Ratehacker: April’s Best Credit Card, Bank And Home Loan Deals

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.

Money picture from Shutterstock

Credit Cards

Feature: 0 per cent balance transfer

St.George Vertigo Visa: 0 percent per annum for 18 months on balance transfers and 0 per cent per annum on purchases. At the end of the balance transfer the rate reverts to cash advance rate 21.49% per annum The annual fee on this card is also competitive at just $55.

Feature: No annual fee credit card

Virgin No Annual Fee Credit Card: 0
per cent per annum for 14 months on balance transfers. Whilst this card has no annual fee, be mindful of rate at the end of the balance transfer period which is 20.99% per annum

Feature: 0 per cent purchase rate

Bankwest Breeze Classic MasterCard: 0 per cent per annum for for 13 months on purchases. This offer is exclusive to applications made via finder.com.au. The purchase rate is 12.24% per annum and there is also the benefit of no foreign transaction fees if you are eligible for Platinum.

Feature: Bonus points after first purchase

ANZ Frequent Flyer: 50,000 bonus Qantas points. In addition to the bonus points offer you can earn Qantas Points at a rate of 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on purchases with AMEX up to $3000 per statement period. or 0.5 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on Visa up to $3000 per statement period. The annual fee is $95.

Home Loans

Feature: Variable Rate Home Loan

UBank UHomeLoan – Variable with Real Reward Offer: 4.29 per cent comparison rate. A ‘Real Reward’ 0.33% per annum discount off the standard variable rate is available to new customers (some conditions apply). This loan has a maximum loan to value ratio of 80%.

Feature: Introductory Rate Home Loan

Bankwest Super Start Home Loan: 5.20 per cent comparison rate. Get 1.3% off the standard variable rate for 3 years. You can borrow up to 80% of the property value. This loan has a 100% offset facility for $9 per month and no application fees for a limited time only.

Feature: Fixed rate home loan

Loans.com.au Dream Loan Fixed: 4.29 per cent comparison rate. Borrow up to 80% of the property value or 90% with LMI. The maximum loan amount is $1,000,000 over a period of up to 30 years.

Savings Accounts

Feature: High maximum variable interest rate

Bank of Sydney SuperRate Account: 3.55 per cent per annum. If you deposit $200 or more per month you will receive a bonus rate of 1.05% per annum in addition to the standard interest rate of 2.50% per annum for the first for months. Available for account balances up to $250,000

Feature: Incentive saver

RAMS Saver: 3.91 per cent per annum. If you deposit at least $200 every month and make no withdrawals you will receive a bonus 1.30% per annum above the standard 2.61% per annum variable rate. Available for account balances up to $500,000.

Feature: High base interest rate

RaboDirect Notice Saver 90: 3.40 per cent per annum. This is a unique savings account that requires you to give 90 days notice before being able to withdraw your funds without penalty. This rate is available on account balances up to $250,000.

Transaction Accounts

Feature: Free ATM withdrawals

Citibank Plus Everyday Account: Free ATM Withdrawals. Free ATM withdrawals at Citibank, Westpac, St George, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA ATMs. No monthly account fees. $0 Citibank fees for any overseas ATM withdrawals and free international money transfers to any bank.

Feature: No monthly account-keeping fee

ING DIRECT Orange Everyday Account: No account keeping fees. Get free ATM withdrawals and 2% cashback on PayWave purchases under $100 if you deposit at least $100 per month.

Feature: Rewards Transaction Account

Bankwest Qantas Transaction Account: 5 Qantas Points per eligible purchases. You will also earn 12 Qantas Points per month per $100 amount in your account and 5 Qantas Points each time you withdraw cash from an overseas ATM (however – it’s important to note that you will have foreign transaction fees, so this will likely negate the benefit.)

Personal Loans

Feature: Debt Consolidation Line of Credit

Citibank ReadyCredit: 5.9% for 2 years. This flexible line of credit from Citibank allows you to transfer your existing debts at the promotional rate. Then, get access to a line of credit to draw on extra funds at the variable rate of interest. There are no annual fees, monthly fees or penalties for paying your account early.

Feature: Fixed Rate New Car Loan

Loans.com.au Car Loan: 7.02% comparison rate. With this loan you can borrow up to $100,000 to finance a car up to nine years old. You can also choose to add the on-road costs into your loan amount. If you need help choosing a car, loans.com.au also offer a car-buying service to help you get on the road sooner.

Feature: Low Interest Rate Personal Loan

SocietyOne Low Interest Personal Loan: 14.07% comparison rate. This unsecured loan from Australia’s first peer-to-peer lender offers interest rates that vary based on your credit score. There are no ongoing fees and you can use the funds for a wedding, a car, or even debt consolidation.

Travel Insurance

Feature: Policy Discount

InsureandGo Travel Insurance: 10% discount on your policy plus free kids cover. Exclusive finder.com.au offer to get a 10% discount on your travel insurance policy with InsureandGo. Features unlimited medical cover on all overseas policies.

Life Insurance

Feature: Discounted Premium

NobleOak Life Limited: 25% discount on your premiums and first month free. Exclusive offer for Life Insurance Finder customers – receive savings on your premium (up to 25%) and you will get one month of cover at no charge.

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.