Westpac NZ allows direct bank account payments

Despite a recent warning from another New Zealand bank to its customers not to use the Account2Account payment service offered by local payments technology company Payment Express, Westpac NZ has partnered with the company to deploy new API technology, allowing customers to pay for online purchases directly from their bank accounts.

The 'Direct from Account' service uses new 'application program interface' technology enabling Westpac customers to pay without a credit or debit card, when dealing with merchants using Payment Express's PXPay 2.0 payments engine.

Payment Express already provides the Account2Account payment service, which is used by businesses in both New Zealand and Australia, but Westpac is the first bank to adopt the new API.

"The partnership with Westpac allows Westpac account holders to access their online banking directly from a dedicated page hosted by Westpac for purchasing goods or services online. This is achieved via the Payment Express Account2Account service," said Avesh Vather, Payments Express manager of acquirer solutions, in an email.

"Merchants can also customise the appearance of the payments page using custom templates to ensure a seamless experience for their customers - that is, a similar look, feel and branding as the merchant's site, despite being hosted by us," he said.

"I understand that Westpac Australia will be following the progress of this implementation closely."

Commonwealth Bank of Australia's ASB in May recommended that its customers not use the Account2Account service "due to the security risks involved".

Vather said: "In relation to ASB, yes we're keen to work with them to allay their concerns."

"The API we've implemented with Westpac is a good example of something we've worked on to provide further peace of mind to consumers, businesses and banks alike. We'd be happy to work with them on implementing a similar solution that best caters to their needs.

"The additional comfort the Westpac partnership provides for Westpac businesses and account holders is something we're definitely keen to continue building on with other participants."

Vather said the hosted payment page had the same security features and "industry leading safeguards" as those used for credit card processing through PxPay 2.0 and was fully PCI compliant.

Westpac NZ's head of global transactional services and enterprise payments, Melissa Steward, said in a statement the "first to market innovation makes payments simple and secure for consumers and businesses."