When it comes to banking, there’s often nothing more infuriating (or embarrassing) then shouting down the phone receiver trying to get the computerised voice recognition system to answer your in-depth queries, that just don’t seem to fit in the suggested categories. Thankfully we’ve been given top-secret access to the Australian Banks Cheat Sheet to ensure you talk to a real person, first time – every time!
by Anna McDougall, Money Maven
Commonwealth, ANZ, Bendigo, NAB; they’re all guilty of it and we’ve had it up to our eyeballs!
At last! Thanks to homeloanfinder.com.au we can instantly bypass the voice recognition system and dial prompts! While interactive voice response (IVR) telephone systems are a great way for banks to save time and money, the only thing they serve a short-cut to is your insanity.
Find your bank on the Australian Banks Cheat Sheet below, we’re wondering why no one has ever let us in on the gem before!
The cheat sheet
American Express
1300 736 659 – Press # and then 0
ANZ
13 13 14 – press 0 five times after hearing menu options, then you’ll be transferred to an operator
Aussie Home loans
13 13 33 – dial 0 four times to be put through to an operator
Bankwest
13 17 18 – Press 0 twice, then *
Bank of Melbourne
13 22 26 – Press 0 three times slowly, then press * slowly at least seven times
Bankmecu
132 888 – press 0 four times
Bendigo bank
1300 366 666 – press 0, then press 0 again
Commonwealth bank
13 22 21 – dial # twice , wait for the prompt to start speaking again and then dial # twice again to get through to an operator
HSBC
1300 308 880 – and hold the line, you’ll be put through to an operator
ING Direct
13 34 64 – ignore the menu options, dial # three times, and you’ll be put through to an operator
Macquarie Bank
1800 806 310 – Simply hold the line to speak to an operator
ME Bank
13 15 63 – Press 3 to speak to an operator
NAB
13 13 12 – Press # at least eight times until the the prompt asks you for your identification number, then press # again slowly at least three times and it will transfer you
RAMS
13 72 67 – Listen to the menu, then press 6 to be put onto an operator for enquiries
Suncorp
13 11 34 – Simply hold the line and an operator will answer
Virgin Money
13 37 39 – press * and 0, and then press 1 to speak to an operator
Westpac
13 20 32 – Press # at least nine times slowly, wait for the prompt to ask you to say what you’re after, press # again, and when it asks you for your identification number, press # twice
Expert Tips for Beating the IVR System:
Brent Jackson, CEO of Rubik, a supplier of some of the software and technology behind these systems, gives these tips for using IVR systems:
Even if the system asks you to say your account number or pin out loud, most systems will still allow you to enter in any numbers on your keyboard, saving you time.
If the system asks you to say something, make sure you have low background noise and speak in a natural voice.
If you need to find out your account balance or any other standard request, sometimes its still quicker to follow the prompts rather than wait for an operator.
We bet now you can’t wait to hop on the phone to solve your banking dilemmas!
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