In our monthly Ratehacker round-up, Jeremy Cabral from finance comparison site finder.com.au highlights recent credit card offer changes, plus the best savings accounts and home loans.
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This month’s Ratehacker features two new credit card offers that have just entered the market this month and some great deals across all the other products we’ve reviewed. With the RBA decision to leave the cash rate on hold it’s up to you to make the switch to a new savings account or home loan if you’re looking for savings.
Credit Cards
Feature: 0 per cent balance transfer and 0 dollar annual fee
Citi Simplicity Card: 0 per cent per annum for 12 months on balance transfers and 0 dollar annual fee. This credit card was launched this month by Citibank. It has a no annual fee offer for the life of the card and another unique benefit where you are not charged late payment fees (typically $10).
Feature: 0 per cent purchases
Bankwest Breeze MasterCard: 0 per cent per annum for 13 months on purchases. This card features a 0 per cent per annum for 13 months purchase rate only if you apply via creditcardfinder.com.au. At the end of the offer period the interest rate reverts to 12.24 per cent per annum which is currently the lowest MasterCard purchase rate. This same offer applies to the Breeze Gold & Breeze Platinum.
Feature: No annual fee platinum
Westpac 55 Day Platinum Card: $0 annual fee (normally $90 per annum). This card features an exclusive 0 per cent per annum for 12 months purchase rate only if you apply via creditcardfinder.com.au. Receive platinum benefits without an annual fee including complimentary overseas travel insurance, extended warranty insurance cover and purchase security insurance cover. Offer ends 30 September 2014.
Home Loans
Feature: Variable rate
Loans.com.au Dream Home Loan – <90% LVR: 4.56 per cent comparison rate. This home loan now allows you to borrow up to 90 per cent of the property value for a limited time only. This home loan has an offset account attached with unlimited free redraws with no minimum. No application fee applies.
Feature: Discounted interest rate
RAMS Discount Home Loan: 4.65 per cent for 12 months. Receive a discount of 1.2 per cent per annum off the standard variable rate for the 1st year reverting to 0.9 per cent discount off the SVR for the remainder of the loan term. The maximum loan size is $750,000.
Feature: Fixed rate home loan
PMG Fixed Rate Home Loan: 4.72 per cent comparison rate. Fix in your interest rate for a 2, 3 or 5 year period. No monthly or annual fees apply.
Savings Accounts
Feature: High rate with linked transaction account
UBank USaver Ultra: 4.17 per cent per annum. Receive a bonus 1.06 per cent per annum on top of the 3.11 per cent per annum base rate when you link a UBank Ultra Transaction Account with the UBank USaver account. This offer is being withdrawn from market after 31 October 2014.
Feature:High rate without linked transaction account
RAMS Saver: 4.11 per cent per annum. Receive a bonus 1.30 per cent per annum on top of the 2.81 per cent per annum base rate when you deposit $200 per month and make no withdrawals. This product has no minimum balance and no fees.
Feature: Bonus/Incentive Savings Account
St.George Incentive Saver Account: 3.80 per cent per annum. With this account you will earn 3.79 per cent per annum bonus interest on top of the 0.01 per cent per annum base rate every month you make at least one deposit and make no withdrawals. No minimum monthly balance is required.
Transaction Accounts
Feature: Sign-Up Cash Bonus
ING Direct Orange Everyday Account: $75 cash bonus payment. Apply by 10 October 2014 and deposit $1000 by 31 October 2014 to receive a $75 cash bonus payment in to your account. Open an account and deposit $1000 or more each month and you will receive 2 per cent cash back on your Visa payWave purchases and free ATM usage in Australia.
Feature: Fee free account
Citibank Plus Transaction Account: Fee free bank account, no foreign transaction fees. Free ATM usage at over 3,000 Citibank, Westpac, St.George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne ATMs in Australia. This account also features free international money transfers and no foreign transaction fees.
Feature: Rewards Transaction Account
Bankwest Qantas Transaction Account: 10,000 Bonus Qantas Points. Open an account by 31 October 2014 and deposit at least $2000 per month for the first 3 months to receive 10,000 Qantas Points. Earn 5 Qantas Points per eligible purchase and 12 Qantas Points per month per $100 balance you have in your account.
Personal Loans
Feature: Home improvements loan
bankmecu Home Improvements Personal Loan: 9.67 per cent per annum comparison rate. Borrow a minimum of $5000 over a maximum loan term of 15 years. This loan also has a free redraw facility and you’re able to make additional loan repayments.
Feature: Fixed Rate New Car Loan
NRMA Car Loan: 7.76 per cent comparison rate. Borrow amounts from $5000 to $80,000 with a fixed interest rate. You can also choose a loan term between 1 and 7 years.
Feature: Low interest personal loan
Society One Low Interest Personal Loan: 9.95 per cent comparison rate. Benefit from fixed repayments and no early repayment fee on the loan. There are also no monthly or annual fees for this loan.
Life Insurance
Feature: Discounted Premium
NobleOak Life Limited: 25 per cent discount on your premiums and first month free. Exclusive offer for Life Insurance Finder customers — receive premium savings of up to 25% and you will get one month cover for free.
Travel Insurance
Feature: Policy Discount
InsureandGo Travel Insurance: 10 per cent discount on your policy plus free kids cover. Exclusive finder.com.au offer to get a 10 per cent discount on your travel insurance policy with InsureandGo. Features unlimited medical cover on all overseas policies.
Jeremy Cabral is the Publisher at finder.com.au which includes popular comparison sites CreditCardFinder.com.au and SavingsAccountFinder.com.au, helping over 4.8 million Australians compare financial products every year. Connect with Jeremy on Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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