diff --git a/src/common/lib/client/restchannel.ts b/src/common/lib/client/restchannel.ts
index 36d75031c6..26da725e2a 100644
--- a/src/common/lib/client/restchannel.ts
+++ b/src/common/lib/client/restchannel.ts
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ class RestChannel {
       });
     }
 
-    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
       encodeMessagesArray(messages, this.channelOptions as CipherOptions, (err: Error) => {
         if (err) {
           reject(err);
@@ -119,23 +119,25 @@ class RestChannel {
           return;
         }
 
-        this._publish(serializeMessage(messages, client._MsgPack, format), headers, params, (err) =>
-          err ? reject(err) : resolve()
-        );
+        resolve();
       });
     });
+
+    await this._publish(serializeMessage(messages, client._MsgPack, format), headers, params);
   }
 
-  _publish(requestBody: unknown, headers: Record<string, string>, params: any, callback: ErrCallback): void {
-    Resource.post(
-      this.client,
-      this.client.rest.channelMixin.basePath(this) + '/messages',
-      requestBody,
-      headers,
-      params,
-      null,
-      (err) => callback(err)
-    );
+  async _publish(requestBody: unknown, headers: Record<string, string>, params: any): Promise<void> {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      Resource.post(
+        this.client,
+        this.client.rest.channelMixin.basePath(this) + '/messages',
+        requestBody,
+        headers,
+        params,
+        null,
+        (err) => (err ? reject(err) : resolve())
+      );
+    });
   }
 
   async status(): Promise<API.Types.ChannelDetails> {
diff --git a/test/rest/message.test.js b/test/rest/message.test.js
index 090e6eba70..03e247c4ac 100644
--- a/test/rest/message.test.js
+++ b/test/rest/message.test.js
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
         channel = rest.channels.get('rest_implicit_client_id_0');
 
       var originalPublish = channel._publish;
-      channel._publish = function (requestBody) {
+      channel._publish = async function (requestBody) {
         var message = JSON.parse(requestBody)[0];
         expect(message.name === 'event0', 'Outgoing message interecepted').to.be.ok;
         expect(!message.clientId, 'client ID is not added by the client library as it is implicit').to.be.ok;
-        originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
+        return originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
       };
 
       await channel.publish('event0', null);
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
         channel = rest.channels.get('rest_explicit_client_id_0');
 
       var originalPublish = channel._publish;
-      channel._publish = function (requestBody) {
+      channel._publish = async function (requestBody) {
         var message = JSON.parse(requestBody)[0];
         expect(message.name === 'event0', 'Outgoing message interecepted').to.be.ok;
         expect(
           message.clientId == clientId,
           'client ID is added by the client library as it is explicit in the publish'
         ).to.be.ok;
-        originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
+        return originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
       };
 
       await channel.publish({ name: 'event0', clientId: clientId });
@@ -76,14 +76,14 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
         channel = rest.channels.get('rest_explicit_client_id_1');
 
       var originalPublish = channel._publish;
-      channel._publish = function (requestBody) {
+      channel._publish = async function (requestBody) {
         var message = JSON.parse(requestBody)[0];
         expect(message.name === 'event0', 'Outgoing message interecepted').to.be.ok;
         expect(
           message.clientId == invalidClientId,
           'invalid client ID is added by the client library as it is explicit in the publish'
         ).to.be.ok;
-        originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
+        return originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
       };
 
       try {
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
         originalPublish = channel._publish,
         originalDoUri = Ably.Realtime.Platform.Http.doUri;
 
-      channel._publish = function (requestBody) {
+      channel._publish = async function (requestBody) {
         var messageOne = JSON.parse(requestBody)[0];
         var messageTwo = JSON.parse(requestBody)[1];
         expect(messageOne.name).to.equal('one', 'Outgoing message 1 interecepted');
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
         expect(idTwo, 'id set on message 2').to.be.ok;
         expect(idOne && idOne.split(':')[1]).to.equal('0', 'check zero-based index');
         expect(idTwo && idTwo.split(':')[1]).to.equal('1', 'check zero-based index');
-        originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
+        return originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
       };
 
       Ably.Rest.Platform.Http.doUri = function (method, uri, headers, body, params, callback) {
@@ -186,9 +186,9 @@ define(['ably', 'shared_helper', 'async', 'chai'], function (Ably, helper, async
       var originalPublish = channel._publish;
 
       /* Stub out _publish to check params */
-      channel._publish = function (requestBody, headers, params) {
+      channel._publish = async function (requestBody, headers, params) {
         expect(params && params.testParam).to.equal('testParamValue');
-        originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
+        return originalPublish.apply(channel, arguments);
       };
 
       await channel.publish('foo', 'bar', { testParam: 'testParamValue' });