How to close your St.George bank account and move your money out.

If you’re looking to close your St George account and move on to a new provider, you’ll want to make sure you follow the process properly to help the transition go smoothly.

To help out we’ve created this handy guide with details on how to close a St George account, what the fees are and any extra things you should do. We’ll also introduce you to Wise in case it can help make the change to a new provider easier.

💸 Hold over 40 currencies in your account and spend at the mid-market exchange rate with the Wise card while abroad.

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How to close your account with St George

To start off you’ll need to get your account prepared for closure. Here’s some of the things you might need to do during this process.

• Send the balance of your funds to your new account
• Cancel direct debits and recurring payments
• Update the payment details for regularly payments such as a loan, mortgage or subscription
• Close attached accounts that rely on the one you’re closing, such as a savings account or trading account
• Repay any overdraft
• Download financial records you want to keep such as bank statements

If you’re relocating overseas and need to send your money to a foreign bank account it’s a good idea to double check the fees St George charges and compare it to a money transfer specialist like Wise to see which is the best value.

Once your account is ready for closure you can head into your local branch and ask for the account to be closed.¹ You’ll need to take one of these forms of identification with you.³

• Australian drivers licence
• Passport
• Photo ID issued by the Australian government

Alternatively, most accounts can also be closed over the phone.¹

How to close a Joint account with St George?

If you have a joint account that requires two or more account holders to provide approval you’ll need to visit a branch together to be able to close the account.³

How to close your Credit card account

To close your credit card account you can choose from four different methods.⁴

• Visit a branch
• Call customer service
• Select the card and use the ‘Services’ menu in the St George banking app
• Go to ‘My Accounts’ and choose the ‘Card services’ option in your internet banking.

Do I need to go to a bank branch, or can I do this online or from overseas?

Certain accounts can be closed over the phone so if you’re overseas you can just call the banks international number to try to organise the closure.²

Alternatively, if you have a personal savings or transactions account that’s solely in your name you can request to close it online through your Internet Banking or the St George app.³

What happens to St George inactive or dormant accounts?

At St George your account can be deemed inactive if it meets one of these conditions.¹

1. You make no deposits or withdrawals for a period of 3 months and the account balance is $0 or in debt
2. You have not made a deposit or withdrawal from the account in 7 years

If you’re in the first situation St George can close the account without notifying you. In the second situation they will try to notify you, but can close the account and transfer any unclaimed money to the Australian government.

What else do I need to know?

St George ask that you return any bank cards, unused cheques or passbooks for the account that you’ve closed.¹

They also suggest that you cancel any direct debits or regular transfers and notify the merchant of your new details.¹ This is because even with a closed account you remain liable for any amount not processed to your account and any direct debits that are submitted, unless the direct debit was cancelled. St George can take those funds from other accounts you hold with them.

You can find out more by contacting St George here.

To find out more about closing your St George account you can reach out to them directly.

• Call 13 33 30 within Australia
• Phone (+61 3) 8536 7870 if you’re overseas
• Use the Connect option in the St George app

Are there any costs to close this account with St George, or is it free?

There are no fees for actually closing your St George account, but you may face some when it comes to withdrawing your balance. As an example, there’s a $10 fee if you want your final disbursement as a cheque.²

Alternative banks or financial services.

When you empty your St George account you’ll either need to withdraw it in cash or find a new financial service that can store it. This could be another mainstreet Australian bank, an overseas bank or an online electronic money service provider.

If your future is taking you outside of Australia you can use Wise to send money to an overseas bank account. Your money is exchanged using the mid market exchange rate for the cost of a small, transparent fee.

The Wise Account

If you’re looking for a flexible account that is great for daily spending in Australia and overseas, the Wise Account is worth a look.

The Wise Account can be opened for free and allows you to hold money in over 40 currencies and send money to 80 countries. You can also order local account details for 10 world currencies including AUD.

Using the AUD account’s BSB and account number, you can do a simple local bank transfer from St George to your Wise Account if you wish and hold your money while you close your St.George account and plan your next move.⁵

You can also use the Wise Debit card to spend money in 160 countries without markups and hidden transaction fees. The mid-market rate is used when switching between currencies, helping to keep costs low when sending money internationally. It’s the rate you see on a Google conversion search.

Join over 13 million customers currently enjoying Wise. It’ll only take a few minutes to register and see what’s inside.

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Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

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Sources:

1. St George - Transaction, Savings and Investment Accounts
2. St George - Using your account
3. St George - Close account
4. St George - Manage an existing credit card
5. Not financial advice. Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Sources checked on: 4 July 2023