Taking the money

Cash and a float

Plenty of people still pay cash at a stall. You need change from the first sale, and getting coins takes planning now that there are fewer bank branches.

Suits

Stalls, sizzles, bake sales, raffles on the night, the door at an event.

Lead time

Order coins a week ahead, or earlier if your nearest branch is a long drive. Banks need notice, and not every branch does change.

Cost

The float comes back. Some banks charge for a change order: Kiwibank charges $3 an order.

1. Use whole-dollar prices ($1, $2, $5), so you mostly need $1 and $2 coins, plus some $5 and $10 notes for people paying with a $20 or $50.
2. Work out the float (the sizes above are starting points: the more cash sales you expect, the more you need) and who holds it. Borrow it from the group’s account; it goes back after the count.
3. Order coins from your bank. Banks supply coins in full rolls ($2 coins come in $50 rolls, $1 coins in $25 rolls). BNZ asks for one business day’s notice, and not all its branches do change orders; Kiwibank lets business customers order online and collect at a branch.
4. No branch nearby? Order early and collect it on the next trip to town, or ask the school office, the club bar or a business you know whether they can swap notes for coins.
5. Count the float into each tin with two people, write it on a sheet, and both sign.
6. Keep the tins with a person at all times. When big notes go to the treasurer during the day, write down the amount, the stall, the time and both people’s initials.

• BNZ. Change orders from full-service branches with one business day’s notice; coins in full rolls; fees not published. Source: BNZ: ordering change
• Kiwibank. Business change orders online, collected at a branch: $3 an order, up to $3,000; $15 if not collected within 2 business days. Coin deposits free up to $200 a day. Source: Kiwibank business fees
• ASB. Lists a fee for supplying coins to people who aren’t ASB customers. Ask the branch for the amount. Source: ASB rates and fees

Borrow or hire an EFTPOS terminal

A terminal can take EFTPOS cards as well as credit cards and phones (check which cards it’s set up for when you book). Borrow one, or hire one for the day; book about two weeks ahead.

Suits

Busy stalls and events where people expect to pay by card, especially with EFTPOS cards: galas, quiz-night doors, Christmas markets.

Lead time

About two weeks. Most hire needs a merchant ID from your bank first, which can take around 10 working days.

Cost

Hire from about $135–150 + GST for a week, plus courier. Card fees on top for some providers.

1. First ask whether the school office or the club bar has a terminal you can use. The money then goes to their account, so check with them, and their provider if needed, that it’s allowed, and agree who handles fees, refunds and passing the money on. Keep their end-of-day receipt.
2. If you hire, check whether you need a merchant ID from your bank. Some hire includes one; most doesn’t, and getting one takes time.
3. Book it about two weeks out. Ask what’s included (paper rolls, a SIM with data) and which cards it takes: EFTPOS, contactless and phone wallets.
4. Test it the day before: one small sale and a refund. On the day, check it’s charged and has signal at the venue, decide who can do refunds, and keep cash as a back-up.
5. Keep the end-of-day settlement slip with the cash count, and check later that the money reached the account.

• Shift4 (formerly Smartpay) short-term hire. $140 for up to 2 days, $150 up to 7 days, $180 up to 30 days, plus GST and $30 + GST courier. Includes paper rolls and a SIM. Needs a merchant ID. Source: Shift4: short-term EFTPOS hire
• EFTPOS Central “EFTPOS One”. $135 + GST for up to 7 days, $165 + GST up to 30 days, with the merchant facility included, so no bank merchant ID needed. Names fundraisers and market stalls as typical uses. Source: EFTPOS Central: short-term hire
• ANZ FastPay terminal. Short-term rental (under 4 months) $99 + GST, for ANZ business customers. No transaction fee on EFTPOS when the customer picks Cheque or Savings and inserts or swipes the card. Source: ANZ FastPay

Tap to pay on a phone

An app turns a phone into a card reader for contactless Visa, Mastercard and phone wallets. In NZ these apps don’t take EFTPOS cards.

Suits

Small stalls with a regular slot, and groups that already have a business bank account.

Lead time

Sign up a week or two ahead: approval usually takes a few business days.

Cost

A fee on each sale, and with some a monthly fee. See the options below.

1. Check each provider’s requirements first: the account it needs, approval time and which phones it works on.
2. Compare the total cost for the sales you expect, including any monthly fee or monthly minimum.
3. Tell people at the stall that EFTPOS cards won’t work on the phone; have cash or a bank-transfer sign as well.
4. The simplest way to cover card fees is to build them into your prices. A government bill to ban card surcharges had stalled as of October 2026; if you’re thinking of a surcharge, check your provider’s terms first.
5. Charge the phone, check there’s signal at the venue, and test one small sale before the day.

• Stripe (Tap to Pay in the Stripe Dashboard app). Domestic cards from 2.6% + 5c, plus 15c per tap; no setup or monthly fee. Works on recent iPhones and some Android phones. EFTPOS cards are supported in Australia only. Source: Stripe NZ pricing
• ANZ FastPay Tap. 0.70% on domestic debit, 1.25% on domestic credit, 1.85% international, plus $10 + GST a month (and $5 + GST a month on iPhone). Needs an ANZ account; ANZ says EFTPOS isn’t available on it. Source: ANZ FastPay
• Kiwibank QuickPay+. $49 setup and $20 a month for up to 2 users, plus card fees, with a $20 monthly minimum in any month with a Visa or Mastercard sale. Needs a Kiwibank Business Edge account and a credit check. Can also show a QR code people pay from their bank app (Direct Pay). Source: Kiwibank QuickPay+
• Paymark Tap on Mobile. No specific bank needed; most applications approved within 5 business days. Fees aren’t published: ask for a quote. Source: Paymark Tap on Mobile

Source: 1News, 1 Oct 2026: card surcharge ban stalled

Bank transfer and pay-by-bank QR codes

Put the group’s account name and number on a sign with a reference to use. No card terminal needed, but slower at a busy table.

Suits

Pre-orders, quiz tables, sponsorship and anything paid before the day. At a stall, as a back-up for people without cash.

Lead time

None, if the group already has a bank account.

Cost

Check your account’s transaction fees. Pay-by-bank QR services charge their own fees.

1. Show the account name exactly as the bank has it. Banks now check the name against the number, and a mismatch makes people nervous.
2. Give a simple reference to use: their name, table name or order number.
3. At a stall, write down the name and amount. A “payment sent” screen isn’t proof the money arrived, so agree beforehand who decides whether to hand over goods on that basis.
4. After the day, someone with access to the account matches the payments to the sheet or the order list using the references, and chases anything missing.
5. For a QR code that people approve in their banking app, look at Kiwibank’s or Paymark’s Direct Pay (fees in their plans).

• Confirmation of Payee. Banks check that the account name matches the number on new payments; for a business account, payers need the account holder name to get a match. Source: ANZ: Confirmation of Payee
• Paymark Direct Pay. A QR code the customer approves in their bank app; fees not published. Source: Paymark Direct Pay

Online pre-orders and paying ahead

Take the money with the order, before you buy anything: by bank transfer, the school’s payment system or the supplier’s own order page.

Suits

Product drives (pies, cookie dough, butter), tickets and tables, anything with an order cut-off.

Lead time

Set it up before the order window opens.

Cost

Bank transfer is free; card payments on an order page carry a fee.

1. Before you take any money, write down the terms: the order deadline, when and where to collect, and what happens with cancellations and refunds.
2. Ask whether your supplier gives you an order page that takes payment. Many fundraising suppliers do.
3. If not, use an order form with your bank account and a reference (the buyer’s name), or the school’s payment system.
4. Only send your combined order once orders are paid, so nobody leaves you owing the supplier.
5. Keep one list of orders and payments, and tick each one off as it’s paid and collected.

The school’s payment system or office

Schools already take money from families through an app or the office. Ask whether your fundraiser can use it.

Suits

School events and drives: discos, galas, pre-orders, tickets.

Lead time

Ask the office or principal a few weeks ahead; they may need to set up an item.

Cost

Ask the office about any setup or transaction fees, and who pays them.

1. Ask the office whether your fundraiser can be an item on the school’s payment app (many NZ schools use Kindo or Hero).
2. For events, ask whether families can buy tickets or tokens at the office in the week before.
3. Get the school’s approval first. Agree which account receives the money, who handles refunds, and what payment details your organisers need.

• Kindo. A school payment system used by NZ schools for donations, trips, and canteen and lunch orders. Free for parents. Source: Kindo
• Hero. An NZ school app that includes online payments for families. Source: Hero

Tokens or tickets at one table

People buy tokens at one money table and spend them at the stalls, so the stalls never handle cash.

Suits

Galas, discos and fairs with many stalls run by volunteers or children.

Lead time

Print or buy tokens a couple of weeks ahead.

Cost

Printing, or a roll of numbered raffle-style tickets.

1. Set one price per token (say $1) and price every stall in tokens.
2. Run one or two money tables with cash, a card terminal and a bank-transfer sign.
3. Stalls put the tokens they take in a sealed bag with the stall’s name.
4. Count tokens per stall at the end; the cash is only at the money tables.
5. Decide before the day whether unspent tokens can be refunded, and say so at the money table. Use tokens that can’t be mixed up with another event’s, and keep a count of tokens sold.

Counting, banking and receipts

Two people count every tin, write it down and both sign. Bank it the next business day, and keep a receipt for everything you spend.

Suits

Every fundraiser. It protects the volunteers as much as the money.

Lead time

Print the count sheets before the day.

Cost

Free to count. Some banks charge for big coin deposits: Kiwibank is free up to $200 of coins a day.

1. Never count alone. Two people count each tin, write the total by notes and coins, and both sign.
2. Count the full amount first, then take off the float you recorded. Add any notes handed to the treasurer during the day; what’s left is the takings.
3. Add the card terminal’s settlement slip and the bank-transfer list to the sheet. Record any refunds or spending separately.
4. Agree who banks it and where it’s kept safely overnight. Bank it the next business day, keep the deposit slip and check it matches the count.
5. Keep a receipt for every cost, and report sales, costs and the amount raised to the committee and the helpers.

• Free cash counter. Our cash float and takings counter: count by coin and note, in pairs. Open it