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As the fight for your business has become more competitive, banks and lenders are doing everything they can to entice new customers to sign up with them – which includes offering a number of home loan cashback offers, discounts and other special promotions.
These deals can be quite tempting: many of them are great value for borrowers and give you access to an unexpected cash injection. You do need to look carefully at the offer details and the home loan itself, however, to make sure it's suitable for your borrowing needs before you sign on the dotted line.
A cheap interest rate and minimal fees will save you more money than a one-off $1,000 cashback in the long run. Here's how to work out if a cashback offer is right for you.
fixed rate comparison rateWestpac Fixed Option Home Loan Premier Advantage Package - 2 Year (Owner Occupier, P&I)
Westpac Home Loan Offer
Up to $3,000 refinance cashback.
Competitive fixed rate home loan. Eligible borrowers refinancing $250,000 or more can get up to $3,000 cashback. Other conditions apply.
We've curated a list of mortgages that currently come with special offers. Many of the loans here are from lenders with whom Finder has a commercial relationship but we've listed others from across the market.
Please be aware that all these offers have eligibility criteria or exclusions and are generally for a limited time. Read the fine print on the lender's website before submitting a full application (but don't worry, clicking on the green buttons below starts an enquiry, not a full application).
Here's a quick run down of the most common types of home loan offers from Australian lenders.
Many lenders will deposit a cashback into your account once you settle your home loan. This is becoming an increasingly common offer for refinance customers, as lenders fight hard to get existing borrowers to switch to a new lender.
Cashbacks tend to be worth around $1,000 to $3,000 and usually come with multiple conditions. These include:
Always check the cashback offer's fine print to see if you actually qualify. These offers can be very confusing to navigate.
Cashbacks are enticing offers because it feels like free money. But you always need to check that loan itself is a good deal regardless of the cashback. Don't let the thought of "free" money distract you from doing the hard work of home loan comparison.
Many lenders will waive or reduce fees for a limited time. Given that application fees can cost $600 or more, this is a decent saving. As with home loan cashbacks, fee waivers usually have exclusions and eligibility criteria, such as time limits and minimum loan amounts.
Discounted rates can save you a decent amount of money in the early stages of your loan. Be sure to compare the discount rate to other offers and watch out for the end of the offer period, when the rate will rise.
Compare introductory variable rate loans
Some lenders allow you to package things like credit cards, savings accounts and offset accounts with your home loan account. You can save by paying a combined annual fee for all products you've chosen to package, as well as enjoy the convenience of having all of your finances in one location.
Read our guide on package home loans for more information.
Some lenders have partnerships with frequent flyer rewards programs. The points you can gain from these loans can equal enough to cover an international flight. You can learn more about frequent flyer loans in our guide.
Signup bonuses and cashbacks are attractive side benefits of a loan, but don't get too distracted by them. If the loan itself isn't a good product for you then the bonus just isn't worth it.
When comparing mortgages ask yourself this question: if I took away the special offer, would this loan be right for me?
A lower interest rate will save you more money than a cashback offer in most circumstances. A mortgage with features like an offset account and flexible repayment options can also help you save money.
Always look at the following when examining home loan special offers:
Here's a hypothetical example of a refinance cashback that looks enticing but doesn't really benefit the borrower.
You start looking around and see a few loans with a similar 2.50% rate but no cashback, so you go for the one that gives you $2,000. Makes sense, right?
But then you realise it's a package loan, so you get a credit card and an offset account with the loan, plus a home insurance policy. This all comes with a single $400 annual package fee.
But you don't want the offset account or the credit card, and you're currently getting a better deal on your insurance elsewhere. And that annual package fee? Well in just 5 years it's eaten up the full $2,000 cashback.
It's probably not worth it. If you switch to a slightly lower rate loan that offers what you need and doesn't have the fee you'll be better off. Of course, if you made use of all the products in the package then the fee might be a small price to pay for the convenience of having all your products with one institution.
It all depends on your borrowing needs.
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