Ratehacker: January’s Best Credit Card, Savings Account And Home Loan Deals

In our first monthly Ratehacker round-up for 2016, Jeremy Cabral from comparison site finder.com.au highlights the latest credit card deals, plus the best savings accounts and home loans.

Money picture from Shutterstock

The new year marks the ideal opportunity to get your finances organised and benefit from some of the better deals out there. If you’re facing a post-Christmas sea of credit card guilt, check out finder’s step-by-step guide to how to go about reducing your debt

Credit Cards

Feature: 0 percent balance transfer

NAB Premium Visa Card: 0% on balance transfers for 15 months As well as a 0% balance transfer deal, this card also includes 0% interest on new purchases for 15 months. There’s a $90 annual fee, and you have to apply by 14 February 2016 to qualify.

Feature: No annual fee credit card

American Express Essential: $0 annual fee for the life of the card As well as no annual fee, this card includes free smartphone insurance and American Express’ Membership Rewards scheme. The interest rate on purchases is 14.99% per annum, and you can also transfer 70% of your existing credit card balance at 0% for 12 months.

Feature: Frequent flyer credit card

ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum Credit Card: 50,000 bonus Qantas points on signup With Woolworths temporarily dumping the option to earn points on its Rewards card, it’s worth exploring other options if you’re trying to build your points balance. This card offers 50,000 bonus points if you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of use.

Home Loans

Feature: Fixed rate home loan

Newcastle Permanent Fixed Rate Home Loan: 3.79% per annum fixed rate for two years This rate is available for owner occupiers, and there’s a maximum LVR of 80%. (If you’d prefer an even longer fixed period, there’s a 6.59% offer for a 10-year fixed rate, though that’s considerably higher than most current variable rate offers.)

Feature: Refinancing loan

UBank UHomeLoan (Variable Rate): 3.99% per annum comparison rate The UHomeLoan has no application, break or early repayment fees, which makes it an appealing choice if you’re looking to refinance. This loan is available for owner-occupiers.

Savings Accounts

Feature: Incentive saver

ING Direct Savings Maximiser: Earn 3.5% per annum interest when you deposit $1000 or more a month The base interest rate on this account is currently 2.25%, but you can earn an additional 1.25% provided you meet the minimum deposit requirement. The higher interest applies on balances up to $100,000.

Transaction Accounts

Feature: Free ATM withdrawals

Citibank Plus Everyday Account: No ATM fees for Citibank, Westpac, St.George, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA ATMs You’ll also pay no ATM fees on Citibank ATM withdrawals overseas.

Personal Loans

Feature: Debt consolidation

NAB Unsecured Variable Rate Personal Loan: 13.39% per annum variable rate This loan is available for amounts from $5000 to $55,000. There’s a maximum loan term of seven years. You can make extra repayments or pay the loan off early without penalty.

Feature: Fixed Rate New Car Loan

IMB New Car Loan: 6.59% per annum fixed rate This loan is available for new vehicle purchases between $2,000 and $75,000, with a term of between 1 and 7 years. The application fee is $199.

Travel Insurance

Feature: Policy Discount

Go Insurance discount: 10% off your travel insurance Save 10% off your policy with this finder.com,au exclusive deal.

Jeremy Cabral is the Publisher at finder.com.au, which includes tools to compare credit cards, find savings accounts and pick the best mobile phone plans, and a constantly updated database of discounts and coupon codes. Connect with Jeremy on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.


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