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Here’s a personal question: how much do you earn per hour?

Unless it’s over $1,491, keep reading—because you’re about to get a massive pay bump.

Canstar found spending just three hours haggling or switching seven key bills—the mortgage, electricity, health cover, home and car insurance, NBN, and mobile plan—could potentially save a family of four almost $1,500 an hour for their time.

The sale of HSBC’s residential mortgage book announced last Friday has left some borrowers wondering: what happens next?

No, losing your lender won’t wipe out your $1 million mortgage. Blackstone is buying HSBC’s loan portfolio, and Pepper Money—a non-bank lender—is taking over the day-to-day management of your debt sometime next year.

Just make sure you’re across the detail, such as your rate and fees, if they change, not to mention features such as an offset account. Pepper isn’t a traditional bank so you might not get a standard offset account but instead, an internal ‘offset sub‑account’ that sits within the loan. 

In fact, if you have an offset account with any non-bank lender, it’s worth understanding if it sits in or outside your loan. Also, while you’re there, make sure it's properly linked and offsetting the interest you’re getting charged.

The difference might mean nothing for your finances, but it also could be crucial, particularly for investors, so when you get the details, have a chat with your broker or accountant. Good financial advice can go a long way. 

PS Did you hear the Jetstar news this week? Our office is split on whether these changes are a good thing or a rip off. Scroll to the bottom of this email to read more about it. 

Dreaming of what it would be like to live in these glitzy postcodes? Here’s how much it’ll cost you. 

Read more →

Two more major banks have announced changes to their credit cards rewards programs, with complimentary insurance and points earn rates on the chopping block. 

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My aunt recently bought tickets to a popular musical in Brisbane. Unfortunately, she realised too late she'd been fleeced by a dodgy website and charged over $900 for three balcony seats that should've cost her half that. The kicker? The website was the top result when she Googled tickets to the show. Scam websites can easily pay to appear in the 'sponsored' results that appear at the top of your search page, or use keywords to ensure they’re one of the first sites you see. Sometimes, like in my aunt's case, the tickets are real but the prices are a sham, with the true cost buried in the checkout as sneaky fees and taxes. The simplest way to avoid this is to go straight to the original source or big-name ticket sellers you know are legitimate. Unfortunately for my aunt, her scammers were singing all the way to the bank, while she was left dancing to a very different tune. 

Meagan Lawrence

Consumer Editor

Small switches could save your family $11,340 in a year, our cost of living comparison found.

Disclaimer: *Canstar’s cost of living comparison, July 2026 

Jetstar is overhauling its cabin baggage policy starting February 2027, replacing its strict 7kg bag weight restriction with a size-based model. Under the new rules, standard fares will include just one free under-seat bag (up to 10kg and measuring 40×30×20cm). Passengers wishing to use overhead lockers for a larger bag must purchase Priority Carry-on priced between $25 and $52 for a one-way flight, which also includes priority boarding. The airline says it will reduce gate friction but it’s bound to create purchase friction at the point of sale with yet another optional extra to consider when you try to book a flight.

AMP has launched a 40-year mortgage for investors as a proposed solution to the government's axing of negative gearing next July. While the bank states the four-decade commitment will help investors free up cash flow and make loan approvals easier, because the minimum repayments are spread out over 10 extra years, it comes with a sting in the tail: even on a standard-sized investor loan of $709,000, a 40-year mortgage can mean paying more than $300,000 extra interest compared to a standard 30-year term on an average rate of 6 per cent. Ouch.

If you feel like your phone bill has been steadily climbing over the past few years, well, that's because it has. The average annual prepaid phone bill has risen by more than $20 in the last five years 😨. If you haven't compared providers recently, now's the time. Yomojo (Optus network) is offering its Starter plan (29GB) for $1 for your first 30 days (number transfers only), then 50% off months 2–6, before reverting to standard pricing. Felix Mobile (Vodafone) has 50% off for the first three months, while Belong (Telstra) also has plans at half price right now. Just check what you'll pay once those discounts end, to make sure you're getting the right balance of price and data.