Illustration of Visa credit and debit cards
Illustration of Visa credit and debit cards

Australian Payments Plus (AP+) has issued a warning that thousands of Australians may lose access to card payments as the eftpos network undergoes an update. Despite making progress on technical issues, not all customers have updated their devices yet.

Before Jan. 1, 2025, people who have received notices from their banks are being urged by AP+ and the Australian Banking Association (ABA) to upgrade their debit cards to mobile wallets. To guarantee continuous access to card payments, this upgrade is essential, News.co.au reported.

Affected clients have been reminded by Lynn Kraus, CEO of Australian Payments Plus (AP+), that if they don't reinstall their eftpos cards, they might not be able to use them for future transactions.

On December 18, AP+ released a statement informing consumers about an update being rolled out to eftpos on some debit cards in mobile wallets to ensure payments via eftpos process as normal from 1 January 2025.

It is expected approximately 60,000 active cards will not be updated automatically. Card issuers have been contacting their potentially impacted customers asking them to apply the update themselves by simply removing and re-adding their debit card.

"I urge anyone who has received a message from their bank to update the debit card on their mobile wallet to do it today. Removing and re-adding your debit card is a quick fix that will ensure eftpos payments process as normal from 1 January 2025," Kraus said.

"Whilst banks have been proactively reaching out to the small group of customers impacted, some are yet to take the required action. It's a straightforward process that will only take a matter of minutes and will ensure your debit card can continue to make payments into the new year," Anna Bligh, CEO of the ABA, said in a statement.

Australians who added a debit card to their mobile wallet before July 2023 and enabled eftpos transactions or used an eftpos-only debit card are likely to be affected by the update. For those using a physical debit card, no update is required.