deposits

What’s available?

  • Termination of a deposit without interest rate adjustment
  • Immediate termination within 31 days allowed when experiencing hardship.

How to apply?

To access these support measures, please speak to your banker, visit a branch.

Credit card repayment deferral

Who is eligible?

Repayment deferral is available to customers who hold the following credit card and who are experiencing financial hardship:

  • All St.George Amplify Business cards
  • St.George Business Vantage card.

Please note: Not available for Commercial Bank customers. Financial Hardship applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

What is available?

  • Defer payment option for 90 days
  • Deferral of annual fees for 3 months if required.

 

Call 1800 629 795

Alternatives to banking in branch

Business Banking Online

Bank online, on tablet and mobile and discover a fast and convenient way to stay on top of your business finances - anywhere, anytime.1

If you prefer to speak to one of our friendly staff, you can call our Business Banking Online Helpdesk on 1300 554 004.

 

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Already registered? Setup guide

Learn about online banking

JobKeeper Payment scheme - temporary funding assistance

The Government is offering emergency relief and financial assistance to help employers during this difficult time including the JobKeeper Payment scheme. Under the Government’s new JobKeeper Payment scheme, you may be able to claim a fortnightly payment of $1,500 per eligible employee.

The Government’s website contains information including whether you are eligible to claim these payments.#

IIf you are eligible, and you have enrolled for the JobKeeper Payment scheme with the Australian Tax Office (ATO), we may be able to help you through this challenging time by providing access to temporary funding whilst you await the JobKeeper payments.

What’s available?

  • If you have an existing overdraft and require additional funds to meet your employee wage or salary requirements, you can apply for a temporary increase for up to 45 days of your existing facility limit at the same interest rate as your existing facility.*
  • If you do not currently have an overdraft facility, you can apply for a temporary overdraft facility for up to 45 days.* The temporary overdraft facility is available at an interest rate of 7.99% per annum. Throughout the period of the overdraft facility, you will need to clear the balance using any JobKeeper payments you receive.
  • If you do not receive any or sufficient JobKeeper payments to repay the temporary increase or overdraft, you will need to clear the facility using other funds.
  • This product is a temporary overdraft facility. An overdraft facility is an ‘at call’ facility.  What this means is that you will need to repay the facility when we ask (and we can ask for repayment at any time, even if there’s no event of default). For example without limiting our rights, if your eligibility for the JobKeeper payment scheme changes, we may demand repayment of your temporary overdraft facility.*
  • There is no line fee and the $250 establishment fee will be waived for both increases to existing facilities and new temporary overdrafts. Other fees and charges may apply.
  • This offer can only be obtained up until 27 September 2020, St.George reserves the right to reprice, amend, extend or withdraw this offer at any time.

Who is eligible?

To apply for a temporary increase to an existing overdraft facility, or apply for a new temporary overdraft facility, you must be an existing St.George customer and:

  • Meet the ATO JobKeeper eligibility criteria,#
  • Confirm that your business has enrolled for the JobKeeper Payment Scheme;
  • Declare that the amount requested is aligned to the funds needed to pay the wages and salaries of your eligible employees;
  • Hold an existing St.George account in the same name as the Business registered under the JobKeeper Payment scheme. This must be the same account that the JobKeeper payments are paid into; and
  • Be able to provide evidence of recent payroll payments for the last two months.

How do I apply?

To apply you must have:

  • Enrolled for the ATO JobKeeper Payment scheme;
  • Be able to provide the JobKeeper Registration number supplied to you by the ATO; and
  • Have a nominated St.George transaction account to receive the JobKeeper payments.
     

Apply online, call 1300 730 196 (8am – 8pm Sydney time, Mon-Fri) or speak to your Relationship Manager.

 

Apply now
Call 1300 730 196

(8am – 8pm Sydney time, Mon-Fri)


To read a summary of the Government’s JobKeeper Payment scheme, visit the ATO website.# 

*Terms, conditions, eligibility and credit criteria apply.

#The JobKeeper program is a Federal Government initiative and we provide a link to the external site for your convenience. This information is provided for general information only. Please read the Government’s fact sheet to see if you are eligible and for terms and conditions that apply. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice on how the Federal Government initiatives relate to your circumstances.

Merchant fee relief

Which fees are being refunded automatically?

All eligible merchant customers will be refunded each month for 3 months, starting in April 2020.

We will provide you with an adjustment note once you have received all merchant terminal fee relief payments. 

For merchant customers on a Simple Pricing Plan:

  • Monthly plan fees.
     

For merchant customers not on a Simple Pricing Plan:

  • Monthly terminal rental fees and minimum monthly service fee.

Who is eligible?

Merchant customers with a total card spend of less than $5 million per annum.

How to apply?

There is no need to apply, we will refund this automatically each month for 3 months once the fees are paid.

For merchant customers with a total card spend over $5 million per annum, please contact your Relationship Manager or our Merchant Helpdesk on 1300 650 977.

Which fees are being waived?

Cancellation fees if your business is closing as a result of COVID-19, please speak to your Relationship Manager or our Merchant Helpdesk on 1300 650 977.

Which fees still apply?

For merchant customers on a Simple Pricing Plan:

  • Establishment fees when you set up a new or additional facility
  • Installation fees when you request an additional terminal
  • Excess transactions will be charged at 1.5%  when your transactions exceed your plan’s included value
  • Chargeback fees when you receive a chargeback or if you receive excessive chargebacks
  • Authorisation fees when the Authorisation service is used
  • Equipment not returned/damaged fees if your terminals are not returned to us or if they are damaged due to negligence or abuse.

 

For merchant customers not on a Simple Pricing Plan:

  • Establishment fees when you set up a new or additional facility
  • Installation fees when you request an additional terminal
  • Participation fees to cover the cost associated with the supply of your merchant facility
  • Transaction fees including Credit/Debit merchant service fees, UnionPay merchant service fees, interchange and on-charged scheme fees (if applicable)
  • Chargeback fees when you receive a chargeback or if you receive excessive chargebacks
  • Authorisation fees when the Authorisation service is used
  • Equipment not returned/damaged fees if your terminals are not returned to us or if they are damaged due to negligence or abuse
  • Temporary EFTPOS facility monthly fee if a merchant facility is required for a set period.

 

Please note: Some of these fees may not apply to you as they are not relevant to your facility type. For a full list of fees and charges that apply to you, please refer to your Fee Schedule.

 

 

Continuity planning for your business

We appreciate your business may be disrupted by COVID-19 and your customers and employees potentially impacted. We have put together steps and resources that may help you to act at a time when you may have to make significant decisions.

 

Download checklist


 

 

Any questions?

During the COVID-19 pandemic we know you’ll have questions regarding our relief package and other matters, so we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked on our FAQs page. As the situation changes we’ll keep the page updated to reflect the latest information and guidance.
 

Check out FAQs


 

Important information

Terms, conditions, eligibility and credit criteria apply.

1. Subject to system availability. Scheduled maintenance and unexpected outages may impact availability. Some features may not be available on the app.