The National Sexual Assault Domestic Violence Counselling Service offers confidential online and telephone counselling, information and referral services.
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Existing cardholders: Find out what you need to know about the move to MyCard including important information about managing your account and helpful FAQs.
New applications: Applications for new MyCard credit cards are coming soon.
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What is domestic and family violence?
Family violence refers to any behaviour that controls or dominates a family member in any way, or causes them to fear for their own, or another person's, safety or wellbeing. The family relationship can be between people of the same or opposite sex, a parent and a child, or siblings and other relatives. This coercive control or domination can be seen in behaviours including:
Financial abuse
Making someone ask for money or giving them an allowance. Taking their money or forcing them to take out loans they don’t want or don’t know about. Not letting them know about or have access to family income.
Emotional abuse
Making someone feel bad about themselves. Calling them names. Making them think they’re ‘crazy’ and that the abuse is ‘normal’. Humiliating them. Making them feel guilty.
Psychological abuse
Behaviour by a person towards another person that torments, intimidates, harasses or is offensive to the other person.
Physical
Physical assault occurs when a person uses physical violence and causes injury to another person’s body.
Sexual
Any kind of sexual activity that someone is forced, coerced or tricked into doing when they didn’t want to.
Spiritual
When someone uses spiritual or religious beliefs to hurt, scare or control someone. It can involve someone or their children being forced to participate in spiritual or religious practices or refusing to allow them to participate in their own spiritual or religious practices.
Verbal
Verbal abuse can include yelling, swearing, demanding or ordering, threatening language, blackmail, constantly blaming a partner and manipulation.
What is financial abuse?
Financial abuse is where an abuser uses money or finances to control the other person. The most common forms of financial abuse include:
- Someone being forced to take on debt they don’t want.
- Withholding or threatening to withhold a reasonable amount of money (for example, what’s needed to run the household).
- Stopping access to money so the other person can’t leave the relationship.
- Transferring a property or other assets out of the person’s name.
- Trying to ruin a person’s credit rating by not paying debts.
Financial abuse is a crime in most states of Australia. The Australian Government’s MoneySmart website has a range of information about financial abuse and how to get support.
MyCard has zero tolerance of financial abuse
- We aim to protect you from financial abuse carried out on your personal accounts or through our electronic banking channels.
- If we identify (or are made aware of) unacceptable account conduct, we’ll investigate and act.
- We’ll reasonably exercise our rights under the account agreement if we believe we need to protect you or another person from financial abuse.
- We may suspend, cancel or deny an account holder access to a product or its features.
If you’re concerned about your banking safety, call our dedicated team on 1300 322 973 Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 7:00pm (AEST/AEDT).
How to keep your finances safe
If you’re experiencing financial abuse there are ways to keep your finances safe. Domestic and family violence is a very complex and personal issue, and it takes a lot for someone to disclose their situation. We want to support you through this difficult experience.
Before taking any of these steps, consider your personal safety and have a safety plan ready.
If you contact MyCard, we’ll treat any information that you give us about your situation confidentially. However, any information about a secondary account holder and their activity (such as their balances and payments that you make) will be available to the secondary account holder.
If you have concerns about your privacy let us know and we can put extra security on your accounts.
It's important to remember that if you and your partner (or ex-partner) have joint loans or accounts with us, then you're both our customers. We will assist in supporting and resolving matters with you as individuals where possible, even when it relates to joint matters.
There are many financial things to consider when you’re in a relationship where family violence exists. It’s best to talk to a specialist family violence worker about your options and what steps you should take.
Protecting your finances when you leave the relationship
It can be hard to know where to start when leaving a violent relationship. Here are some tips for taking control of your financial situation:
- Change your PIN and account passwords.
- If you’ve changed addresses, notify us of your new address. We’ll keep this information confidential. If you’re staying somewhere short-term or have a temporary address, consider changing your mailing address to a trusted family member or friend, or requesting online statements.
- If you haven’t already, set up a transaction account in your own name. When it’s safe to do so, you can use this account to save money and direct your salary and government payments to this account.
Some important information to know about our credit cards
What you need to know:
- MyCard credit cards are not joint credit cards.
- MyCard credit cards have one account holder (also called the primary cardholder), and this person is liable for all charges on the account.
- There may be an additional cardholder who is authorised by the account holder (primary cardholder) to use a secondary card, but the secondary cardholder is not liable for the debt on this card.
If you’re the primary cardholder and would like to cancel a secondary card, contact us. You’ll remain responsible for transactions authorised by a secondary cardholder prior to cancellation of the secondary card.
Speak to our dedicated Customer Support Team
Many of us will experience domestic and family violence at some point in our lives and be in need of extra help and care. If you find yourself in a vulnerable position and want to understand the support options available, contact our dedicated team on 1300 322 973 Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 7:00pm (AEST/AEDT).
Financial Hardship assistance
If you find yourself experiencing financial difficulties due to your circumstances, you may want to consider applying for financial hardship. For further information visit our financial assistance and support page
Third-party support services
There are many organisations that can help you if you are experiencing family or domestic violence.
If there is an immediate threat to your safety call 000.
Other support services
Explore these other support services we offer that might apply to you.