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Best Refinance Home Loan Rates Comparison

  • Compare refinance home loan rates from 4.99% (comparison rate^ 6.15% p.a.)

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Refinancing your home loan

Best refinance home loan rates Australia

Compare the best home loan refinance rates in Australia, starting from 5.24% p.a. (comparison rate^ 6.24%). Check your eligibility with 26 lenders online, instantly. See how much you can save on your current home loan. We display all refinance options available on our database and we’re not paid by lenders if you click through to their website. The table is sorted by lowest regular repayment. Use the filters to search for your best home refinance rates. Read the comparison rate warning and other important information.

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Rates updated 02 November 2024

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Lowest refinance home loan rates in November 2024

If you're considering switching your mortgage, we’ve rounded up the lowest refinance home loan rates available in November 2024:

  • Lowest variable home loan rate: 5.75% p.a., comparison rate 5.88% p.a. (max 60% LVR). Arab Bank Australia.
  • Lowest 1-year fixed rate: 5.50% p.a., comparison rate 6.99% p.a. (max 80% LVR). Geelong Bank.
  • Lowest 2-year fixed rate: 5.49% p.a., comparison rate 5.98% p.a. (max 80% LVR). Easy Street.
  • Lowest 3-year fixed rate: 4.99% p.a., comparison rate 6.15% p.a. (max LVR applies). SWS Bank.
  • Lowest 4-year fixed rate: 5.49% p.a., comparison rate 6.24% p.a. (max 80% LVR). People's Choice.
  • Lowest 5-year fixed rate: 5.49% p.a., comparison rate 6.20% p.a. (max 80% LVR). People's Choice.

What is refinancing?

Refinancing means switching your current home loan to:

  • A different lender (external financing) — usually to get a lower interest rate , or:
  • A different loan product with your current lender (internal financing)

When you refinance to a home loan offering better terms (interest rate, fees, features), your repayments could be lower with the new loan. You can also refinance your home loan to get a better repayment structure or to access certain features your current mortgage doesn’t have, like an offset account or redraw facility.

  • Homeowners generally refinance their mortgage about five years after purchasing their property, according to PEXA’s Refinancing Mortgage Insights.
  • The average amount for external home loan refinances is $594,815, while internal refinances average $536,866, according to the ABS.

The two types of home loan refinance

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Dollar-for-dollar refinance

This is a straight swap, meaning your current home loan is closed, and your remaining balance is transferred to the new loan. In this instance, you’re not taking on extra debt and your repayments will be lower if you switch to a lower rate with the same loan term. If you opt for a shorter term, your repayments could be higher but you’ll save even more interest as the loan balance will fall faster.

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Home loan top-up

You can also refinance your mortgage to access some of your home equity. This is done by increasing your existing home loan balance, known as a top-up or with a cash-out refinance (where your equity is paid as a lump sum). A home loan top-up can also include consolidating high-interest debts, such as credit cards and personal loans, into your mortgage, which typically has a lower interest rate. In either case, you’re increasing your debt, so your repayments will be higher after the refinance.

Peter Drennan

Peter Drennan, Money's Research & Data Expert

"The downward trend in external refinancing (borrowers switching to a new lender) has continued, dropping 24% annually. On the other hand, internal refinancing increased by 14% annually. For the first time since December 2022, there are more new loans than refinance loans in the previous 12 months. This reflects a combination of more Australians entering the housing market and existing borrowers refinancing less frequently due to fewer incentives to switch lenders."

Peter Drennan, Money's Research & Data Expert

How much could you save by refinancing your home loan?

Based on Money’s analysis, an average homeowner could save nearly $3,000 a year by refinancing to a lower rate. That's enough to cover a flight from Sydney to Bali for two people, plus a week's accommodation in Ubud or a return ticket to Paris.

Here’s how we did the maths:

  • The average external home loan refinance is around $600,000
  • The average variable interest rate for existing loans is 6.36% p.a. (RBA’s Housing Lending Rates)
  • The lowest refinance variable rate on Money’s database is 5.69% p.a.
  • Assuming a 25-year loan term, switching to this lower rate would reduce monthly repayments from $3,999 to $3,753, resulting in a monthly saving of $246 or $2,952 annually.

This is a hypothetical example only. The lowest rate applies to an owner-occupier loan with a 80% LVR and may not represent your available rate.

Here are the potential savings on a $600,000 home loan by refinancing to a lower rate

Interest rate 6.50% p.a. 6.25% p.a. 6.00% p.a. 5.75% p.a.

Monthly repayments

$4,051

$3,958

$3,865

$3,774

Monthly savings

$93

$186

$277

Yearly savings

$1,116

$2,232

$3,324

Total interest paid over the loan term

$615,373

$587,405

$559,743

$532,392

Total savings over the loan term

$27,968

$55,630

$82,981

Hypothetical example only. Assumes the rate on the loan remains unchanged, and does not factor in refinancing costs (e.g. application fees) or the impact of features on overall costs.

A word of caution…

Mansour Soltani

Mansour Soltani, Money's Home Loans Expert

“When refinancing, many brokers will default you back onto a 30-year loan term, which cancels out any savings you might gain from a lower rate. In fact, you'll end up paying more interest overall as the longer loan term increases the total interest paid over time. If you refinance to a lower rate, but keep your regular repayment at the same level as your old loan, your loan term should be shorter under the new loan.”

Mansour Soltani, Money's Home Loans Expert

Most common reasons to refinance a home loan

1

Get a better interest rate

According to Mansour, the most common reason borrowers refinance their mortgage is to get a lower interest rate. As an established borrower, lenders are eager for your business and may offer you lower interest rates and fees, with better loan features.

2

Borrow more by releasing equity

If you’ve built up equity in your property, refinancing could allow you to borrow more against that equity for purposes like renovating, buying an investment property (i.e. using your equity as a deposit) or investing in shares. You can do this by increasing your existing home loan with a top-up or with a cash-out refinance.

3

Lock in a shorter loan term

Refinancing to a shorter loan term will mean big interest savings if you can afford higher repayments. For example, refinancing a $600,000 home loan at 6.00% p.a. from a 25-year term to a 24-year term would increase your monthly repayments by $70, but would save you $26,213 in interest over the life of the loan.

4

Switch to a different loan type

You can refinance your mortgage to switch to a fixed rate or change from a fixed to a variable rate. Or, from principal and interest repayments (P&I) to interest-only (or vice versa). Switching to a different loan product allows you to remain with your current lender if you’re satisfied with them (although it doesn't hurt to negotiate a lower interest rate while you’re at it).

5

Consolidating debt

Refinancing your home loan could allow you to roll other debts into your mortgage (i.e. increase your home loan size). This would mean a potentially lower rate on those debts, but likely over a longer loan term (meaning you could end up paying more interest over time).

6

Your fixed rate term is expiring

If your fixed rate is coming to an end and you don’t want to be automatically rolled onto your lender’s standard variable rate, you’ll need to refinance. You have the option to switch to another fixed-rate home loan or opt for a variable rate (or a split between the two). It's important to note that refinancing before the end of your fixed period can result in break costs, so timing is crucial.

7

Restructuring finances following divorce/separation

If you’ve separated from a partner with whom you co-borrowed, you’ll generally need to refinance to buy out the other person’s share in the home. Most lenders won’t allow you to remove a joint applicant from the loan.

8

You’re not happy with your current lender

Some people simply refinance because they have had a poor experience with their current lender and want to vote with their feet. You’ll need to evaluate whether the benefits of switching outweigh the refinancing costs before deciding to refinance.

Pros & cons of home loan refinancing

Pros
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  • You can get a lower interest rate or reduce your loan term (both of which save you interest over the loan term)
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  • You can borrow against the equity in your home and turn it into cash (e.g. cash-out refinance)
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  • Provides access to new or better home loan features
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  • You can stay with your current lender or switch to another bank
Cons
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  • Refinancing costs apply, including discharge fees from your old lender and application fees for the new loan
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  • Requires a full new home loan application
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  • Can impact your credit score in the short term
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  • A home loan top-up increases your debt & will be subject to a serviceability check

When is the best time to refinance your home loan?

Mansour Soltani

Mansour Soltani, Money's Home Loans Expert

“Borrowers should make it a routine to review their home loan pricing every 12 months and refinancing to a better rate every 2-3 years. An effective strategy is to reduce your loan term by a year with each refinance, which helps shave years off your home loan without significantly affecting your regular payments."

Mansour Soltani, Money's Home Loans Expert

When refinancing may be worth it:

If you can get a better home loan deal by switching your loan, that’s generally a good time to consider a refinance. Mansour suggests refinancing is worthwhile if you can save at least 0.25%. For anything below this, calculate how long it will take to recoup the refinancing costs against the savings of a slightly lower interest rate. Other common refinancing ‘triggers’ can include:

  • You’ve been consistently paying off your current loan for at least 12-24 months and want to ensure you’re still on a competitive interest rate
  • Your home interest rate has recently increased and no longer reflects current market conditions.
  • Your home has had an uplift in value, meaning your loan-to-value ratio (LVR) is lower (in other words, less risky for lenders) and you may be eligible for a better rate as a result
  • Your personal circumstances have changed and your current loan is no longer suitable (e.g. you’re going on parental leave, you anticipate a drop in income, separation, etc.)
  • You had a bad credit home loan or low doc home loan, but your situation has improved, so you may be eligible to refinance with a wider selection of lenders

When refinancing may not be worth it:

  • Your home loan is less than a year old and your financial situation hasn't changed
  • You would be refinancing with less than 20% equity in your home (i.e. your LVR is above 80%), meaning you’d have to pay lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI), even if you already had to pay for it
  • You're currently in the middle of a fixed term, which means you might face substantial break costs as well as refinancing fees (you might choose a second mortgage instead)
  • The cost of refinancing will cancel out the potential interest savings
  • Your loan amount is below $250,000 (this is the minimum loan amount lenders may consider for a refinance)
  • Refinancing may not be worthwhile if you plan to sell the property and discharge the mortgage soon

How to get the best deal when refinancing a home loan

The refinancing process is very similar to taking out a first-home buyer home loan to buy a property initially. But, there are some specific steps that could help you to get the best deal possible as a refinancer.

1. Ask your current lender for a better deal first

The average mortgage rate in Australia is higher for existing customers than those taking out a new loan, but there's no harm in asking our current lender if they can give you a discount.

“Particularly if it's a high loan amount, lenders want to hold that loan on their books”, Mansour explains. So, they'll typically come back with a better rate, or they might try to make the difference between their rate and the competitor’s so small that you decide refinancing isn’t worth it,” he says.

2. Maximise your property valuation

When you’re buying a property, the mantra is ‘location, location, location’. But when you’re refinancing your home loan, that changes to ‘valuation, valuation, valuation’.

A lender will have your property valued as part of the refinancing process. Mansour says he compares multiple lenders for his clients in a bid to get the highest valuation possible. He calls this ‘shopping the val’.

A higher valuation can mean you’re eligible to refinance at a lower interest rate, or being able to borrow more against your equity.

According to Mansour, the lender offering the lowest rates can often be more conservative when valuing properties. Hence the need to shop around.

Here’s a tip: Don't read too much into online property valuations - the lender's valuation may be very different.

Home loan refinance property valuation

3. Compare refinance mortgage rates

Do a thorough home loan rates comparison. Getting a lower interest rate on your home loan by refinancing will save you money. Sometimes a lot of money.

The trade-off with some of the lowest rate home loans is they tend to be available on more basic home loans that are light on features (which isn’t an issue if you’re light on savings).

4. Get loan features that will make a difference

Refinancing to a loan with better features can reduce your rate payable and shave years off your mortgage.
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Offset account

An offset account is a transaction account linked to your home loan that reduces the amount of interest you pay. Every dollar in this account offsets the outstanding balance on your mortgage and interest payable.

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Flexibility to make extra repayments

Most variable rate loans allow you to make unlimited additional repayments, while fixed rate loans often have limits on additional repayments of up to $10,000 or $20,000 per year.

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Redraw

If you make extra repayments, a redraw facility allows you to withdraw that money again if you need it.

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Cashback

Some lenders offer refinance cashback as a perk for switching your loan to them. This is becoming rarer but there are still offers out there.

5. Negotiate the fees

If there are application fees for refinancing to a new lender, ask if these can be waived. In a lot of cases, they can be if the lender is keen to get the deal across the line or your broker has a strong relationship with the lender. The home loan fees charged by your existing lender when you leave (discharge fees) are naturally harder to negotiate away.

Are you eligible to refinance your home loan?

Just because you were initially eligible for a home loan, it doesn’t mean you will automatically be approved to refinance. A new lender will still assess your home loan application thoroughly.

If your circumstances have changed (your income, other debts, credit score etc.), that will be taken into account. That said, having a record of consistently repaying your previous home loan will likely count in your favour.

The valuation of your property matters a lot here too. If your property has dropped in value since you took out your loan initially, refinancing may be more difficult unless you have paid off a big chunk of the loan in the meantime.

“The best thing you can do in the scenario is ask for a pricing review with your current lender, just don’t be surprised if the lender doesn’t ultimately offer you a discount,” Mansour explains.

If you’re concerned about your eligibility to refinance, using a mortgage broker could be worthwhile as they have specialist knowledge of lenders’ policies and ‘serviceability buffers’ (the difference between your actual minimum repayment and the higher amount the lender will use to assess whether you could still afford the loan if rates increase.).

How to refinance your home loan

1

Know your LVR

Most lenders set the interest rates on their loans based on the borrower’s LVR. Knowing roughly what your LVR is gives you an idea of where to focus your search (and what rate you may qualify for). You’re likely to get a better interest rate when your LVR is 60% or less.

2

Decide on the type of loan you want

Basically, I just wanted a better version of the same kind of loan. But you can also refinance to a different loan structure or type. Generally, you want a loan that’s going to save you interest and/or improve your financial situation.

3

Request a home loan discharge form from your lender

This is the form you need to submit to instruct your current lender that you’re leaving. But there is a very specific reason for requesting it at this stage, according to Money’s home loans expert, Mansour Soltani.

“After you request a discharge form, you will get a call from your lender's retention team. If you have a competitive rate from another lender ready to quote to them, more often than not, they will match it to keep your business.”

4

Submit an enquiry & make an application

Once you’ve chosen a new loan, you usually get the ball rolling by submitting an enquiry with the lender. Typically, you get a call back from a mortgage specialist who talks you through the process and asks initial questions to gauge your eligibility. They’ll explain what you’ll need to submit as part of your application.

In either case, you’ll need to submit some paperwork along with the form, including income documentation (e.g. payslips), bank statements showing the last three months of activity (for all accounts including credit cards), statements for the home loan being refinanced and proof that your property is insured.

5

Get your refinance approved

The lender will go through your application in detail and check your bank account statements line by line. You may be asked to clarify specific points or provide extra detail.

The lender will also do a credit check and order a valuation of your property. Be sure to highlight any recent improvements to your property that might bump up the valuer’s appraisal. If the valuation is high enough that your LVR meets the loan eligibility criteria, your loan will be fully approved.

6

Your old loan is discharged and the new one is settled

You’ll need to sign the loan discharge form and submit it to your old lender. In a lot of cases, the new lender or your mortgage broker will take care of this. All you need to do is sign the form.

Once the old loan is discharged, the new one is settled. Basically that means your new lender pays off your old loan. The old loan is then closed, and your new lender opens a loan account for you. Set a reminder to review your loan in 12 months’ time to make sure it’s still competitive.

Bad credit borrowers too many credit applications

Refinance case study

Money’s Editor, Sean Callery, shares his refinancing experience tips

"I’ve refinanced my home loan twice in the last three years. Each time I refinanced I got a much better deal, and earned cashback in the process. But on both occasions there were several things I knew by the end of the process that I wish I’d known at the start (how long it can take for starters)."

More home loan refinance FAQs

You can usually apply for a refinance home loan online in a matter of minutes, but realistically it can take 4-6 weeks for the entire process from start to finish (depending on the lender and complexity of your loan).

This could be as simple as asking to be moved to a different product if the lender has a better deal available. However, if you’re changing the structure or type of loan, you will typically still need to complete an application that will be subject to approval.

Examples could include:

There's no strict upper limit on how often you can refinance, but it's important to consider the associated costs. Generally, you need to stay on a particular loan long enough for the savings to outweigh the refinancing costs.

Remember too that refinancing involves a new application and credit enquiry that goes on your credit report. Refinancing very frequently could become a red flag for future lenders. Plus, what lender is going to want to sign up a borrower who is very unlikely to hang around for long?

According to Money's analysis of various lenders, refinancing costs can range from $1,000 to $1,500. These costs typically include:

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  • Discharge fees for your old loan: $350 - $500
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  • Application fees for the new loan: $150 - $750
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  • Mortgage deregistration & registration fees: $130 - $240 (x 2) depending on your state
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  • Title search fees: $50

A lot of the time, it’s possible to negotiate with your new lender to reduce or remove the upfront costs of the new loan. Or if the lender is offering cashback for people who refinance with them, this will likely outweigh any cost.

Yes, it’s possible to refinance even if you’re on a fixed-rate loan. However, there is usually a fee for breaking the fixed term. This can be several hundred dollars depending on the loan, so it’s worth thinking carefully whether refinancing will be worth it.

If you’re on a very uncompetitive fixed-rate loan with a decent chunk of time left on it, paying the break fee may ultimately be a smart move.

You can generally fix your home loan for a period of one to five years. Compare interest rates on fixed rate home loans:

Sean Callery is the Editor of Money.com.au. He has over 15 years of international experience. He is qualified with a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and is compliant to provide general advice in Tier 1 General Insurance (RG 146) products.

Mansour Soltani is Money.com.au’s home loans expert. He’s a mortgage broker with more than 20 years of experience in the finance and real estate industry. Mansour is the Director of Soren Financial and has been featured in publications such as the ABC, Domain.com.au and Australian Broker.

Important information

Home loan comparison rates are calculated based on a loan amount of $150,000 repaid over a 25-year term with monthly repayments. The comparison rates only apply to the examples given. Different loan amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees and cost savings such as fee waivers are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. Check with the provider for full loan details, including rates, fees, eligibility and terms and conditions to make sure the product is right for you.

General information only

The information on this page is general in nature and has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the information provided and the nature of any home loan product is suitable for you and seek independent financial advice if necessary.

We are not providing you with a recommendation or suggestion about a particular home loan. You should read the relevant disclosure statements or other offer documents before deciding whether to apply for or continue to use a particular product.

What products, features and information are shown

While we make every effort to ensure all home loans available in Australia are shown in our comparison tables, we do not guarantee that all products are included.

Our product comparisons may not compare all home loan features and attributes relevant to you.

Product information, such as interest rates, fees and charges, is subject to change without notice. Before acting on any information, you should confirm the relevant product information with the lender.

How home loans are sorted and filtered by default

Users can easily change the sort order and apply product filters to our product comparison tables. However, when you arrive on a page initially, by default home loans are sorted by:

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  • Lowest regular repayment amount, then;
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  • Loans interest rate, then;
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  • Lowest comparison rate, then;
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  • Provider name (A-Z)

Some home loan products listed in our tables are available through a mortgage broker. These are the products with an option to ‘Check Eligibility on Money.com.au’. Mortgage brokers may not be able to offer loans from every provider and there may be more suitable loans for your personal circumstances.

Mortgage brokers are not authorised by Money's Australian Credit Licence and operate under their own Australian Credit Licence, or as a credit representative of another Australian Credit Licensee. Mortgage brokers can make recommendations about home loan products that may suit your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Our tables feature all home loans available from lenders on our database that match the search criteria selected. Lenders do not pay to feature in our tables, nor do we earn commission if you click to visit a lender’s website. The order of the products in the table is not influenced by any commercial arrangements.

If you get help from a mortgage broker as a result of visiting this page, we may earn a commission.

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