ANZ Fiji has no immediate plans to phase out cheques payment methods.

An ANZ spokesperson said: “The volume and value of cheques globally has dropped significantly.

“Here in Fiji, we’re seeing a strong decline in the total number of cheques processed, driven by customers taking up digital payments.

“While we don’t have immediate plans to phase out cheques in Fiji, ANZ will continue to invest in digital because it offers our customers faster, safer and straight-through payment options.”

ANZ NZ
Monday was the last day ANZ New Zealand handled cheques as it became the latest bank to phase out the payment method.

Yesterday, customers were no longer able to deposit a cheque into an ANZ account, or use an ANZ cheque to make a payment to another bank.

Foreign cheques in Australian, Canadian and the United States of America dollars, and Great British pounds would still be accepted until further notice.

For all other transactions, customers will have to use cash or electronic banking.

Careful Consideration
ANZ NZ said fewer than one per cent of its customers used cheques regularly and their removal had been a carefully considered decision.

“We offer alternative options to receive and make payments that are faster and more secure than using cheques.

“As a result, cheque usage has decreased significantly over the years,” it said.

“We understand that it’s a big change for some of our customers and we apologise for any inconvenience.”

The big four Australian banks are all phasing out the use of cheques as alternative payment methods become more popular.

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