View our Green Home Loans, that rewards you for your environmentally friendly home with a discounted interest rate.
Made from plant-based material and containing no PVC*, our new Visa Debit Card is gentle on the planet. Manufacturing our eco-card uses 65% less energy than a conventional plastic card and produces 68% fewer greenhouse gases while containing no toxins. At the end of your card’s life, you can be safe in the knowledge that the card will degrade up to 20 times faster than a traditional PVC card and releases no toxins into the environment.
The Gateway Visa Eco Card can be used anywhere in the world where Visa is accepted. Use your Gateway Bank Eco Debit Card online, over the phone or in-store, and pay your bills simply and easily. Don’t forget, you can also withdraw local currency anywhere in the world.
The Gateway Bank Visa Eco Debit card body is 100% composed of Polyactic Acid (PLA). The magnetic strip and card-chip are the only materials that are not plant based, which is a requirement so that the card is functional for payments and scheme complaint. The card also contains a notch in the top right hand corner to enable visually impaired customers easily identify the card in their wallet.
PLA is a bio-based and degradable polymer made from annually renewable resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many traditional plastics. PLA is typically made from corn-starch and sugarcane, as they are manufactured from sustainable plant material, this means a product that’s friendlier for the environment.
PLA is non-toxic, and is often used in food handling and medical implants that biodegrade within the body over time. PLA is also industrially compostable, typically breaking down in industrial conditions within 6 months, can be safely incinerated and will not release chemicals if discarded in a landfill. PLA cards are as strong and durable as PVC cards, but are far less harmful to the environment as they degrade much faster than any other petroleum-based plastics and do not produce microplastics.
Producing PLA uses 65% less energy than producing conventional plastics, according to an independent analysis commissioned by Nature-Works. The manufacturing process also generates 68% fewer greenhouse gases and PLA contains no toxins.
When the card needs to be disposed of, all you need to do is cut the card up through the chip and your personal details to ensure secure disposal in your normal waste. PLA cards will degrade up to 20 times faster than conventional PVC in land fill, and adds no chemicals to the soil as they degrade. Even when incinerated, the card does not emit any hazardous or toxic gases leaving only ashes.
Gateway Bank has carefully developed these cards with our partners to ensure they function just as well as a normal PVC card. These cards have been certified by Visa and Mastercard ensuring they meet all necessary scheme requirements. The Eco Card has also been certified by an external lab for a minimum of 5 years life time under normal usage conditions. The Eco Debit Card is just one of several products from Gateway Bank that is better for the planet. For more information about PLA and our Eco Card, see our Gateway Eco Card Fact Sheet.
The Visa Eco Debit Card can be used by Gateway Members when linked to a Gateway Everyday Savings Account, Edge Account or if you are using an 100% Loan Offset Account with your Gateway Home Loan. Becoming a Gateway Member is easy – when opening your account, you apply for one $2 share of Gateway, and if you wish to cease banking with Gateway and rescind your membership, your $2 share is refunded.
To apply for your Gateway Visa Eco Debit Card, simply open an Edge account online. This can be done in less than 5 minutes, and all you need is two of an Australian Driver’s Licence, Australian Passport or Medicare card.
Alternatively, you can call our team on 1300 302 474 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AEST) to open your account. You can elect to have your Visa Debit Card linked to an Everyday Savings Account, Edge Account or a 100% Loan Offset Account.
Both your card and PIN will arrive separately at your postal address within 5-10 business days. You will need to activate your Eco Debit Card before you can start using it. The activation process can be completed through Online Banking, Telephone Banking or by calling us.
As part of your pre-journey plans, always let us know where and how long you are away, especially if you are travelling overseas.
You will be issued a replacement card within the first few weeks of the month your card is due to expire. Your current card will continue to work right up to the last day of the month of its expiration date. If you haven't received your replacement card towards the end of the month that it is due to expire, please call us on 1300 302 474 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AEST).
Call us on 1300 302 474 to speak to a Member Consultant, if you call us outside our normal working hours 1300 302 474 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AEST), there will be a menu option to report your card lost/stolen. Alternatively, call the Visa Hotline on 1800 139 241. You can also cancel your card by logging onto Online Banking, selecting the Services menu option, then Card Management and follow the prompts.
The Gateway Visa Debit Card is accepted at all ATMs that accept Visa. A wide network of ATMs in Australia can be accessed, fee-free. When using an ATM, the operator will advise if a fee will be charged for your transaction. You may consider cancelling your transaction and finding an alternative if you are being charged a fee.
Before you can start using payWave, it needs to be activated. This can be done by inserting your card at a Merchant’s Terminal, selecting Credit and entering your PIN. On completion of this step payWave will be available from your next transaction.
The striking design of the card was designed by renowned Eco-artist Jane Gillings, who was commissioned by Gateway to recreate the Gateway logo using materials that would be consigned to landfill.
The artwork was commissioned to illustrate Gateway’s commitment to maximising the lifecycle of products and materials in order to minimise our impact on the environment.
To find out more about Jane Gillings visit jane.gillings.com
1 A $5 Monthly Card Fee applies if the applicable account is not held with Gateway
*Gateway’s Eco-Debit Card is made from 90% plant based material the remaining 10% consists of the chip and magnetic strip on the reverse of the card.
