CANBERRA’S Medicare shopfronts will soon be cash free. 

From Monday, August 13, the centres at Belconnen, Civic and Woden will pay rebates straight into bank accounts using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or by swiping a debit card.

Department of Human Services General Manager Hank Jongen said this will mean payments will be faster to process and more secure at no extra cost to customers.

“We’ve trialled electronic payment options in place of cash in a number of service centres,” he said.

“The feedback was very positive, with some customers saying they wished we’d offered it sooner.”

Mr Jongen said only around eight per cent of payments were processed using cash in the last year, and just four per cent by cheques.

People can register their bank account details with Medicare and claim using EFT, where benefits will usually be deposited into their bank account the next business day.

Where people need immediate payment, they can swipe their debit card and payment will be instantly deposited into their bank account via credit EFTPOS.

“Registering bank account details with Medicare means benefits can also be claimed directly at your local doctor, with more than half of GPs nationwide able to process payments almost immediately via eftpos,” Mr Jongen said.

“Your local Medicare Service Centre can advise if your doctor offers this facility, or you can speak to your doctor about this service.”

Medicare staff will work with people who need extra help or don’t have a bank account  to ensure they receive their Medicare benefit. If a customer doesn’t have a debit card or there are circumstances where the benefit can’t be paid to an account, alternative options will be offered.

Currently, Medicare are the only Australian Government program still managing large volumes of cash.

All Australian Medicare centres are scheduled to go cashless by the end of the year.