Major banks turn their back on home loan cashbacks

By Maria Gil · · 2 min read
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Home loan customers will be interested to know that some banks are ending their current cashback offers for refinance home loans.  

Commonwealth Bank and NAB are among those scrapping cashback offers as we approach mid-year.

For example, CommBank is ending its $2,000 cashback offer by 31 May. The bank says this has come about due to squeezing interest margins - a concern that is contrary to its recent financial success.

NAB’s digital bank Ubank also ended its $4,000 - $5,000 cashback offer in April, while NAB itself is ending its $2,000 cashback offer in June.

While NAB hasn’t given an official statement as to why, the bank’s group executive of personal banking Rachel Slade said at the Australian Financial Review Banking Summit in March, “I hate cashbacks. I look forward to the day where they don’t exist in the market.”

What are cashback offers?

Cashback offers are a strategy to encourage mortgage holders to refinance their home loans with a new lender. The lender offers you cash (usually several thousand dollars) as a benefit for switching your home loan.

While it might seem like an amazing benefit, keep in mind that not all loans that have cashback perks offer better interest rates. In fact, some of them might be a bit higher compared to refinancing to a home loan product without a cashback offer. 

Currently, there are 25 lenders who provide cashback offers. Amongst them are Westpac with a $3,500 cashback offer, ANZ with a $4,000 cashback offer, and Bank of Queensland with a $3,000 offer if you apply by 8th September 2023. 

For more information on lending trends, head over to our home loan statistics page. And if you’re in the market for a home loan, visit our home loan comparison page, or browse the selection below.

Home loan comparisons on Mozo - last updated 5 December 2023

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  • Featured Product
    Mozo Expert Choice Badge
    Unloan Variable

    Owner Occupier, Refinance Only, LVR <80%

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    5.74% p.a. variable
    5.65% p.a.

    For refinancers only. Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for borrowers. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply in as little as 10 minutes.

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    Details
  • Home Variable Rate

    Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest, Refinance Only

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.15% p.a. variable
    6.15% p.a.

    Enjoy a competitive variable interest rate from Up. No application, monthly, annual, redraw, or discharge fees to pay. Up to 50 free offset accounts available. Up home loans are only available to owner-occupiers buying or refinancing in major Australian cities. Up is 100% owned by Bendigo Bank. New joiners get $10 by signing up to the app using code UPHOMEMOZO. (T&Cs apply) Mozo Experts Choice award winner.

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    Details
  • Offset Home Loan

    Package, Owner Occupier, LVR<60%, Principal & Interest

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.14% p.a. variable
    6.39% p.a.

    Ability to open up to 10 offset accounts per loan account. Fast online application. Linked Debit Mastercard® with fee-free access at ATMs across Australia. Package a credit card with your home loan and the annual card fee will be waived (T&Cs apply). 40% deposit required.

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    Details
  • Mozo Expert Choice Badge
    Variable Rate Home Loan Special Offer

    Package, Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest, LVR<80%

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.14% p.a. variable
    6.51% p.a.

    Package benefits across Home Loans, Visa Credit Card, Personal Loans and Term Deposits. No package fee for the first year. No application, settlement or redraw fees to pay. Quick and easy application. Free CoreLogic RP Data property reports. *Terms, conditions and lending criteria apply.

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    Details
  • Mortgage Simplifier

    LVR<80%, Owner Occupier, Principal & Interest

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.14% p.a. variable
    6.43% p.a.

    Get a competitive variable rate with ING’s Mortgage Simplifier. Free extra repayments, no monthly or annual fees. Freedom to make free extra repayments or redraws. Winner of Australia’s Best Essential Bank in the Mozo Experts Choice Awards.

    Details
  • Basic Home Loan

    Owner Occupier, LVR<70%, Principal & Interest

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.14% p.a. variable
    6.16% p.a.

    Enjoy a low rate home loan with $0 application fee and $0 ongoing fees. Flexibility to split your loan and set different repayment types. Fee free redraw from your loan using online banking. Flexible ways to repay. 30% Deposit required.

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    Details
  • Featured Product
    Mozo Expert Choice Badge
    Unloan Variable

    Investment, Refinance Only

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Initial monthly repayment
    6.04% p.a. variable
    5.95% p.a.

    For refinancers only. Built by CommBank, the Unloan is the first home loan with an increasing discount (conditions apply) for investors. No application or banking fees. No monthly account keeping or early exit fees. Apply in as little as 10 minutes.

    Go to site
    Details

* WARNING: This comparison rate applies only to the example or examples given. Different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. The comparison rate displayed is for a secured loan with monthly principal and interest repayments for $150,000 over 25 years.

** Initial monthly repayment figures are estimates only, based on the advertised rate. You can change the loan amount and term in the input boxes at the top of this table. Rates, fees and charges and therefore the total cost of the loan may vary depending on your loan amount, loan term, and credit history. Actual repayments will depend on your individual circumstances and interest rate changes.

^See information about the Mozo Experts Choice Home Loan Awards

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