Australian housing market in limbo, op-shopping in lockdown & Kogan Money cashback offer: This week’s best banking news

• Aussie home-owners sleep on massive savings
• $400 Kogan Money credit card cashback offer
• New power station capacity charge on electricity bills
• Australian housing market in limbo says Westpac
• How to secondhand shop during lockdown
• TPG Telecom to expand its own FTTB network rivalling NBN

All in this week’s best banking news recap: editor’s pick.

Aussie home-owners sleep on massive savings

Gone are the days where you’d take out a home loan and just stick it out for the rest of your loan term. No sirree!

New research commissioned by Aussie Home Loans revealed that Aussies who don’t refinance their mortgages could be sleeping on saving thousands of dollars worth of savings.

In fact, in the past 12 months, as little as 1 in 5 mortgage holders have refinanced their home loans, even though 6 in 10 Aussies believe they don’t have a good deal.

Read full article: Aussie home owners may be missing out on thousands of dollars in savings for the whole story.

$400 Kogan Money credit card cashback offer

When it comes to credit cards, it’s hard to beat one that rewards you for your spending. This is why very few can resist a good cashback offer.

Speaking of which, the Kogan Money Black Credit Card is currently offering a killer deal where eligible customers can score up to $400 credit to spend at Kogan.com.

“Whether it’s on home loans or credit cards, we’re seeing a boom in cashback offers at the moment. So if you’re tempted by the prospect of getting some quick cash on your credit card, considering an offer like this that allows you to spend what you earn could be a great perk,” said Mozo spokesperson Tom Godfrey.

Read the full article: Don’t miss Kogan Money’s credit card $400 cashback offer to learn more.

New power station capacity charge on electricity bills

It seems that if Energy Ministers agree to a proposal for a new capacity payment to power companies, Aussies could soon cop a new charge on their energy bills, finds a recent report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and Green Energy Markets.

According to the report, the reason being is that the Energy Security Board (ESB), with Australia’s Federal Energy Minister’s support, wants consumers in the national electricity market (NEM) to start making capacity payments to generators.

Read the full article: Aussies face new power station capacity charge on electricity bills for more info.

Australian housing market in limbo says Westpac

While the housing market has undoubtedly taken a major hit over the past few months, Westpac’s Housing Pulse report found that it still holds up compared to last year’s major lockdown.

The report found that Australia’s current housing boom that’s taken place since mid-2020 is expected to slow down following the COVID-19 delta variant disruptions - however, it’s expected to pick back up once things start to reopen.

Read the full article: Australian housing market entering an uncertain phase, says Westpac for the full scoop.

How to secondhand shop during lockdown

In the words of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, (when) “can we go thrift shopping?!” 

If you’re someone who spent their pre-lockdown weekends lurking about the local Vinnie’s or op-shop-hopping in Darlinghurst or Newtown, then you might be wondering when you’ll be able to shop for some pre-loved goods again? 

Well, you’ll be happy to know that many secondhand suppliers have opened their virtual doors to online customers during the current lockdown period.

Read the full article: How to secondhand shop, swap and scavenge during lockdown for all the deets.

TPG Telecom to expand its own FTTB network rivalling NBN

Aussie internet telco company TPG has just signed a new wholesale agreement which could see as many as 40 new retailers starting to sell plans on their Fibre-to-the-building (FTTB) network.

The TPG network connects over 240,000 premises across high-density apartment buildings to rival NBN Co’s offerings.

“TPG’s network covers apartment buildings across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and other metro areas, offering download speeds of up to 100mbps,” said Mozo Money Writer Cooper Langby

“The NBN’s FTTB service also offers maximum speeds of 100mbps, meaning TPG’s service may be a viable alternative to those who are looking for an alternative that doesn’t compromise on speed.”

Read the full article: TPG Telecom to expand its own FTTB network rivalling NBN to get the whole story.

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