ME offers $1,500 bank account boost with Sydney Christmas treasure hunt

Sydneysiders clear your lunch schedule and ready your bank account, because ME is offering a seriously appealing prize for the winner of its Christmas treasure hunt.

A ME Everyday Transaction Account containing $1,500 is on offer to the lucky person who is first to find a specially wrapped gift box which will be hidden in a secret location somewhere in the Sydney CBD.

But before you start peeking into every passing Christmas shoppers’ bag, ME will be releasing some helpful clues via Facebook Live starting from 12pm today to help you track down the gift box.

The event, which follows ME’s Easter egg hunt earlier in the year, is aimed at raising awareness of spending over the festive period - with the bank hoping to help at least one Australian avoid a financial hangover this Christmas.

RELATED: A Christmas without presents? How Aussie gift-giving is changing

It’s no surprise that the Christmas period can often be a strain on finances, with research from Mozo revealing that Australians will rack up a credit card bill in the region of $30 billion in December alone.

In fact, a recent survey from ME Bank found that Aussies were going to some extreme lengths to avoid a budget blowout over Christmas, including regifting presents and even evading family and friends altogether.  

“This survey shows how the financial pressures at Christmas may be influencing our preparedness to bend the rules around gift giving,” said ME Money Expert Matthew Read.

“Most tellingly, 83% of Australians said it would be acceptable to forego buying Christmas presents altogether in order to save money.”

Looking for a way to cut your spending over the festive period? Plug in your expenses to see how much you could be saving with the Mozo budget calculator, or if you’re looking to snag some rewards for your Christmas shopping check out these five credit card incentives.