News Archive for December 2015

For some time, Iran has been listed on the Smart Traveller website as a “reconsider your need to travel” destination, however just this week the travel warning has been downgraded to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

Baby Boomers are spending 10.1% more on health and wellbeing products and 9.9% more in pharmacies this December than last, according to data analysis by NAB Bank and analytics firm Quantium.

I just saw the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, The Force Awakens and it didn’t disappoint. I finally got to see what happened to Han Solo (AKA Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia and was introduced to some new characters in the form of Rey, Finn and new bad guy Kylo Ren. Plus there was plenty more to love, with the same familiar humour as the original Star Wars and far less CGI than the George Lucas prequels.

You know that moment when you book a flight and the airline pops up a million add-ons including the option to buy travel insurance. Compared to the price you’ve just paid for the flight, the travel insurance seems kind of reasonable. But a mystery shop by Mozo reveals that airline insurance is one of the most expensive options for purchasing travel insurance and simply not worth the extra cost for the convenience.

Women have to pay more than men for similar products, a study in New York City revealed on Friday.

Norway is the the top place to live with Australia ranking a close second, according to the United Nations. The international body just released the annual Human Development Report which used a pool of data from agencies around the globe to determine which countries are doing well and which are lagging behind. The UN report scored Australia at 0.935 in a close second to Norway at 0.944.

In the days after Thanksgiving this year, savvy shoppers around the world took advantage of outrageous “black friday” and “cyber Monday” deals. But you probably haven’t heard of “free shipping day”, the retail day in the US that kicks off tomorrow where websites are encouraged to offer free postage on all online orders.

The Senate inquiry on the credit card industry has called on the government to enforce minimum repayments for credit card users in a final report released yesterday.

In his annual interview with the Australian Financial Review, RBA Governor Glenn Stevens has described the slowing Sydney and Melbourne property markets as a needed and welcome change.

Bored of new year’s resolutions to lose weight, get fit, drink less and spend more time with the family? Why not try something new this year and resolve yourself to a year of new travel experiences.

A survey by UK comparison site, USwitch has found more Brits are hiding their Christmas gifts in the car this year, with 16% of respondents choosing the new tactic. But insurance expert, Rod Jones warned against it.

The past year has been record breaking for the Victorian residential property market, with more homes than ever before going to auction. In the midst of this, new REIV data has shown that it could in fact be cheaper to buy than rent in some Victorian suburbs.

Wondering how your friend managed to pay for that flight to Fiji ‘on points’ while your rewards balance hit the expiry date? Did you pick the wrong credit card, the wrong frequent flyer program, or just not spend enough? To add to the confusion, there are all these other choices to make when it comes to earning points - Visa, MasterCard or Amex, Qantas or Velocity, travel miles or gift vouchers! The list just never ends.

A new State of the Nation Retail Spotlight from Roy Morgan Research has revealed Australia’s favourite shopping destinations, with Chadstone in Melbourne and Westfield Parramatta in Sydney coming out at the top of the list.

Origin Energy has sealed a deal with Tesla to become one of the first Australian suppliers of its Powerwall battery, a sleek, wall mounted unit launched in May this year, smh.com.au reported.

Travel is always on the bucket list, especially when leading into a New Year. With many Australians looking to travel abroad in 2016, now is the perfect time to take advantage of Early Bird Savings and lock in travel arrangements for a lower price. For those of you who are looking to travel in 2016, we spoke to Trafalgar Australia’s Managing Director Matthew Cameron-Smith to gain some insight into how Australians can save on travel.

New travel insurance provider, World2Cover, is set to take the highly competitive travel insurance market by storm with three new products, promising Australian customers policies with global coverage, family benefits, winter sports options, and a simple claims process.

In the aftermath of an increase in stamp duty taxes last month, housing industry bodies are lobbying to abolish stamp duty altogether due to new findings.

South Australian police have reminded communities to lock up homes and sheds over Christmas, the peak season for theft.

While experts have described 2015’s projected 0.6% dip in greenhouse gas emissions as great news, smh.com.au reported it is likely to be a temporary trend. The website said the decline - the first in a year when the world was not in recession - is due to a push toward cleaner energy sources, like solar and wind power.

Whether you have Summer plans of island hopping in exotic locations or kicking back at home on a staycation, chances are you’d still like a little extra money in your hip pocket. Read on, as we’ve got 27 nifty ways you can save big this Summer.

Peer to peer lender SocietyOne has teamed up with Uber to provide secured car loans to drivers registered with the ride-sharing platform.

Summer has officially begun and if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to get your summer home cooling plans into action. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, this December nighttime temperatures across the country are expected to be warmer and if you live in Southern Australia, overall it will be a hotter month than average.

According to the latest data from Mortgage Choice, the amount of fixed rate home loans being approved has been on the rise throughout the month of November.

Frequent flyer credit card customers in Australia could miss out on rewards points if the RBA’s proposed credit card surcharge fee changes take effect. The RBA released a paper yesterday called “Review of card payments regulation” which called for a lower cap on interchange fees.

Google’s goal of being 100% reliant on renewable energy is closer than ever, with the announcement of plans to buy 842 megawatts of solar and wind electricity, ninemsn reported.

London based foreign exchange company TransferWise has just launched “peer to peer” (P2P) international money transfers for Australians with a promise of low fees to rival the big banks.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is pushing for more action on climate change from federal and state governments, according the The Courier Mail.

Aussies are a nation of globetrotters, making more than 9.7 million trips overseas in 2014-15, but recent research has shown that more and more travellers are running into trouble overseas in the form of petty crime such as theft, dishonesty and faulty services.

Scammers are wooing financially vulnerable Australians with online personal loan offers and then charging them “bogus” upfront fees, according to the government body Consumer Protection in WA.

While the Australian Dollar might have lifted this week to 72.38 cents, it’s still significantly down from this time last Christmas when it was around 82 cents. That won’t be stopping the nation from travelling abroad in 2016, travel sites Wotif and TripAdvisor reported.

Economist’s predictions have proved correct as the RBA announced today that the official cash rate will once again hold steady at 2% throughout the holiday season.