[Janelle Ward]

Bank branches are shutting in suburbs and towns across Australia. You know why. Costs. Banks may have your money, but they also have profits to preserve.
Westpac is closing another 24 branches and axing 103 jobs while Commonwealth Bank will close three branches. What does that mean for you? Digital banking whether you like it or not.
The Finance Sector Union doesn’t like it, especially after Westpac closed a call centre in Perth and also cut 24 branches in July, taking the total number of branch closures since January last year to 225.
Westpac says fewer customers are visiting branches.
A spokesperson said: “With more than five million digitally active customers, we’re investing in services to complement how our customers choose to bank.
“For those who are new to digital banking, or may require more assistance with the changes, we provide dedicated support and education to make the transition easier.”
Union national secretary Julia Angrisano had a different view, saying : “It is clear Westpac has no regard for the community across Australia.”
Are you a confident digital banker? When was the last time you visited a branch? Do you find it easy to get information via email or chat sessions?

[Wayne Rose]

Westpac quote “With more than five million digitally active customers, we’re investing in services to complement how our customers choose to bank.”
This was forced onto customers by the bank charging high fees to visit/see a bank teller to make you use their on-line services.

[Marten]

I for one prefer to use digital banking, although I also appreciate that a still large group of people still prefer to attend to their banking at their local branch.

[Sue Bailey]

I live in a northern suburb of Albury, which is around a 40 minute bus ride into Albury, and there’s no bus stop convenient to any of the major banks that I can use to withdraw funds, making me have to drive all that way and then have to find a park near the bank, which are like hen’s teeth – extremely rare to find.

Our local Westpac closed it’s doors 4 weeks ago, and now the only bank between us and having to go into town is NAB, which is closing it’s doors in late October.

I refuse to Bank @ Post, and the only other ATMs we have close by are the Hume Bank across the street from the plaza and WAW in our local library building up the road away from the plaza, and third-party ATMs in the plaza. These all charge a fee for withdrawing at the ATMs, and I won’t have any of that.

[Sue Bailey]

Wayne Rose,
I don’t pay anything to visit my local branch. If you do, then you may want to think about the bank account that you have your funds in. There are many banks that have accounts that don’t charge to transact in-branch.

I’ve just done a web search to Compare Everyday Bank Accounts with Westpac. I assume you’re 55+, which will make you eligible for a Westpac 55+ and Retired Account, which charges NO fees (except foreign transaction fee and overdrawn fees), and actually gives you .3% interest up to $9,99, .6% $9,999 – 49,999, and more. It’s the same with other Westpac co-horts, eg St George, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA.

[Author]

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