We make it safe to pay, and certain to get paid.
CASHBOX is a New Zealand escrow payments service. We hold your customer's money safely in a protected trust account and release it to your bank the moment the work is approved - so both sides of a job can trust each other from day one.
NZ
Built for New Zealand businesses
1.5%
Flat fee, GST-inclusive. No monthly cost
NZD
Paid out to your local bank account
0
Card numbers stored, and zero chargebacks
Why we built CASHBOX
Every job starts with a question of trust. The customer wonders whether the deposit they're about to send will be honoured. The business wonders whether they'll actually be paid for the work they're about to start. For most honest people, that uncertainty is the most stressful part of the whole transaction.
We watched friends and family - tradies, freelancers, small business owners - lose sleep over late invoices and no-show payments, while their customers worried in equal measure about handing money to someone new. The tools meant to bridge that gap were either built for big enterprises, buried in card fees and chargebacks, or simply didn't exist for everyday New Zealand businesses.
So we built CASHBOX: a neutral, protected place for money to sit while the work gets done. The customer pays upfront with confidence because the money is held safely, not spent. The business starts work with certainty because they can see the funds are really there. When the job's approved, the money moves - quickly, in NZD, straight to the bank. No leap of faith required.
How it works
- 1
Send a payment link
Create a “Pay with CASHBOX” link, or connect Xero to add one to your invoices automatically. Your customer pays directly from their bank.
- 2
Money is held safely
The payment sits in a protected trust account - not in your account, and not your customer's - until the work is complete and approved.
- 3
Paid out to your bank
When your customer approves the work, the money is released straight to your New Zealand bank account in NZD, minus our flat fee.
What we believe
Trust by design
Money sits in a protected trust account - never ours to spend, never at risk in someone's personal account - until the work is approved.
Fair and transparent
One flat fee, shown before anyone pays. No monthly charges, no lock-in, no surprises buried in the fine print.
Secure by default
Payments are funded straight from the customer's bank via open banking. No card numbers to store, and no chargebacks to chase.
Built for everyday businesses
Plain language, no jargon, and a flow a tradie or small business owner can use in minutes - not a finance degree required.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is CASHBOX?
CASHBOX is a payment service that holds your customer's money safely until the job is done. Instead of paying you directly, your customer pays into a protected trust account. When they approve the completed work, the money is released to your bank - minus a single flat fee. It gives your customer the confidence to pay upfront, and gives you the certainty that the money is really there before you start.
Why did you build it?
We kept seeing the same problem on both sides of a job. Customers were nervous about paying a deposit to someone they'd never worked with, worried the money would vanish or the work would never start. Businesses, meanwhile, were chasing late invoices and starting jobs on a verbal promise of payment. The honest people on both sides were the ones losing out. CASHBOX fixes that by putting a neutral, protected account in the middle, so trust doesn't depend on a leap of faith.
Is this an escrow service?
Yes. "Escrow" simply means a trusted third party holds the money until agreed conditions are met. We hold your customer's payment on trust and only release it when the work is approved, or refund it according to our terms if something goes wrong. We use plain language like "held safely" throughout the app, but the underlying protection is escrow.
How much does it cost?
CASHBOX charges a flat 1.5% of the payment amount (GST-inclusive). The fee is shown clearly before any payment is funded and is deducted when funds are released, so you receive the payment amount less the fee. There are no monthly fees, no subscription, and no setup cost.
How is the money kept safe?
Funds are held in a dedicated trust account, separate from CASHBOX's own money - we can't spend it and it isn't exposed to our business. Payments are funded directly from your customer's bank account through Akahu, a licensed New Zealand open-banking payment-initiation provider, so there are no card details to store and no chargebacks.
When do I get paid, and how?
As soon as your customer approves the work, the held funds are released and paid out by bank transfer to your nominated New Zealand bank account in NZD. There's no waiting for a card settlement cycle.
Do I need to use Xero?
No. You can create a simple "Pay with CASHBOX" link and send it to any customer. If you do use Xero, you can connect it so that approving an invoice automatically adds a pay link and reconciles the payment for you - but it's entirely optional.
Who can use CASHBOX?
CASHBOX is built for New Zealand businesses and their customers - tradies, freelancers, small service businesses, and any platform that wants to offer protected payments. Payouts are made to New Zealand bank accounts in NZD.
Is CASHBOX a bank?
No. COIN Limited (trading as CASHBOX) is a New Zealand company that provides an escrow payments service. We hold customer funds on trust and use a licensed open-banking provider to move money. We are not a registered bank and we don't lend your money.
Ready to get paid with confidence?
Create an account, connect Xero or your bank, and send a protected payment link in minutes.
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