A

Adviser, not advisor

Affect (verb) is to influence; effect (noun) is as a result of

Among, not amongst

Anytime is an adverb

For example: Bank online anytime, anywhere.

Any time is a noun phrase

For example: You can resume your application at any time.

App - Refer to the brand apps in the following way:

• Westpac App not Mobile Banking

• St.George App or the Mobile App
• Bank of Melbourne App or the Mobile App
• BankSA App or the Mobile App

ATMs, not ATM's

B

BPAY, not BPay or Bpay

BSB not B.S.B

Business's, not business’ (excluding ‘Businesses of Tomorrow’, which is plural, not possessive)

C

Callback is a noun

For example: Request a callback.

Call back is a verb

For example: The line was engaged, so I’ll have to call back later.

Card on Hold, not card on hold

Cheque, not check

Complementary is to complete something; complimentary is free or flattery

D

Dependant (noun) is someone who depends on another; dependent (adjective) is to depend on something

E

EFTPOS vs. eftpos

EFTPOS refers to Westpac-branded eftpos machines, eftpos refers to the payment system.

For example: Payments made through a Westpac EFTPOS terminal can be channelled through the eftpos, Visa or Mastercard systems.

email, not e-mail or E-mail

end-to-end is hyphenated

enquiry form, not inquiry form

F

FAQs, not FAQ's

fact sheet, not factsheet

G

government is lower-case when used as an adjective; capitalised when referring to a specific body

For example: NSW Government

H

homepage, not home page

I

Internet Banking

• Internet Banking or St.George Internet Banking not Online Banking or St.George Online Banking
• Internet Banking or Bank of Melbourne Internet Banking not Online Banking or Bank of Melbourne Online Banking
• Internet Banking or BankSA Internet Banking not Online Banking or St.George Online Banking.

For Westpac, see Online Banking.

L

Log on is a verb

For example: Log on with your St.George Customer Access Number.

Logon is a noun

For example: Keep you logon details confidential.

Logon is also an adjective

For example: You’ve used 3 of your 5 logon attempts.

Licence, not License

For example: Driver licence

M

Mastercard, not MasterCard

O

Online Banking or Westpac Online Banking, not Westpac Live, Westpac Live Online Banking, Internet Banking.

For other brands, see Internet Banking.

P

Phone banking, not telephone banking

Please shouldn't be used at the start of a command or instruction unless it's absolutely needed for example, when a customer might experience a major inconvenience.

Principal vs. principle

For example: Principal & Interest vs. Approval in principle

S

Sorry can be an admission that we've done the wrong thing, so use it carefully. Use it only if the message that we're communicating would sound abrupt or rude without it.

For example:

Do: You’ve reached the maximum number of applications.

Don’t: Sorry, you’ve reached the maximum number of applications.

T

Third-party is hyphenated when used as compound adjective, not hyphenated when used as a noun

T&Cs, not Ts&Cs or T&C's