Manage an existing credit card FAQs

You can add up to 3 additional cardholders depending on the card at no extra cost. Compare all St.George credit cards to find out how many additional cardholders you can request on your card.

The nominated additional cardholder must be at least 16 years old, and must also be an Australian resident.

An additional cards will be issued in the additional cardholder’s name. All transactions will be itemised on the one statement, which will be sent to you as the primary account owner. The primary cardholder is responsible for all transactions made by any additional cardholders.

Apply for an additional cardholder by completing the Additional cardholder application form.

Lost, stolen or misplaced cards can be blocked for 15 days or permanently cancelled.

You can set up or change your credit card PIN at any time. To change a PIN all cardholders must visit their local St.George branches with your card and identification.
For customers overseas, please phone our Customer Service Team on +61 2 9553 5333.

Protecting the security of your personal and financial data is an utmost priority at St.George. We have numerous systems in place to help protect you and to minimise the risk of different types of fraud.

There are many different forms of credit card fraud. At its simplest, someone obtains your credit card details and uses them over the phone or on the internet to make unauthorised purchases on your card.

Another form of fraud is card skimming. Your card and PIN details may be illegally obtained through a skimming device concealed on an ATM or implanted within an EFTPOS machine. Once these details are captured, fraudsters attempt to withdraw funds from your account.

St.George protects your security and safeguards you against credit card fraud in a number of ways, including our 24/7 fraud detection service, and our Secure Online Shopping service.

At St.George we use a sophisticated network of secure systems across all your accounts, including your credit cards. Together these levels of protection safeguard you against credit card fraud, and you can shop safely either on the spot or online knowing you are protected.

St.George’s fraud detection service operates 24/7, and operates on a number of fronts. One of these is the Fraud management system that provides 24/7 monitoring and detection of suspicious purchase transactions. Our card security experts monitor your credit card transactions in real time and can detect any unusual purchasing patterns that may occur as a result of fraudulent activity.

This means we will call you to verify that transactions we are seeing on your card are genuine. If we suspect fraudulent activity, or if you call us to report a lost or stolen card, we will take action, such as cancelling your card to block any suspected fraud.

You will not be liable for unauthorised transactions on your credit card provided you have not caused or contributed to the loss and that you notify us as soon as possible.

Find out more about how St.George handles fraud prevention

With our Secure Online Shopping service you can be confident that the purchases and payments you make on the internet are as safe and secure as possible.

Our Secure Online Shopping service is available to all St.George credit cardholders. Under the Secure Online Shopping Service, you are protected by Verified by Visa® and MasterCard® SecureCode™services.

These cutting edge services use One Time Password verification to ensure it is you making the purchase. When you shop at participating online retailers registered with Verified by Visa® and MasterCard®SecureCode™ you will receive a One Time Password sent to your specified mobile phone number or email address. To secure your identity, you will be required to enter this One Time Password when completing your purchase.

For more information about credit card security visit visa.com.au or mastercard.com.au.

For more information about how St.George protects your security across all of your accounts, view our Security Centre pages.

If you believe a fraudulent transaction has been made on your account, notify us immediately on 1800 028 208 (or +61 2 9553 5883 if overseas).

Here are some tips to help prevent fraud or unauthorised transactions on your account:

1. Never tell anyone your PIN or carry it with you
2. Keep your card safe at all times
3. Check your statement when it arrives immediately and query any unknown purchases
4. Save all receipts
5. Report lost or stolen cards immediately
6. Save the lost and stolen contact number into your mobile and in your diary or travel documents especially when travelling abroad (1800 028 208 or if you are overseas, +61 2 9553 5883)
7. Only shop from reputable or recommended online stores
8. When a merchant is processing a payment with your credit card, make sure it is not swiped more than once
9. Take care when divulging credit card information on the internet or the telephone when making a purchase using your card
10. Don't leave credit card receipts at shop counters
11. Never lend your card to anyone else
12. Keep watch for signs that there might be a skimming device at an ATM or EFTPOS terminal
13. Ensure your contact details with us are up to date so that we can contact you immediately if we suspect you are a victim of fraud.

St.George Credit Card Protect¹ is an optional insurance cover you can choose when opening a new St.George credit card. This covers your credit card payments in the event that you pass away, fall ill, have an accident or lose your job, so you or your family do not have to worry about how you will make the credit card payment.

For more information or to apply, call us on 1300 784 934, or check out the policy details.

You can set up SMS and Email Alerts to stay informed about your credit card balance.  You can choose from Balance Alerts, Authorisation or Withdrawal Alerts, Deposit Alerts, High Balance Alerts and Low Balance Alerts.

SMS Alerts are charged at $0.25 per SMS except for the Complete Freedom and Express Freedom accounts which receive free SMS Alerts. Email alerts are free.

You can keep ahead of fraud by choosing an Authorisation Alert so you are notified of each new credit card authorisation. You can help avoid Overlimit fees with a High Balance Alert to let you know when your credit card balance reaches your pre-determined limit.

You can register for SMS and Email Alerts through Internet Banking.

After your account has been open for 6 months, you can choose to apply for an increase to your card limit.

To be eligible to apply for a St.George credit card limit increase you must be the primary or joint cardholder, not an additional cardholder, and have not requested a credit limit increase in the last 6 months.

You can decrease your limit at any time.

To increase your limit:
1. Apply online through Internet Banking
2. Apply online
3. Print and complete the Credit Limit Increase Application Form 
4. Call us on 1300 784 934 and say “Increase Card Limit” when prompted.

To decrease your limit:
1. Call us on 1300 784 934 and say “Decrease Card Limit” when prompted.

Find out more about increasing your credit limit.

Travel with a greater peace of mind knowing that St.George credit cards are accepted worldwide and give you access to over 1 million ATMs worldwide.

When travelling with your credit card, you don’t need to carry traveller’s cheques or large amounts of cash as your credit card opens the door to convenient spending wherever Visa or MasterCard® is accepted.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for travelling:

1. Add a PIN to your credit card before you travel so you can enter your PIN when making purchases and can make cash advances from your credit card account.
2. If you haven’t already, register for Internet Banking so that you can access your accounts and make payments online while travelling.
3. Register for Secure Online Shopping via Internet Banking to safeguard your online purchases.
4. If you think you will have trouble accessing your account overseas, you can set up an Automatic Payment Plan to ensure that you avoid a Late Payment fee by paying at least your minimum payment on time.
5. If your card is due to expire during your travels, it is best to organise a replacement card now before you leave by calling us on 1300 784 934 and saying “Existing Card” when prompted.
6. Ensure your credit limit on your card is sufficient. See whether you qualify to apply for a credit limit increase.
7. Consider setting up SMS and Email Alerts to verify purchases made and keep you posted on your account balances.
8. Consider purchasing your return flight ticket with your Vertigo Platinum Card,  Amplify Platinum Card or Amplify Signature Card to qualify for complimentary overseas travel insurance covers with these cards in accordance with the relevant policy.

When, budgeting, factor in that a 3% Foreign transaction fee is payable as a percentage of the Australian dollar value of any Foreign transaction.

Foreign transaction is any transaction made using the Card:

• in a currency other than Australian dollars; or
• in Australian dollars or any other currency with a merchant located outside Australia; or
• in Australian dollars or any other currency that is processed by an entity located outside Australia.

Note: It may not always be clear to you that the Merchant or entity processing the transaction is located outside Australia.

1. Report a lost or stolen card or a suspect transaction immediately. Keep these numbers handy while travelling. Australia: 1800 028 208. Overseas: +61 2 9553 5883.
2. Your daily cash limits when overseas are the same as at home. You can withdraw up to A$1,000 per day.
3. Your St.George card is still acceptable to merchants in countries that have migrated to PIN/CHIP. If your card does get rejected at the merchant, please request a manual transaction.

To find out more about using your credit card overseas, please call us on 1300 784 934 and say "Existing Card" when prompted.

From 1 July 2012 we will no longer be able to send you written credit limit increase invitations unless we have your consent. Provide your consent by calling 1300 307 080 or by contacting your Relationship Manager. You can provide or withdraw your consent at any time.

For joint credit card accounts, you must both provide your consent before we can send you written credit limit increase invitations.

An interest free period is the amount of time (usually in days) that you won’t be charged interest on a new purchase (or related fees), provided you pay the closing balance by the due date on your statement. St George credit cards offer “55 interest-free days”*. This means you can make purchases without using your own money and at the same time enjoy the freedom of not having to pay it back for up to 55 days.

However, an interest free period depends on your statement cycle, not the purchase date. Not every purchase you make will have the full 55 interest-free days – it’ll depend on when the purchase appears on your statement during the statement period.

For example, take a statement cycle that runs from the 1st of January to the 31st of January with an interest free period of 55 days. If you bought a laptop on the 1st of January with your credit card, you won’t have to pay for it until the 25th February – i.e. an interest-free period of 55 days.

Let’s say on the 31st of January, you purchase a new phone. Again, as it falls into the same statement cycle, you won’t have to pay anything until the 25th of February –an interest-free period of 25 days. The number of interest-free days for each purchase varies depending on when during the statement cycle the actual purchase is listed on the statement.

*Please note, if you have a No Annual Fee MasterCard, this card has no interest free days.

What happens at the end of the interest free period?

The only way you will be able to take full advantage of interest-free days is if there is no unpaid balance on your card account by the due date for payment. For you to do so, you must pay off your “closing balance” in full and on time, every month.

If you haven’t paid the full closing balance on the statement by the due date for payment, interest will be charged on the purchases listed on the statement. Interest is calculated based on the purchase date, and will rollover to the next statement cycle if the interest is not repaid.

Making the most from interest free periods

• Any purchase you make will receive between 25-55 interest-free days.  This is provided you pay the closing balance on the statement by the due date each time.
• Purchases made earlier on in the statement cycle will receive more interest-free days than ones made later.

Tips for minimising paying interest

• Select an interest free period card and always pay your outstanding balance on your statement in full by the due date
• Use cash advances only in emergencies
• Find out how promotional offers work before you accept them
• Set up reminders to make payments on time