Australians who pay their bills in stores across the country may soon pay more than double for the service. Telstra announced that from May 20, a fee of $2.50 will be charged for paying bills at Australia Post, in the Telstra store, or by cheque, increasing from the current fee of $1.
The fee increase affects customers who choose to pay their bills in person, rather than online. While most people choose to pay their bills online, there remains a portion of the population who need or prefer to pay their bills in brick-and-mortar stores.
With the fee increase, Telstra is encouraging customers to pay their bills online via their app, website, and automated telephone system.
The postal service charges an additional $2.20 to send out the paper bill, which is on top of that. 65 per cent of customers who receive paper bills are exempt from the fee, despite what it may seem.
All individuals who are pensioners, veterans, or possess a valid health care card, as well as those without an email address, access to an active internet service, or customers living in remote locations including First Nations communities, are all exempt from the fee.
A Telstra spokesman stated customers who require specific bill formats, such as braille or A3 size bills, are exempt from the fee for paying their bill in an Australia Post store.
Other utility providers like Vodafone, Optus, and Origin Energy also charge customers a fee for this service.
In NSW, state law prohibits companies from charging customers a paper bill fee to cover the costs of printing and posting the invoice; however, Telstra maintains that the rate they charge customers is still lower than what they are charged by Australia Post for their BillPay service.
