ATO (tax office) payments by credit card

[get me outta here]

Do I need to cut up the gift cards that I spent on the ATO? If so, I need to retrieve them.

 

[cove]

Probably just a habit but we cut up every closed credit card into little pieces and all our mail ends up shredded. We use a PO Box to try to avoid identity theft from anything that could go in the dumpster bin.
No need to pay someone else's ATO due to identity theft.
I get to read the writ list and the ATO is suing many for non payment in WA.

 

[andye]

Do I need to cut up the gift cards that I spent on the ATO? If so, I need to retrieve them.

Should be ok as no money left on them for a thief to use. I do keep the receipts for a paper trail

 

[serfty]

Should be ok as no money left on them for a thief to use. I do keep the receipts for a paper trail

Don't you believe it ... many times I have come across anecdotes of charges being made against closed CC accounts.

 

[rooboy68]

Been paying my tax with AMEX Plat for a while now but only just did some calculations....

UK return in J = 256,000 QF points.
256,000 points requires a $512,000 spent using my AMEX at the ATO.
A $512,000 spend @ 1.45% surcharge = $7,424
Purchasing a return QF flight in J = $7,681

With many UK J fares coming in around the $6K mark, albeit with other airlines, I feel the days of using the ATO for a QF J fare to the old country are gone.

Where am I going wrong?

 

[cove]

Your card selection is not a good choice!

 

[mbeder]

Just to add a bit of a sombre tone. I also heard from a reliable source that the Visa from the ex CU now bank Q will cease paying points on Govt Revenue collection payments in the next month or so. Making a quantity of hay whilst the sun is still shining "springs" to mind.

That's a shame - it's been my fave card for the past year! Any news on Jet* perhaps implementing the same change to their MC?

 

[Danger UXB]

Been paying my tax with AMEX Plat for a while now but only just did some calculations....

UK return in J = 256,000 QF points.
256,000 points requires a $512,000 spent using my AMEX at the ATO.
A $512,000 spend @ 1.45% surcharge = $7,424
Purchasing a return QF flight in J = $7,681

With many UK J fares coming in around the $6K mark, albeit with other airlines, I feel the days of using the ATO for a QF J fare to the old country are gone.

Where am I going wrong?

Once you add the taxes on to your award flight I think you may find the equation is heavily weighted to emptying your pocket:shock:

I think you need a better earning ,lower surcharging card for QF points earn at the ATO.....Qudos?? I don't know as I don't collect QF points

 

[LittleFokker]

Been paying my tax with AMEX Plat for a while now but only just did some calculations....

UK return in J = 256,000 QF points.
256,000 points requires a $512,000 spent using my AMEX at the ATO.
A $512,000 spend @ 1.45% surcharge = $7,424
Purchasing a return QF flight in J = $7,681

With many UK J fares coming in around the $6K mark, albeit with other airlines, I feel the days of using the ATO for a QF J fare to the old country are gone.

Where am I going wrong?

Using AMEX to pay tax at 2.9c per point is expensive (as your calculations show).

- you can buy AA points for that directly during a sale - you'd only need 170K for QF J return to UK = $AUD 4930 + taxes.
- If you use a non-Amex card that earns 1 QF point per ATO dollar (say) then you'd get 256K for $1152 + taxes. That's quite difficult at the moment with the banks removing the ATO from point earning.
- Using the indirect method (discussed elsewhere on FF) does allow you to consistently earn QFF points at the ATO for 0.95c per point - that would give you a base cost of $2500 + taxes.

*** EDIT ***
It's been a while since I looked at what cards earn 1 QF pt per $ at :

https://www.qantaspoints.com/earn-points/cards-banking/card-selector

I can only find two cards with unlimited earning at 1pt/$ now. There are 4 that earn at 0.75pt / $. That'll make the SYD-LHR J flight ~$1600++ instead of $1152++

*** EDIT ***

aaaaaand.... it looks like Jetstar MasterCard won't pay on ATO from late next month!

 

[Scr77]

https://www.qantaspoints.com/earn-points/cards-banking/card-selector

I can only find two cards with unlimited earning at 1pt/$ now. There are 4 that earn at 0.75pt / $. That'll make the SYD-LHR J flight ~$1600++ instead of $1152++

I think the 4 you refer to are all backed by WestPac and actually end up being 0.825 points per dollar once you get the birthday bonus. Pretty good option given the 1 to 1 cards seem to be on borrowed time.

 

[Scr77]

That's a shame - it's been my fave card for the past year! Any news on Jet* perhaps implementing the same change to their MC?

You had to ask! Got the email today saying no points for Jetstar cards on ATO from 24 October.

 

[cove]

Well the currency went the right way so the funds to close out the US credit card got booked last night so I am smiling. No cost AA miles are a favourite of mine and now I am wondering why I didn't do the whole lot on our two cards. I think I was using BW W to replace points we burned. I must say 0.66 points per dollar at 0.42% fee is still cheap for QF points and Mrscove and I are both enjoying flying east/west on the A330 refurbed business suites.

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

You had to ask! Got the email today saying no points for Jetstar cards on ATO from 24 October.

That's a bu$$$r
Not worth the cost now to earn the points otherwise IMHO
I actually rang JETSTAR to cancel my card as I had maxed the points after about 4 months and they said they would waive the renewal fee if I kept it, I said YES but realistically I can't see the point now of having a card that won't earn any points at all for anything for another 8 months
I guess the old adage is true about " all good things must come to an end " and to be realistic enough, I think we have been lucky to have it for so long, not that is any consolation
I am sure that the use of cards for tax payment will now drop to very little as the opportunity disappears totally with the ATO
Given the volume that would go through there the cost would be around .7 or .8 % and it is a pity the ATO did not just increase the loading on VISA and M/Card and let people make their own decisions

 

[mbeder]

You had to ask! Got the email today saying no points for Jetstar cards on ATO from 24 October.

I jinxed it!! Sorry

 

[get me outta here]

serfty, this refers to a gift cards. Not the case on those though, just keeping receipts.

Don't you believe it ... many times I have come across anecdotes of charges being made against closed CC accounts.

 

[Mile hi Si]

Hi guys

Really sorry if this has already been asked as I'm sure it has but I'm trying to figure out where to go next with ATO payments, I was going blind trying to trawl through the thread. Just paid a heap on my NAB Velocity Platinum and stupidly didn't check AFF to see if it was still working, you guessed it....hammered. Plan is to cancel the NAB and apply for a new card but just not sure what cards still work with ATO. Any ideas? Happy to consider all options

Thanks in advance

 

[Awesom Andy]

I'm trying to figure out where to go next with ATO payments

Most of us are in the same boat, if anything. You won't find the cards in a nice list here though, as making them easy to find will simply results in killing them off very quickly. The thread can be a little bit hard to follow at times, but some of the cards are mentioned within the details.

 

[ninja-tim]

Plan is to cancel the NAB and apply for a new card but just not sure what cards still work with ATO. Any ideas? Happy to consider all options

Thanks in advance

St George Visa Signature apparently still works, albeit there is a max amount, roughly 30k, you can put through before they cancel your card or not honour reward points. Forgot which one they do, it's somewhere in this thread.
I just got my card today and put through roughly 10k, which apparently was under the limit. *fingers crossed*

Anybody got any firm numbers on the StG card on what they are willing to accept? Is it a monthly cap or annual cap?

 

[ninja-tim]

St George just cut me off. Went to make a payment and card is invalid and I can't log into my account.
My findings:
$30k seems to be the magic number for an auto cut off
However I was trying in daily payments of under $10k, over several days I ticked over $30k and then got cut.
I was paying my personal tax liability and not my business tax liability though...
I was also putting through personal spend

Hope the above helps. I'm stuffed now. Used to be ANZ... tried with Qudos but I didn't 'earn enough' money which is ridiculous, I probably earn to much money and they figured what I was going to use the card for.

Any other cards besides the poor earn rate of AMEX and ANZ Business CC?

Just the quote I was looking for.

Hey Gravity,

Did you end up finding out why they cut you off?

 

[grounded]

When paying the Fiscal Fiend with my new BWP, I'm only able to make low value "purchases"... I haven't zero'd in on the threshold but, e.g $1200 goes through but $2400 gets declined (call card issuer). Anyone else seen this?