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On The Record

Commonwealth Bank blocks credit card purchases of virtual currencies

Virtual currency purchases blocked on CBA credit cards

14 February 2018

Virtual and crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin have yet to meet a minimum standard of regulation, reliability, and reputation.

Due to the unregulated and highly volatile nature of virtual currencies, customers will no longer be able to use their CommBank credit cards to buy virtual currencies. This will come into effect as of 14 February 2018.

Our customers can continue to buy and sell virtual currencies using other CommBank transaction accounts, and their debit cards.

We have made this decision because we believe virtual currencies do not meet a minimum standard of regulation, reliability, and reputation when compared to currencies that we offer to our customers. Given the dynamic, volatile nature of virtual currency markets, this position is regularly reviewed.

The restriction on credit card usage for virtual currencies will also apply to Bankwest credit cards.

Q&A

Why are we making this change?

  • Virtual currencies are unregulated and, as has been made clear in recent months, highly volatile. Effective 14 February, we will no longer authorise credit card purchases for these currencies.

How can I buy virtual currencies?

  • You can still buy and sell virtual currencies using other CommBank transaction accounts, and debit cards, as long as you comply with our terms and conditions and all relevant legal obligations.

I recently tried to purchase virtual currencies using my debit card and it was declined. Why did this happen?

  • We are aware of some instances where customers found that their attempts to buy or sell virtual currencies did not work. This can be due to a number of reasons, including:
    • The virtual currency exchange the customer is using has been blocked by our security systems. A currency exchange will be blocked if a number of the transactions it has previously processed are found to have been fraudulent, inconsistent with our policies or outside of the Group’s risk tolerance.
    • The payment method the customer uses is no longer accepted by the currency exchange. Some exchanges have recently stopped accepting certain payment methods.
    • The virtual currency exchange’s bank blocks the transaction for security reasons.

Can I still get credits from virtual currency exchanges paid to my credit card?

  • Yes, credits will continue to be authorised by the Bank onto credit cards.