Can I transfer Zip Money or Zip Pay funds to other accounts?

You can't transfer funds from your Zip account to your bank account. However, you may be able to consolidate (or transfer) some of your Zip accounts to a credit card or personal loan account.

You can use Zip Money or Zip Pay to pay some bills via BPAY, including utility and phone bills, when you're able to provide the biller's BPAY details. However, you can't use Zip to make BPAY payments for credit card bills, gambling, rent payments or personal loans.

You will also be charged a flat fee of $2.50 for each bill paid through Zip Money and each bill paid through Zip Pay if your credit limit is $1,000 or less. This is on top of your monthly fee and any interest you'll have to pay.

What payment options does Zip offer?

Zip offers 2 payment options: Zip Pay and Zip Money.

• Zip Pay is an interest-free buy now pay later service. It typically offers credit limits between $350 and $1,000, with a monthly fee of $9.95 if you don't pay your statement closing balance by the due date.
• Zip Money is a line of credit. It offers credit limits between $1,000 and $5,000 or higher if you apply through a specific merchant and meet the requirements. It also has a $9.95 monthly account fee and charges an establishment fee of up to $99 based on the credit limit.

Apart from the credit limits, the main difference is the interest-free terms. Zip Pay, like most BNPL accounts, is interest-free with a monthly fee if you carry-over a balance and late payment fees if you don't make the required payment by the due date.

In comparison, Zip Money offers an interest-free period of 3 months but partner retailers can offer interest-free terms between 6 and 60 months. After the interest-free period, interest will be charged at 25.9% p.a.

What can I use Zip for?

You can use Zip's payment options anywhere Visa is accepted or at more than 40,000 partnered retail stores. You can also use Zip to pay your bills and buy gift cards, including for food, fuel and subscriptions.

While you can use Zip for everyday purchases, keep in mind that it's not a free service. It's a type of loan you'll have to pay back in increments.

The main restrictions on how you can use Zip are related to:

• Taking cash out. You cannot withdraw your credit as cash.
• Transferring the funds to your bank account.
• Using Zip to pay off credit card, gambling, rent or personal loan debts.

Can I transfer Zip balances to a credit card or personal loan?

To transfer your Zip balance to a credit card, your credit card provider must accept balances from a line of credit. Currently, Citi and Virgin Money state that they accept credit card balance transfer requests from lines of credit.

A personal loan allows you to pay off your Zip Pay or Zip Money balance directly, because the loan funds are typically transferred to your chosen account. You can then use these funds to pay off your Zip balances and/or any other debts.

What to think about before transferring your Zip balance

• Interest rates - are you transferring your Zip debt to another platform or account that charges higher fees and higher interest?
• Credit file - are you behind on your payments? This could impact your credit rating.
• Overall debts - do you have a plan to manage your overall debts, or are you getting behind with multiple BNPL accounts? If it's the latter, sit down and review your overall position so you can make a plan to get into the black again.

Finder survey: Do Australians know what a balance transfer is?

Frequently asked questions

• What other interest-free finance could I balance transfer to a credit card?

  As well as Zip Money and Zip Pay balances, you could get a balance transfer for some interest-free finance options that are offered through different stores and brands.

  For example, Flight Centre and IKEA offer interest-free finance through the humm90 Mastercard, which means you could request a balance transfer to a different credit card from another issuer.

  If you've got interest-free finance through another store or brand, you can also check the account details to see how it was set up. If it's through a credit card, you'll just need to include the account details on your balance transfer application for a new credit card.

• Is MobiKwik ZIP the same as Zip Pay and Zip Money?

  Mobikwik is a fintech company based in India and offers its own BNPL service known as Mobikwik ZIP or ZIP Pay Later. This service is not currently available in Australia.

• Can I get a cash advance with Zip?

  Zip Pay and Zip Money don't offer cash advances in the form of bank transfers or ATM withdrawals but do allow you to borrow money for transactions at participating businesses. If you specifically want to borrow cash, you could compare personal loans or learn about credit card cash advances – including the rates and fees that apply if you withdraw cash from a credit card.

Written by

Amy Bradney-George

Editor

Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio

Amy's expertise

Amy has written 565 Finder guides across topics including:

• Credit cards
• Frequent flyer
• Credit score
• BNPL
• Money management
• Sustainability