Can a Merchant that sells restricted goods participate in the Cashless Debit Card program?

In certain circumstances, yes.  If a merchant sells both restricted and unrestricted goods, they may be able to accept the Cashless Debit Card in their business if they sign an agreement to prevent the purchase of any restricted goods on a Cashless Debit Card.

The Department of Social Services is also working with merchants to assess their capabilities for implementing new technology that automatically prevents the purchase of restricted items with a Cashless Debit Card.

Merchants who sell both restricted and unrestricted goods and wish to accept the Cashless Debit Card can contact cashlessdebitcardmerchants@dss.gov.au to discuss options. Merchants that only sell restricted goods cannot accept the Cashless Debit Card.

What do I do if a Cashless Debit Card purchase transaction is declined?

Cashless Debit Cards are to be treated like any other Visa or eftpos Debit Card product, however we recommend that you check the following:

The network may be offline.  Ask the customer to provide another payment type or return when the payment system is online.  Cashless Debit Cards cannot be processed when the system is offline, as a PIN is required for the transaction to be validated.

The card’s chip or magnetic stripe may be damaged (a damaged card message will appear on the keypad screen).  Advise the cardholder that they will need to contact TCU to replace their card.

There may be insufficient funds left on the card for the transaction (the response code will display as ‘51’ on the terminal).  Ask the customer to provide another form of payment.

The cardholder may have forgotten their PIN (the response code will display as ‘55’ on the terminal).  Ask the cardholder to re-enter the correct PIN.

The terminal may be blocked.  This would only occur if your business sells both restricted and unrestricted goods and you have signed an agreement.  Ask the cardholder to use the approved terminal.

Can Cashless Debit Cards be used in an offline situation?

No.  If your point-of-sale system or the network is not operating (i.e. it is offline) then the Cashless Debit Card cannot be used for payment of goods and services.  It is recommended that you request the cardholder use another form of payment or return when the system is online.

Where can the Cashless Debit Card be used?

The Cashless Debit Card can be used at almost any merchant that accepts Visa or eftpos.  The Cashless Debit Card can be used at merchants all over Australia or online unless the merchant primarily sells restricted items that is prohibited under the program.  A list of blocked business categories and merchants can be found here.