New American Express research has found just over a third (34 per cent) of Australians dealing with council bills are frustrated by the lack of payment options and not being able to use their preferred payment method.
As cost-of-living pressures rise, nine out of ten (91 per cent) Australians are paying a lot more attention to bills with over 70 per cent reporting they feel stressed by bill payments and the same number (70 per cent) stating they’ve had to change how they pay their bills.
However Australia’s largest council, Brisbane City Council, is leading from the front having recently expanded the number of payment options available for local residents and businesses – including welcoming American Express payments.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the Council was always looking for ways to make living and owning a business in Brisbane even better.
“Following community feedback, from March 2023 residents have been able to use American Express when paying their rates,” he said.
“By working with organisations like American Express we’re making payments simpler, more flexible and rewarding for members and merchants across Brisbane.”
Vice President and General Manager of Global Merchant Services at American Express Robert Tedesco said local councils played a critical role in the sense of local community and maintain much of the critical infrastructure that residents rely upon.
“Services such as registering our pets, having our garbage collected, applying for parking permits and maintaining our recreational spaces are part of the core fabric of our community, so it’s surprising some councils don’t pay attention to the upside of a good payments experience that enables the faster receipt of payments and helps improve cash flow,” he said.
“Our research shows that local councils need to consider incentives and more flexible payment terms that make it easier for residents to pay their bills early. With repayment terms on credit card payments providing up to 55 days interest free, people should not be restricted from using the credit card of their choosing to pay their bills, especially if it helps them better manage their finances.”
Through the research, local council fees have been identified as one bill often pushed down the priority list for payment. While over half (51 per cent) of Australians report never having been late to pay a bill, only 14 per cent can say they’ve never been late to pay their council bills. This is despite the fact that most Australians acknowledge the important role local councils play in enriching their communities (71 per cent) and believe local councils are committed to initiatives, programs and events that unite their community (68 per cent).
Among homeowners, close to half (45 per cent) say it would make their lives easier if there was a greater range of payment options available for them to pay their local council fees, followed by being incentivised to make early repayments (39 per cent) and having greater visibility into statement terms (33 per cent).
Vice President and General Manager of Global Merchant Services at American Express Robert Tedesco said local councils played a critical role in the sense of local community and maintain much of the critical infrastructure that residents rely upon.
“Services such as registering our pets, having our garbage collected, applying for parking permits and maintaining our recreational spaces are part of the core fabric of our community, so it’s surprising some councils don’t pay attention to the upside of a good payments experience that enables the faster receipt of payments and helps improve cash flow,” he said.
“Our research shows that local councils need to consider incentives and more flexible payment terms that make it easier for residents to pay their bills early. With repayment terms on credit card payments providing up to 55 days interest free, people should not be restricted from using the credit card of their choosing to pay their bills, especially if it helps them better manage their finances.”
Additional survey findings include:
• One third (33 per cent) of Australian homeowners pay their council rates early while 60 per cent leave it to the last minute to pay on the exact due date.
• Close to half (45 per cent) of council bill payers are frustrated by the lack of incentive to make early payments followed by inflexible terms (25 per cent) and lack of payment options (24 per cent).
• 34 per cent of Australians with credit and charge cards use their card to remove the stress of processing multiple bills.
