Aussie Finance Blog

Australian personal finance news, tips and advices.

Securing a Car Loan in Australia

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Prospective car buyers are in for “excellent deals” this August, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said last week during the release of new vehicle sales data for July 2019.

A total of 83,184 new vehicles were sold. While year-to-date growth is still down 7.7%, this is better than June’s 8.4%.

From $1,000 in factory bonuses on Hyundai’s Tucson range, to a $6,000 discount off Fiat’s Abarth 124 Spider and the $44,990 drive-away price of Holden’s Colorado LSX, today’s buyers have so many options to choose from. ... (read more)

TransferWise Review: Money Transfers at True Mid-market Rates

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Picture this: You just land a great job, but it’s in a different country. You make the necessary arrangements, and you move there. Problem is, you need to send money back to your country regularly, maybe to pay for a mortgage, a phone bill or your family’s expenses.

Come payday, you calculate your budget and come up with the money you need to send before visiting the bank, only to find out that you lose a significant chunk of money to the bank by sending it. This is because banks do not follow the mid-market rate. ... (read more)

How Much Does Landscaping and Gardening Cost?

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Tasteful landscaping and gardening are very effective in increasing the sale value of homes and property. According to a recent article on OpenAgent, an investment in colourful plants, as well as practical garden spaces, can add at least $15,000 to the value of a home. Real estate agents have long extolled the value of simple flowering plants, which quickly enhance a property’s sale value.

Professional landscaping, such as decks, garden spaces, patios, and sitting areas, with fireplaces and pools, exemplify, to potential buyers, a space ready for restful family activities. Real estate agents tell us that professional landscaping can add 6 to 7 per cent to the value of a home, whereas, if you neglect your garden, it can lower the value of your home from between 5 and 15 per cent. ... (read more)

Comfort Spending: How to beat the $1400 a year habit

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By Rhianna Dews, Money Writer at Mozo

Despite all the benefits that come with the digital world we live in today, its fast pace has ultimately led to a rapid increase in stress and anxiety, with Beyond Blue data revealing that 1 in 7 Australians are currently experiencing an anxiety condition.

What makes matters worse is the way in which Aussies are coping with the pressure. Mozo’s 2019 Comfort Spending Report found that Aussies are spending $1,430 each year on average in attempts to dilute stress, boredom and anxiety. This works out to a massive total of $25.5 billion each year! ... (read more)

Undateable debt: Why it pays to know your partner’s credit score

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By Kate Browne

Nothing unravels a blossoming relationship quite like a bad credit history. Seriously!

Ok I know what you’re thinking “yeah right sure finance lady, it’s not about how you look or how you come across personality-wise or even if you are a dog or cat person it’s all about your credit report…give me a break.” And well that might be true, bear with me…. If you are going on a date it just might be worth checking your credit report – as well as the mirror – before heading out the door. ... (read more)

How to Use an Economic Calendar to Trade in Forex Markets?

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Every day countries publish economic reports, meetings of Central Banks are held, as well as governors give speeches. These events usually occur at a scheduled time. To keep abreast of the upcoming events traders use an economic calendar where the time of their release and the degree of importance are displayed.

An important economic event can significantly change the market price of the asset in a matter of minutes. Traders respond to news reports in different ways. Some traders expect such news and recommend not to miss the opportunity to benefit, while others stop trading before the releases and wait for the market to calm down. ... (read more)

The Importance of Funeral Planning

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When it comes to aboriginal funerals, it is an event that is highly valued by the Aboriginal people. Often, ceremonies related to funerals can go on for several days and even weeks. In more intense ceremonies, the children might even be absent from school in order to take part in these very valuable communal events. The ceremonies include multiple dances and songs, which have their varied structures and meanings. In order for all these take place, the families will surely incur expenses. This is where the importance of funeral planning comes into the picture.

Make a difference

As humans, we are always busy making one plan or another, especially when it has to do with everyday, weekly, monthly, or annual events that bring us success and happiness. A higher percentage of people never take the time to consider funeral planning, whether for themselves or their loved ones. Although it is not a pleasant topic for thought or discussion, a funeral is a significant part of everyday living and should be given due attention. This is especially true when it comes to the financial aspects of conducting funerals, which might put a whole lot of stress on your loved ones on top of their grief.

The importance of making funeral plans

There are several reasons why you should consider a funeral plan, these include but are not limited to the following;

  • It Reduces Financial Burdens: Especially if you happen to be the breadwinner of your household. Knowing how much you love your family, it would surely break your heart to allow them to be saddled with the financial burden of handling your funeral. On the other hand, buying funeral plans for other members of the family also eliminates the issue of funeral costs, which might just add to the grief the family is dealing with.
  • It Makes Cash Available: Most times, it takes weeks and months of paper work before the dependants of a deceased person can have access to the funds left behind by the deceased. This however, will not be an issue if there is a funeral plan in place. With the beneficiary’s demise, payment is usually made within 48 hours, leaving the family members with adequate cash to start the burial preparations without wasting any time.
  • It Helps Loved Ones Get Closure: In the aboriginal culture, giving a loved one a befitting funeral leaves the loved ones fulfilled. With funerals being a part of the grieving process, a deceased person’s loved ones are able to find closure knowing that their departed family member was given a befitting burial. With a proper funeral plan, a person’s loved ones can bid them a heart-warming goodbye.
  • Other Funeral Expenses Can Be Settled: Depending on the type of plan opted for, the payout might go a lot farther in helping the family cater for other related funeral expenses. Some of these expenses include but are not limited to transportation for guests, the ceremony, the headstone, and other relevant aspects.
  • Additional Support Is Made Available: A good number of companies go the extra mile to offer more than just financial assistance to a grieving family. There are a variety of other kinds of support which includes but are not limited to legal assistance, bereavement counselling and proper organising of the funeral. This way, the family members are able to heal quicker and better from the loss of their loved one.
  • Availability of Future Financial Support: With a good funeral plan, there might be the option for offering the bereaved family a set financial support for several months after the funeral. This option is available to anyone who happens to be the breadwinner of his or her family. With this fund, the family are able to offset bills and certain necessities like food, rent, school fees, etc. Even as they try to find their feet and move forward again as a family.

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    How to Compare Mortgages

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    Whether you are getting set to buy your first home or you are preparing to re-mortgage your home, it is important that you do so with the best deal available. You don’t need to be an expert in using a mortgage repayment calculator before you can find a great deal out there. Instead, you need to understand some of the steps that would help you towards having your home mortgaged at the best rates.

     

    In order to avoid being ripped off, you need to take your time and compare mortgages from a few vendors. This needs to be done correctly, if you desire a good result. You should also understand that the type of mortgage you choose will go a long way to determine the rate you pay. Other factors that might impact on rates include your deposit, credit rating, and others. Listed below are some of the steps that would help you engage in successful and great comparison shopping. They are as follows:

     

  • Understand what you want; Before you take the first step of comparing prices, you should first determine what you actually want. Are you settling for a fixed rate mortgage or do you intend on going for a tracker mortgage? You should understand that since a fixed rate offers more security, the price tends to be higher than a tracker mortgage. It is your decision to make but guidance is available.
  • Compare related offers: In order to ensure that you get the best rates, whether you are proficient in using a mortgage payoff calculator or not, you should only compare related offers. Don’t compare the price of tracker mortgage from one vendor and go for fixed rate with another vendor. In doing this, you will only end up more confused and struggle to make an informed decision. Instead, make related comparisons. You should also know that even though your qualifications are not altered, different vendors will offer you different prices and terms. This is especially because they use varying business policies and models.
  • Opt for a Mortgage Broker: Most times, we just have to leave certain things for the professionals, including comparing quotes for a mortgage. With a broker, who is certainly more versatile with utilizing a bank mortgage calculator, you might just be able to land a great deal with a reputable lender. This broker acts like a middleman between you and the lender and depending on what you want, you can be matched with a lender that has loan products that expressly fit your home mortgage needs.
  • Go for Relevant Rates: One of the deciding factors when you are out there shopping for a residential mortgage is the amount you are able to deposit. This means that the rates you are offered when you are making a 30% deposit will definitely be better than the rates you will be offered when you are making a 10% or lesser deposit. When you understand this, you will surely not waste your time comparing quotes you will definitely not qualify for.
  • Work out your expenses: When you are comparing quotes for a mortgage, don’t just think about the mortgage deposit. There are other expenses you should be paying attention to as you get ready to use that simple mortgage calculator. Some of these expenses include but are not limited to solicitor’s fees, moving costs, property survey fees, etc. With this, you should be able to work out the level of deposit you can afford to put down.
  • Work out all costs related to the loan: In order to avoid any last minute surprises, you should take your time to work out every cost related to the mortgage loan. You want to know what you are getting into and as such, you should have a good knowledge of the monthly repayment amount, the interest rate, lender fees, and others.
  • Wrap it up: After you have made your comparisons, it is time to lock up your rates and get things wrapped up for good. Having made your calculations with the mortgage calculator, the next step is requesting a written “rate lock” from the potential lender. This is a form of written agreement that stipulates the interest rate, the interest price, and period of time it covers. With this lock-in, you are fully protected from any form of rate increase while your application is being processed. While some lenders go ahead and charge fees for the lock-in, others do it without any additional costs. It varies from one lender to the other.

    • ... (read more)

    Contactless payments statistics in Australia

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    Last month I published an article about contactless payments and it seems like it’s a hot topics nowadays because Westpac released its Visa contactless payments statistics for 2017.

    They claim that Visa payWave contactless payments increased to 325 million in 2017, which is a 25% uplift compared to 2016. There were 67 million more payments in 2017 than the year before.

    In the first month of 2017, Visa reported more than 24 million contactless payments, which by the end of the year increased to over 33 million.

    According to Westpac, contactless is the preferred payment method in over 90% of purchases and contactless generated more than 68% of the Westpac Visa cardholders’ total spend.

    It’s also interesting to see that St.George Bank (which is owned by Westpac) has higher contactless usage rate than Westpac. The ratio of contactless payments was 95% for St.George Bank customers, while 81% for Westpac customers, which clearly shows the demographic differences between the two banks’ customers. Also, Westpac customers spend 40% more on contactless credit card payments than debit card payments, which shows that customers are comfortable to use contactless payment for more expensive purchases.

    It seems like that the fast food industry is the leader in contactless payments (98%), followed by other kind of restaurants (96%), grocery shopping and discount stores (both 93%). Healthcare related payments had the lowest contactless ratio in 2017, only 59%.

    There are quite a few brand and technology names in the contactless payments system but the two most widely used technologies in Australia are Visa payWave and Mastercard PayPass (a.k.a. Tap & Go).

    I look forward seeing the 2018 report next year but there’s most likely an upper limit for contactless payments and they will never reach 100%.

    Here’s a link to the Westpac contactless payments article.

    Contactless Payments: How Do They Work?

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    Are you someone who absolutely hates how long it takes to make a transaction using a credit or debit card? Do you worry about card fraud a lot? If so, you will love contactless payment systems, which involve the use of contactless cards, stickers, key fobs, mobile devices, and wearable gadgets.

    In a nutshell:

    • It is secure. You don’t need to hand over your card to the cashier. For the entire transaction, the card never leaves your hand.
    • It is fast. You don’t need to enter a PIN or leave a signature for purchases under $100.
    • It is easy. You just need to hold the card close to the terminal.

    Contactless payments make life a tad easier for the average consumer. 

    History

    Contactless cards have been available in Australia since 2006 but it only started to gain traction in the last few years. From the 7.6 million cards issued in 2010, the number grew to 18 million in 2014. With more and more retailers accepting contactless payments, the total number of contactless cards in Australia should reach 33.9 million in 2019, Timetric predicts.

    Contactless technology has existed for a while. In fact, it was first introduced in the’90s. ExxonMobil’s Speedpass was the first ever contactless payment system, and it launched in 1997. As you can expect, this technology was pretty revolutionary at that time. Motorists simply had to wave their Speedpass whenever they had to pay for their gas at participating Mobil stations.

    Not long after Mobil introduced the tech, BPAY came up with a payment system that allowed users to transact through a financial institution’s telephone or online banking facility. This was launched the same year Speedpass was introduced.

    By 2004, tech companies Sony and Philips introduced new technologies to the payment method. Along with the Near Field Communication Forum, they designed a system that brought more security to near-field payments. This paved the way for a variety of wireless payments, including Google Checkout, which came out in 2006.  In the following year, payWave made new strides as it introduced a nearly seamless payment experience.

    Contactless payment was introduced to mobile devices in 2011. The first cellphones that supported MasterCard PayPass or Visa payWave came out that year. With the widespread acceptance of mobile phones, tech giants and financial institutions made further endeavours to develop contactless mobile payment systems. And today, you can see this technology expanding to wearable tech.

     

    How do contactless payment cards work?

    Payment cards come with an embedded chip and a radio antenna that transmit information to and from the checkout terminals. These make it possible for consumers to wave their cards over point-of-sale terminals.

    Although the payment procedure is contactless, brushing against a terminal won’t make you accidentally pay for someone else’s purchases. The card has to be held a few centimetres away from the terminal for a second or two.

    Any of these cards can be contactless:

    • Credit cards. If you use a credit card for contactless payments, transactions will reflect on your credit account. Even when you have a savings or transaction account linked to the card, payments will only reflect as credit. Hence, you will have to pay back the borrowed amount within a certain period.
    • Debit cards. Contactless payments through debit cards will draw money from your transaction or savings account. If you want to use the money you have in your bank account, insert the card into an EFTPOS machine at checkout and then select savings or transactions account.
    • Prepaid cards. Transactions can only be drawn from the specific amount that you stored on the card.

    Before you can make your first contactless payment, you must activate the feature by completing chip and PIN transactions. This ensures that you are the owner of the card. This step also serves as a security measure to lessen the risk of fraud.

    This method is absolutely convenient for you since you won’t need to swipe your card on the terminal. For payments that are at least $100, you won’t even have to enter a PIN code nor will you have to leave a signature. But for purchases that exceed that amount, you are required to do either of those.

    To make a transaction, inform the merchant of your preferred method of payment. You just need to follow the onscreen prompts and check the amount. Finally, hold the card a few centimetres away from the terminal and wait for a confirmation message, a blinking light, or a beep. These indicate that the transaction was successful.

    A few of the major financial institutions that offer contactless payment systems today are Visa, MasterCard, Barclays, and JPMorgan Chase.

     

    Which technology is predominantly used for contactless payment system?

    Mobile devices, smartphones, and contactless cards typically use radio-frequency identification (RFID) to make transactions secure.

    Other platforms such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay use near field communication (NFC). These systems are built using a technique called tokenization.

    Apple, in particular, requires all the parties involved in the transaction process such as banks and payment methods to create two elements:

    • Also called a device account number, this 16-digit token is unique to every device.
    • Encryption Key. This is what formulates single-use signatures or cryptograms. For every transaction, a new encryption key is generated after a fingerprint has been scanned. Apart from providing an extra security measure for the user’s identity, this allows you to double check the retailer involved and the total amount of the purchase.

    Both of these elements are installed into a chip, which the device’s operating system is unable to access. During a transaction, the device’s unique token and corresponding cryptogram are sent to the payment provider who checks if both elements match up. When they do, the sale is authorised.

    This technology is similar to the way banks protect online accounts by giving their patrons time-sensitive codes. Though hackers may steal a token, they can’t use it without a cryptogram.

     

    Is my card a contactless card? How do you know your card is contactless?

    Contactless cards are available from several card issuers. American Express, for example, offers the contactless feature on most of its consumer cards and a handful of business cards.

    You can tell if your card is contactless by checking the back. If it comes with the chip and is marked with the universal contactless symbol, then it is contactless.

     

    Will retailers add surcharges on your purchases?

    Contactless transactions may cost retailers more especially when you choose to pay with credit instead of by savings or cheque. Not all merchants will add a surcharge for card payments, but those who do may add a surcharge fee that’s between 0.5% to 1.5% of the amount of a purchase.

    Know that businesses are prohibited by law to charge excessive surcharge fees on debit, credit, and prepaid card transactions. If you catch merchants doing so, report them to the authorities.

     

    How long does it take for a contactless payment to come out of your account?

    Depending on the bank, the transactions may show up on your balance two or three business days after. Some take as much as four days to debit from your savings account. Others take even longer.

     

    Are contactless cards safe?

    Compared to magnetic stripe cards, contactless payment cards are more secure.

    Contactless payment systems are considered to be safer than conventional payment methods because data transmitted by these cards are encrypted, which can only be accessed by authorized contactless readers.

    As already mentioned,  you can hold your card the entire time you make the transaction. Entering your PIN isn’t even necessary. Encryption technology protects cardholders’ data, making it nearly impossible to steal information during transactions.

    Plus, contactless terminals can only make one transaction at a time. Each transaction must be completed or cancelled before another can happen. That means there’s no way you can double up on payments.

    Despite such safeguards,  there have been instances of fraudulent transactions in Australia.  Forbes said that an Android app can bypass the built-in security of cards, clone the card within seconds and use the information to carry out fraudulent purchases. Apparently, scanners that anyone can buy online can also steal cardholders’ information.

    Additionally, anyone that has a near field communication (NFC) reader can access information like the card number and its expiration date simply by moving close to someone with a contactless card.

    Banks will routinely look into your transactions to check if nothing is out of the ordinary. They will automatically inform your or send you an inquiry if anything sticks out.

    If the card is lost or stolen, inform your bank so they can block the card.  They may shoulder the costs if any fraudulent transactions occur, that is, if you ensured the card’s protection and if you notified the bank about the loss right away.

    Tap-and-go frauds have been low in Australia. It’s costing about 2¢ for every $100 transaction, which is only a third of the rate of card fraud in the international scene.

     

    Wallet for contactless cards: Is it necessary?

    You can take the extra measures to prevent data theft. To protect your information, you can wrap your card in tin foil before storing it in your wallet or you can line your wallet with foil. If you want to look less paranoid, you can always purchase an NFC blocking wallet.

    But is all of this necessary?

    If you ask Richard Koch, Head of Policy for the UK Cards Association, he would probably tell you that there’s nothing to worry about. A few years ago, when this method of theft first caught the attention of mainstream media, he said that the technology only manages to obtain the card number and its expiry date, which have always been easily attainable. After all, this information is displayed on the front of a card.

    According to Koch, most retailers require more than a card number and expiry date to process a transaction. Merchants usually ask for the card security code or the cardholder’s address as a precautionary measure. Retailers who fail to do so will be liable if any fraudulent transactions occur.

     

    How much can you spend on a contactless card?

    Contactless purchases have what is called a floor limit, the maximum amount per transaction. In Australia, banks such as ANZ have a $100-floor limit. As long as purchases don’t go over that number, you won’t have to enter your PIN. But for transactions that exceed that limit, a PIN is required.

    Since this system doesn’t really require a signature or a PIN verification, banks typically set these limits. The amount also varies between banks.

    What happens if you lose a contactless card?

    Though the transaction process is very simple, contactless cards are protected in several ways.

    If it gets stolen, the thieves won’t be able to use it to their hearts’ content. Banks often set a limit on the number of times a card can be used or the value of the transactions before a cardholder is asked to use the chip and PIN process.

    Notify your bank as soon as you can if your card is lost or stolen so they can block that card. In case of fraudulent transactions, you may not be held accountable for the losses incurred, given that you took the necessary precautions to protect the card and to inform the institution as soon as you noticed it was missing.

     

    How can you disable the contactless payment feature of debit cards?

    You can disable the contactless feature of your chip card. If you own a Mastercard Tap & Go or Visa payWave, you can disable them through NetBank and the CommBank app.

    Using NetBank, here’s how you can disable the feature:

    • Log on to NetBank.
    • Access Settings.
    • Click on the Security option.
    • Select Card Settings.
    • Choose card.
    • Lock the contactless card payment feature.

    Using the CommBank app, here’s how you can turn off the feature:

    • Log on to the CommBank app.
    • Select the Cards menu.
    • Choose which card.
    • Click on the Settings badge.
    • Turn off the feature under security settings.

    When you feel like using this again, you can follow the same procedures, but of course, you must activate the contactless feature at the very last step.

    Though you might currently be apprehensive to try this out, society might eventually influence you to make the shift.

    Contactless payment systems are becoming increasingly popular especially in Australia. In fact, in a study conducted by the RFi Group in 2016, Australia had the highest use of contactless cards among the 16 nations surveyed, including the U.S. and the U.K.

    This isn’t surprising since both private and government sectors are interested in the technology. Recently it has been confirmed that New South Wales, Queensland, and Perth are trialling this payment method on public transportation. Meanwhile, Adelaide and Victoria are considering mobile payment methods for public transportation.

    If you happen to live in these areas, maybe you should participate in this trial. The commute should enlighten you on how convenient and easy contactless payments are.

    Sources:

     

    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/01/31/public-transport-contactless-credit-card-app/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contactless_payment
    http://www.paymentscardsandmobile.com/debit-and-contactless-dominate-australian-payments-market/
    https://www.finder.com.au/history-of-money
    https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/managing-your-money/banking/contactless-cards
    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33637492

    https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/110716/what-are-contactless-cards-and-how-safe-are-they.asp ... (read more)