News Archive for June 2015

Australia’s top five most affordable suburbs for houses are in Victoria and Tasmania, while the most affordable units can be found in South Australia, Victoria and NSW revealed a new analysis of the Australian property market.

New Zealand has won the top spot in a list of destinations made famous by film or television. After its stunning landscapes featured in Sir Peter Jackson’s famous trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, New Zealand has become a favourite holiday destination for travellers, according to a new British survey.

Accommodation can be one of the biggest costs of an overseas holiday, and while we’ve all heard of Airbnb as a great way to avoid big hotel bills, Mozo has found five unique travel hacks that could save you hundreds on your next holiday. 1. Bid for your next holiday

Young people planning to spend less on summer vacations are more likely to use share economy services, otherwise known as peer to peer platforms like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft and Feastly for travel in 2015, revealed the latest annual Allianz Travel Vacation Index.

When it comes to overall credit card satisfaction, Bendigo Bank has been rated the best for customer interaction, its credit card terms, billing and payment options, as well as for its rewards and benefits.

Remember that friend who always manages to squeeze in a great holiday within an enviable budget while you keep saving for your vacation? It’s time to stop getting jealous and do something about it!

If you’re heading off on holiday, you’ve probably accepted that a certain level of spending will be involved. But, that doesn’t mean you need to open your wallet at every opportunity.

Technological developments in retail banking such as contactless payments, mobile banking and e-commerce have significantly contributed to higher levels of customer satisfaction according to a study commissioned by Visa.

According to the latest International Visitor Survey, which was released by Tourism Research Australia earlier this week, international visitor numbers increased 8% to a record 6.4 million visitors for the year ending December 2014.

Are you in the market for a new car but don’t want everything from the petrol costs to the insurance setting you back big time? Then check out the vehicles that were rated to have low operating and service costs by the team at car insurer RACV.

New analysis by Websense has shown financial institutions are under a constant barrage from cyber criminals, with the volume of attacks 3 times more than what is suffered by other industries.

While the debate over rising property prices rages on, it is also worth noting that housing costs don’t just affect home owners and buyers. In fact, according to IBISWorld, housing prices also have a palpable impact on other industries such as construction, retail and motor vehicle industries.

Stamp duty may be a tax that homeowners grit their teeth and pay but the NSW Budget shows that it’s been good for NSW infrastructure, with the Government prioritising support for housing construction.

Although it’s only early days, it appears Australian businesses have responded positively to the stimulus measures in the recent Federal budget with businesses achieving the highest sales growth in three years last month.

ING DIRECT has conducted a study of Australian households, finding one in two face financial vulnerability if the main income earner experienced unemployment. This is despite the fact home loan interest rates are at record lows.

Are you headed to England for the Rugby World Cup 2015? Travelling through eleven cities across the UK this September, the World Cup promises to pack in a lot of exciting matches for Australian Wallaby supporters.

Father Chris Riley’s Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off the Streets and the Greater Building Society have partnered together to raise vital funds to keep disadvantaged youth out of dangerous situations.

With many young Australians feeling squeezed out of the property market, it comes at no surprise that a recent study by Suncorp Bank has shown more Generation Ys are saving for a holiday at 32%, over saving for a home at 24%.

The Reserve Bank conducts an annual survey on bank fees. The results of the latest survey suggest that banks’ fee income from both households as well as businesses rose moderately in 2014, mainly as a result of balance sheet growth, rather than increases in fees on loans or deposits.

If your finances come at the bottom of your priority list, you’re not alone as recent research by CUA has found more than half of Aussies have no financial plans in place for the future.

Although the satisfaction level of Australian business banking customers increased in May by 0.2% from April (to 65.8%) it remains significantly below the peak of 69.6% recorded in November 2015, according to the latest Roy Morgan Research findings.

For those looking for the best in travel for their next overseas trip, Qatar Airways has just taken out Airline of the Year at the Annual World Airline Awards for the third time, having just lost to Cathay Pacific Airways last year.

While the debate over Sydney’s soaring property prices continues, new research shows that the housing market is more affordable than it was 26 years ago.

Update 15/5/17: ING Direct have launched their new credit card, the Orange One. Read the full story here.

Have you been saving all your annual leave? Well, it’s mid-year already, what are you waiting for, Christmas?

New research has shown that Australian businesses are paying their invoices at the fastest rate on record in eight years, despite the sluggish growth of the Australian economy reported in the latest ABS figures for the March quarter.

If you’re assuming that your insurance provider will reward you for your loyalty, you should probably think twice. It turns out that shopping around for insurance when it’s time to renew your policy, could actually save you hundreds of dollars every year.

Tickets to the Rugby World Cup 2015, check. Hotel bookings in London, check. Wallabies jersey, check. Congratulations, you’re almost set for the rugby hysteria that’s going to hit the UK this September.

With the Aussie dollar weakening against the greenback, are you scratching your head over how to plan a wallet-friendly holiday?

Housing and homelessness peak bodies in NSW including the Tenants’ Union of NSW, Homelessness NSW and Shelter NSW have issued a joint statement on the housing affordability crisis, calling on all levels of government to “ensure a fairer system of housing.”

With more motorists cruising Australian streets than ever before it would be expected that car accidents would also increase, however new research from Roy Morgan Research has shown that the number of motorists that have been in an accident has decreased in recent years.

The housing affordability debate continues with calls for Prime Minister Tony Abbott to scrap what has been described by the Property Council of Australia as the country’s “worst and most inefficient tax” - stamp duty.

While Money Smart statistics show that Australians owe a combined total of $33 billion on credit cards, the latest findings from the Reserve Bank of Australia indicate that credit card balances are down.

According to a new survey by consultancy, Bain & Company, Australian bank customers are among the fastest adopters of mobile banking globally. The research reveals that 38% of Australian customers' interactions with their bank happened using a smartphone or tablet in 2014, up from 22% the year before.

Chief Executive of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBBA) Peter White has urged banks to stop the “unfair practice” of delaying their customer’s mortgage transfer process.

The debate over Sydney’s property market continues as RBA Governor Gelnn Stevens noted that the rising property prices were “acutely concerning.”

With property prices skyrocketing across the country, borrowers need to look beyond the big banks to find the best value home loans according to the results of the Mozo Experts Choice Home Loan Awards.

The demand as well as approvals for home loans have been rising despite contrary expectations with record-low interest rates supporting the housing market. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, approvals rose 1% over the month of April, with 53,951 home loans approved over the course of the month, up from 53,442 in March.

As the cooler months settle in, leading fire and safety experts are urging all Aussie households to conduct a fire safety audit to minimise the risks of a fire this winter.

Australia’s banking customers report high overall satisfaction levels, reflecting a positive trend as the low interest rate environment continues. According to Roy Morgan Research, even while the satisfaction level of personal banking customers dipped marginally by 0.1% point to 82.8% in April from March, it’s just a little under the 20-year high of 82.9%.

Have you caught the travel bug? Symptoms may include excessive daydreaming, envy of other people’s holidays and an addiction to Getaway. Earlier this year, we gave you the destinations that should be on your travel bucket list for 2015 . Now we are putting a little winter spin on things. We have trekked through many countdown lists to give you the best destinations for escaping winter and here they are:

Economic growth was stronger than expected in the first quarter of the year, as per the results of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Yesterday’s figures showed a 0.9% rise in seasonally adjusted GDP, which was 0.2% higher than market expectations.

Despite the historic low interest rates, a surprisingly large number of Australians are not taking advantage of the favourable environment. According to a new research by Yellow Brick Road, 83% of Aussies with a home loan have not refinanced in years.

After slashing the official cash rate to a record low 2% last month, the Reserve Bank of Australia left the cash rate on hold at today’s board meeting.