BOQ - Owner Occupied Fixed Special Offer | |
---|---|
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 5.79% p.a. (discounted 3-year fixed rate) |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.34% p.a. |
Police Bank | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only (Closes 30 June 2024) |
Lowest interest rate | 5.79% p.a., fixed for 3 years 5.99% p.a., fixed for 2 years |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.76% p.a. (3-year fixed) 6.91% p.a. (2-year fixed) |
Greater Bank - Great Rate Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$250K loans or $3,000 for loans >$500K |
Offer conditions |
Available on owner-occupied & investment home loans (Closes 31 May 2024) |
Lowest interest rate | 5.94% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 5.95% p.a. |
Reduce Home Loans - Home Owners Dream Fixed Cash Back | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$500K loans & up to $10,000 cashback for loans >$2million |
Offer conditions |
Available for first-home buyers & external refinancers (Closes 30 June 2024) |
Lowest interest rate | 5.99% p.a., fixed for 3 years |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.29% p.a. |
Cashback deal | |
Offer conditions | |
Lowest interest rate | 5.99% p.a., fixed for 2 years |
Lowest comparison rate | |
Newcastle Permanent Building Society - Real Deal Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.04% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.08% p.a. |
RAMS - Essential Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.09% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.16% p.a. |
RAMS - Essential Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $1,000 cashback (first-home buyer offer) |
Offer conditions |
Eligible first-home buyers |
Lowest interest rate | 6.09% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.16% p.a. |
Newcastle Permanent Building Society - Premium Plus Package Variable | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.09% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.43% p.a. |
Greater Bank - Ultimate Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$499K loans or $3,000 for loans >$500K |
Offer conditions |
Available on owner-occupied & investment home loans |
Lowest interest rate | 6.13% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.50% p.a. |
ME - Basic Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$400K loans or $3,000 for loans >$700K |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.17% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.19% p.a. |
ME - Flexible Home Loan (Members Package) | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$400K loans or $3,000 for loans >$700K |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.24% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.63% p.a. |
BankSA - Basic Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.29% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.30% p.a. |
St. George - Basic Variable Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.29% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.30% p.a. |
BOQ - Clear Path Variable Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Available for first-home buyers and external refinancers |
Lowest interest rate | 6.39% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.51% p.a. |
BankSA - Fixed Rate Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.49% p.a., fixed for 2 years |
Lowest comparison rate | 7.54% p.a. |
St. George - Fixed Rate Home Loan (Advantage Package) | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.49% p.a., fixed for 2 years |
Lowest comparison rate | 7.54% p.a. |
ANZ First Home Buyer Bonus - Basic Variable Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback (first-home buyer offer) |
Offer conditions |
|
Lowest interest rate | 6.54% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.54% p.a. |
ANZ - Basic Variable Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.54% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.54% p.a. |
ANZ - Basic Fixed Rate Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.54% p.a., 2-year intro fixed rate |
Lowest comparison rate | 7.10% p.a. |
RAMS - Fixed Rate Classic Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 6.59% p.a., fixed for 2 years |
Lowest comparison rate | 6.60% p.a. |
St. George - Standard Variable Rate Home Loan (Advantage Package) | |
Cashback deal | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 7.39% p.a. variable |
Lowest comparison rate | 7.73% p.a. |
RAMS - Full Feature Home Loan | |
Cashback deal | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Offer conditions |
Eligible external refinancers only |
Lowest interest rate | 8.56% p.a. |
Lowest comparison rate | 8.63% p.a. |
Cashback deal | Offer conditions | Lowest interest rate | Lowest comparison rate | |
---|---|---|---|---|
BOQ - Owner Occupied Fixed Special Offer | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 5.79% p.a. (discounted 3-year fixed rate) | 6.34% p.a. |
Police Bank | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only (Closes 30 June 2024) | 5.79% p.a., fixed for 3 years 5.99% p.a., fixed for 2 years | 6.76% p.a. (3-year fixed) 6.91% p.a. (2-year fixed) |
Greater Bank - Great Rate Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$250K loans or $3,000 for loans >$500K |
Available on owner-occupied & investment home loans (Closes 31 May 2024) | 5.94% p.a. variable | 5.95% p.a. |
Reduce Home Loans - Home Owners Dream Fixed Cash Back | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$500K loans & up to $10,000 cashback for loans >$2million |
Available for first-home buyers & external refinancers (Closes 30 June 2024) | 5.99% p.a., fixed for 3 years | 6.29% p.a. |
5.99% p.a., fixed for 2 years | ||||
Newcastle Permanent Building Society - Real Deal Home Loan | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.04% p.a. variable | 6.08% p.a. |
RAMS - Essential Home Loan | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.09% p.a. variable | 6.16% p.a. |
RAMS - Essential Home Loan | Up to $1,000 cashback (first-home buyer offer) |
Eligible first-home buyers | 6.09% p.a. variable | 6.16% p.a. |
Newcastle Permanent Building Society - Premium Plus Package Variable | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.09% p.a. variable | 6.43% p.a. |
Greater Bank - Ultimate Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$499K loans or $3,000 for loans >$500K |
Available on owner-occupied & investment home loans | 6.13% p.a. variable | 6.50% p.a. |
ME - Basic Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$400K loans or $3,000 for loans >$700K |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.17% p.a. variable | 6.19% p.a. |
ME - Flexible Home Loan (Members Package) | Up to $2,000 cashback for loans >$400K loans or $3,000 for loans >$700K |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.24% p.a. variable | 6.63% p.a. |
BankSA - Basic Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.29% p.a. variable | 6.30% p.a. |
St. George - Basic Variable Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.29% p.a. variable | 6.30% p.a. |
BOQ - Clear Path Variable Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Available for first-home buyers and external refinancers | 6.39% p.a. variable | 6.51% p.a. |
BankSA - Fixed Rate Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.49% p.a., fixed for 2 years | 7.54% p.a. |
St. George - Fixed Rate Home Loan (Advantage Package) | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.49% p.a., fixed for 2 years | 7.54% p.a. |
ANZ First Home Buyer Bonus - Basic Variable Home Loan | Up to $3,000 cashback (first-home buyer offer) |
| 6.54% p.a. variable | 6.54% p.a. |
ANZ - Basic Variable Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.54% p.a. variable | 6.54% p.a. |
ANZ - Basic Fixed Rate Home Loan | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.54% p.a., 2-year intro fixed rate | 7.10% p.a. |
RAMS - Fixed Rate Classic Home Loan | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 6.59% p.a., fixed for 2 years | 6.60% p.a. |
St. George - Standard Variable Rate Home Loan (Advantage Package) | Up to $2,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 7.39% p.a. variable | 7.73% p.a. |
RAMS - Full Feature Home Loan | Up to $3,000 cashback |
Eligible external refinancers only | 8.56% p.a. | 8.63% p.a. |
First-home buyers who qualify can receive up to $2,000 - $10,000 cashback with a Reduce Home Loan. The cashback amount is based on your home loan amount:
To be eligible, you must submit your loan application between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024. Available for home loans with a maximum 90% LVR. Cashback is paid within 30 days of settlement.
You must keep the loan for at least 24 months after settlement, otherwise the cashback amount will need to be repaid. It will be added to the total balance payable upon discharge or refinancing.
Eligible first-home buyers can get $3,000 cashback with an ANZ home loan of $250,000 or more. You must have an ANZ Access Advantage, ANZ Plus or ANZ One offset account at loan drawdown (which must occur within 180 days of applying). Bonus is paid after settlement.
Eligible first-home buyers can get $2,000 cashback with a BOQ home loan of $250,000 or more. A maximum 90% LVR applies and settlement must be within 120 days. This offer is available on owner-occupier home loans with principal & interest repayments only.
Eligible first-home buyers can get $1,000 cashback on loan applications over $250,000. Settlement must be within 120 days. The rebate will be automatically deposited into your RAMS home loan account within 60 days after settlement.
Westpac subsidiaries such as St George, BankSA, and Bank of Melbourne previously reduced LMI to $1 for eligible first-home buyers with a minimum 15% deposit. They’ve discontinued these offers after becoming participating lenders in the First Home Guarantee Scheme. This national program supports eligible first-home buyers to buy a home with a deposit starting from 5%.
Home loan cashback deals are incentives some lenders and banks offer on select products to attract new customers. Currently, the majority of home loan cashback offers are for refinance home loans (people who already have a loan and are switching to a new lender), although some lenders extend those offers to first-home buyers.
These promotional offers can range from $1,000 to $3,000 or more depending on the lender and your loan amount. Cashback deals are usually a lump sum deposited into your transaction account (after the new mortgage is settled), or can come as gift cards or rebates towards home loan fees.
While many banks have phased out refinance cashback offers because they were eroding profit margins and not encouraging customer loyalty, some lenders are still offering them.
Here are some key points about home loan cashback offers to consider before signing up.
Cashback offers are usually available to eligible refinancers, including owner-occupier and investment loans. But, select lenders also offer cashback on loans for first-home buyers. Some deals may also only apply to particular loan products like variable rate home loans or package loans.
Lenders usually make it so only new customers can get the cashback. So, if you’re refinancing a loan with the same lender (or even within the same network of lenders), you might not get any cashback.
There are eligibility criteria for cashback offers, such as:
Cashback offers usually come with an expiration date. Generally, the home loan must be finalised (settled) by the lender’s specified deadline to qualify for the benefit — usually within 120 days of applying.
In many cases, once the lender has paid out the cashback, it’s up to you how you want to spend it. This means you could use the funds to cover moving costs if you’re refinancing as part of a move, to renovate your home, or simply to save on interest by making a one-off lump sum repayment on your home loan or stash it in your offset account.
Watch out for any other small print in the cashback offer. This might include requirements like remaining with the lender for a specified period of time after receiving the cashback or having to open a linked transaction account to be eligible.
This kind of perk is more commonly associated with rewards credit cards, but a relatively new innovation in the home loan market is lenders offering points to customers who sign up. Qantas Money is the most prominent provider doing this.
With some lenders, a discounted interest rate is the carrot being dangled in front of refinancers. The catch is generally that the lower rate is for a limited period only. Some providers offer refinancers an ongoing discount that applies progressively as you pay off the loan (i.e. every year you get a small discount on your interest rate). Unloan (a digital only lender backed by CommBank) and Athena Home Loans are among the Australian lenders with this kind of offer.
Additionally, there are lenders in the market who will genuinely waive all fees on select home loans products to attract new customers. These are usually online lenders such as Unloan and Athena Home Loans who advertise no application fees, no ongoing fees and no discharge fees. Based on analysis by Money.com.au, a borrower could save up to $15,000 on a 30-year mortgage if all fees (including annual package fees) were waived.
Some banks and lenders have an LMI waiver for professionals in certain secure or high-paying industries. This typically includes legal and healthcare practitioners, finance and accounting professionals, etc. You may have to be a member of your industry's peak body or authority (e.g. Australian Medical Association) to apply. ANZ, NAB, and Westpac are among the lenders that offer an LMI waiver for professionals.
In almost any case, a lower rate will save you more over the life of your loan than a one-time benefit like cashback, according to our home loans expert.
“Compare the monthly repayments between the cashback lender and a lender offering a more competitive rate but without cashback. Consider how many years it would take to offset the cash bonus. If it's under 2-3 years, the lower rate is always a better option.”
Mansour Soltani, Money.com.au's home loan expert
Loan amount | |
---|---|
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | $800,000 |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | $800,000 |
Interest rate | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | 6.00% |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | 6.25% |
Cashback | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | No cashback |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | $2,000 cashback |
Loan term | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | 25 years |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | 25 years |
Monthly repayments | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | $5,154 |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | $5,277 ($123+ in monthly repayments) |
Establishment fee | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | $350 |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | $350 |
Discharge fee | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | $395 |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | $395 |
Months it would take to offset cashback | |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | Nil |
Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | 10 months |
Refinancing with no cashback and a lower rate | Refinancing with cashback and a higher rate | |
---|---|---|
Loan amount | $800,000 | $800,000 |
Interest rate | 6.00% | 6.25% |
Cashback | No cashback | $2,000 cashback |
Loan term | 25 years | 25 years |
Monthly repayments | $5,154 | $5,277 ($123+ in monthly repayments) |
Establishment fee | $350 | $350 |
Discharge fee | $395 | $395 |
Months it would take to offset cashback | Nil | 10 months |
Pros | Provide upfront savings to refinancers and can pay for switching costs |
---|---|
Cons | Cashback home loans may have uncompetitive rates and fees |
Pros | Funds/perks can be spent on virtually anything |
Cons | Strict eligibility criteria apply (not all borrowers qualify) |
Pros | Can incentivise borrowers to shop around for a better rate |
Cons | Only available from select lenders and not always on the most competitive products |
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Provide upfront savings to refinancers and can pay for switching costs | Cashback home loans may have uncompetitive rates and fees |
Funds/perks can be spent on virtually anything | Strict eligibility criteria apply (not all borrowers qualify) |
Can incentivise borrowers to shop around for a better rate | Only available from select lenders and not always on the most competitive products |
Cashback deals can be an attractive option for refinancers to offset the costs of refinancing, but can end up costing you more in the long term if you set and forget your home loan. Cashback incentives encourage you to sign up for a loan for the upfront benefit, but it’s often less competitive than what you could get elsewhere.
It's important to consider your loan's long-term value and the interest rate, fees and loan features combined. A higher interest rate, for example, will likely cancel out the cashback before long, sometimes within just a few months. A slightly lower interest rate might save you more money over the life of the loan compared to a one-time cashback offer.
Here’s what to think about when considering any cashback offer:
Use our home loan calculator to estimate your mortgage repayments.
Finding the best cashback offer you qualify for is the first step. Use comparison tables for a side-by-side view of the best deals in the market or ask your mortgage broker to source some offers you qualify for. Ensure that the interest rate on the new loan is in line with other lenders not offering cashbacks. You may have some wiggle room to negotiate a lower interest rate, depending on the lender.
If you’re refinancing, you must request a mortgage discharge form from your current lender. This is used to release the security (the property) backing the home loan. After you request a discharge form, you will typically get a call from your lender's retention team. According to Mansour, if you have a competitive interest rate offer from another lender, they will usually match it to keep your business. If you’re a first-home buyer, you’ll skip this step.
You can apply for a cashback home loan online via the lender’s website (it can take up to 20 minutes). Most banks and lenders will get you to verify your ID and sign all relevant documents online. Alternatively, a lending specialist will be touch to discuss your application in detail and ensure you qualify for the home loan product (and cashback). If you’re using a mortgage broker, they’ll handle the application process on your behalf from start to finish. In either case, you’ll be asked to submit your financial paperwork — usually two current payslips, three months of bank statements and a notice of assessment from the ATO.
If you’re approved, the cashback will be paid into the transaction account linked to your new home loan within 30-60 days of settlement (depending on the lender). Some lenders may credit the cashback to any nominated transaction account with another bank, provided the account is in the same name(s) as the loan that qualified for the cashback offer.
Shopping around for the right loan can save you thousands of dollars in interest and fees.
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What's the next step on your property journey? Our home loan guides will help you navigate the road ahead, whether you're buying, building or looking to save on an existing loan.