SocietyOne reveals how Aussies deal with life’s unexpected expenses

By Ceyda Erem · · 3 min read
Fact Checked
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Sometimes, we like to think we have everything under control, but then life happens: your car breaks down, your dog gets sick and you have to fly cross country at the last minute to comfort your sister through a bad breakup.

And according to SocietyOne’s ‘When ‘It’ Happens Report’, life’s little speed bumps are costing Aussies across the nation big time.

The report revealed that 65% of Aussies have experienced large and unexpected costs in their life, totalling to over $52.44 billion.

Car repairs or replacements, holiday and travel costs and medical bills were the top three most common unexpected costs, hitting 36%, 29% and 25% of Aussies, respectively.

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Looking at how Aussies dealt with unplanned financial costs that aren’t covered by savings or insurance, the report found that four in five Aussies believe that a credit card is an easy source of funds, and that they were more convenient than taking out a personal loan.  

Over a quarter (28%) of Aussies were even willing to take on the extra credit card debt when an unexpected cost arises.

“When ‘it’ happens, and you need a loan, you should reflect on whether you’re getting the best deal and if a quick fix high interest credit card is the best option,” said Mark Jones, SocietyOne CEO.

“With one in five (20%) Australians facing unexpected costs having expenses worth more than $5,000, and a national credit card debt of $45 billion, there may be a better alternative to dealing with ‘it’ than putting it on plastic.”

To put things into perspective, we took our credit card debt payment calculator for a spin. Say you had a $5,000 credit card balance on the average interest rate in our database of 17.1%, if you made monthly repayments of only around $150, you’d accrue $2,031 in interest.

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A personal loan miscommunication

One issue the report highlighted was the misconceptions surrounding personal loans, which could be the reason more Aussies are turning to their plastic in troubled times.

Getting specific, 55% of Aussies felt that applying for a personal loan was difficult and would take up to 4.5 days to be approved.

But according to SocietyOne that’s not the case - in fact, it said 50% of it’s personal loan applications are approved in the same day.

“When you need money fast, the last thing you want to do is spend hours filling out an application form and waiting a week for the money to appear,” said Jones.

So for the Aussies currently stuck in a sticky situation, you do have a few options when it comes to getting your hands on some quick cash. Luckily, our Mozo editors have handpicked some great personal loan options with speedy application processes below. 

SocietyOne - Unsecured Personal Loan
  • Apply online in minutes
  • Low fixed rates starting from 7.50% (9.51% comparison rate^)
  • No monthly or exit fees
Find out more

If you like the idea of being rewarded for having an excellent credit history, then look no further than the Society One Unsecured Personal Loan Excellent Credit. Aside from having personalised starting from 7.50% (9.51% comparison rate^), you’ll be able to get a rate quote within 3 minutes and submit an application within 10 minutes. And did we mention there’s no monthly or exit fees? Not too shabby.

HSBC - Unsecured Personal Loan
  • Apply online and get a response in 60 seconds
  • Low fixed rates starting from 8.50% (9.06% comparison rate ^^)
  • No exit fee
Find out more

With fixed rates starting from 8.50% (9.06% comparison rate ^^), you’ll want to check out the HSBC Unsecured Personal Loan. Aside from having the confidence in knowing what your repayments will be, you’ll also be able to pay out your loan early with no exit fee. And if you’re in a hurry and need cash fast, with HSBC, you’ll be able to apply online and get a response in 60 seconds!

MoneyPlace - Unsecured Personal Loan
  • Apply in 10 minutes
  • Low fixed rates starting from 7.65% (7.65% comparison rate ^^)
  • No upfront, monthly or exit fees

Last but certainly not least is peer-to-peer lender MoneyPlace with its Unsecured Personal Loan Excellent Credit Rating. With MoneyPlace, you’ll get a tailored rate that best reflects your credit history as well as no upfront, monthly or exit fees. The best part is, you’ll be able to submit an online application within 10 minutes before receiving a decision on your loan from a Lending Specialist!

But if you’d like more personal loan options, you can check out our personal loan comparison tool!

* WARNING: The Comparison Rate combines the lender's interest rate, fees and charges into a single rate to show the true cost of a personal loan. The comparison rates displayed are calculated based on a loan of $30,000 for a term of 5 years or a loan of $10,000 for a term of 3 years as indicated, based on monthly principal and interest repayments, on a secured basis for secured loans and an unsecured basis for unsecured loans. 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.

^See information about the Mozo Experts Choice Personal Loan Awards

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