🇦🇺 Monzo in Australia [Wiki]

This is a wiki crowdsourced by the Monzo Community to help you travel with Monzo.

Just like Wikipedia, anyone can edit it to help out others. If you have any tips or feedback for visiting Australia with Monzo, please feel free to edit this guide. You can also add a comment or question below — someone will then incorporate your comment into the main text below and then delete your comment. To create your own “Monzo in …” guide if one doesn’t already exist, just copy this template into a new post and write away!

Safe travels! :wave: :airplane:


Currency

Australian dollar, $, AUD

Card usage

Contactless is very high across the capital cities and is widespread in smaller towns, so cards are accepted almost everywhere. If paying with chip and pin, select ‘Credit’, not ‘Savings’ or ‘Cheque’.

ATMs

The two largest ATM networks, Commonwealth Bank and RediATM charge $3 for withdrawals.

Payment and withdrawal limits

All Monzo cards have some payment and withdrawal limits. To check yours before you leave, tap “Account” under the picture of your card and then “Spending and card limits”.

Contactless limit is $100 per transaction; for larger amounts, use chip and pin.

Crowdsourced merchant data

Please contribute merchant data!

Some restaurants charge a card processing fee to the customers, i.e. add a card processing surcharge not shown on the bill, which is permitted by law. However, this is rare.

Public Transport

For public transport in the state of Victoria (i.e. Melbourne) you can use a Myki card, which you can top up at train stations and convenience stores.
For public transport in Sydney, an Opal card is available, as are paper tickets. Since November 2018 Mastercard contactless (incl. Apple Pay) payments can be used on all buses, trains, light rail and Sydney Ferries operated by Transport for NSW. Contactless is not yet available on Fast Ferry services.


To edit this guide, just tap the pencil icon below. Alternatively, add a reply with your comments and someone from the community will incorporate your suggestions into the guide and then delete your comment.

4 Likes

CommBank had a big advertisement campaign that ATM withdrawals are free for all banks, hence they shouldn’t charge a $3 fee. Can someone in Australia confirm whether CommBank ATMs charge a $3 fee and update the wiki accordingly?

I believe contactless is now available on all Sydney public transport. Could someone update the wiki?

Commonwealth Bank today is trying to charge me $7.50 for an ATM cash withdrawal.

So after re-reading this thread, I went to the NAB nearby and it was only $3.

I’ve taken Monzo to Australia and NZ several times since I first posted on this thread with no hassles. But seldom or never withdrawn cash (you just don’t need to) so still learning on that one.

2 Likes

I think they changed their T&C and today wanted get some cash and $7.50 charge but I decided to not bloody commonwealth bank!
Instead westpac charged me $4 I did not realised until I saw my statement!!!
It was free last year or fee was lower not this much!

The charge is based upon where your card/bank is domiciled.

If you want to avoid ATM fees, try going to your local woolworths or coles and asking for cash out at the registers.