Invest
Think twice before you go for the cashback
Incentives like rewards points or cashback offers sound appealing, but can leave borrowers up to $85,000 worse off over the life of the loan, new analysis has suggested.

Think twice before you go for the cashback
Incentives like rewards points or cashback offers sound appealing, but can leave borrowers up to $85,000 worse off over the life of the loan, new analysis has suggested.

According to financial comparison provider RateCity, weaker lending figures are driving banks to offer incentives, but these incentives can be little more than red herrings over the life of a 30-year loan.
“Don’t go choosing something as important as a home loan based on a short-term perk,” RateCity spokeswoman Sally Tindall said.
“Free overseas flights or a lump sum of cash might grab your interest, but most home loans have a 30-year term, by which time the holiday will be a distant memory.
“There are lots of specials on the table at the moment because the banks are eager for your business. Growth in home loans is slowing and that’s got the banks’ marketing departments working overdrive.”
The Commonwealth Bank is the most recent lender to launch an incentive, offering borrowers a $2,000 cashback deal on some of its loans. It follows Westpac, the Bank of Sydney, Homestar Finance, Virgin Money, UBank and Reduce Home Loans in using the tactic.
However, based on an owner-occupier principal and interest loan of $300,000, borrowers could end up paying between $690 and $85,051 more over a 30-year loan.
RateCity broke it down:
Provider | Product | Perk | Rate | Extra cost compared with lowest rate loan over 30 yrs |
CBA |
Wealth Package Variable
|
$2,000 cash back | 4.72% | $85,051 |
Police Bank |
Premium home loan
|
$1,000 cashback | 4.74% | $75,848 |
Bank of Melbourne |
Advantage Package
|
$1,500 cashback | 4.45% | $67,941 |
Westpac |
Premier Advantage package
|
200,000 Velocity Reards points |
4.44% | $66,842 |
St George |
Advantage package
|
$1,500 cashback | 4.42% | $66,023 |
BankSA |
Advantage package
|
$1,500 cashback |
4.41% |
$65,384 |
P&N Bank |
& home loan
|
$1,000 cashback | 3.99% | $27,560 |
Northern Inland CU |
Introductory homeloan
|
Up to $1,000 cashback | 3.69% | $12,799 |
Ubank |
Discounted rate loan
|
$1,000 cashback | 3.69% | $9,069 |
Virgin Money |
Reward me variable loan
|
Max 630,000 Velocity Rewards points over life of loan | 3.68% | $7,039 |
Bank of Sydney |
Expect more package
|
Package fee waived for life of loan | 3.58% | $3,378 |
Homestar Finance |
Homestar Finance
|
$900 cashback | 3.54% | $690 |
“If you’re looking for a home loan, first make sure it is a fit for your finances. Then look for a loan with a low rate and low fees. Any cash or points offered beyond that are a bonus,” Ms Tindall told borrowers.

Property
First home buyers brace for strengthening headwinds
While Australian first home buyers dominated the market in 2020, increasing their market share by 50.4 per cent in the past year, they're likely to face strengthening headwinds as prices soar. ...Read more

Property
Australia’s most popular rental suburbs revealed
Tenants should brace themselves for rental price hikes as tightening vacancy rates continue across the country, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Property
Australian home values rise at fastest rate in 17 years
Overall, Australian home values surged 2.1 per cent higher in February, the largest month-on-month change in CoreLogic’s national home value index since August 2003. ...Read more

Property
Housing finance records continue to tumble
Australian housing loan commitment has reached another record high in January, rising by 10.5 per cent in the last month alone, official figures show. ...Read more

Property
Detailed forecast: How will the capital cities perform in 2021?
With most of the property market finding its footing by the end of 2020, after the COVID-induced disruption, experts have grown optimistic about the future of real estate in a post-pandemic world. ...Read more

Property
‘Allowing super to be used for deposit will jack up house prices’
Capital city prices could soar if the backbenchers’ continued push to enable first home buyers to access their super to fund their home deposit is given the green light, a super lobby group has said...Read more

Property
Poor wage growth could impede home price growth
With wages growth at record-low levels, a property expert has warned that continuing low and flat wages could impede home price growth. ...Read more

Property
Negotiating a lower interest rate on your property loan
The banks are customer hungry, meaning they’re willing to offer increased discounts to new customers and apply these discounts to existing customer loans, a mortgage broker has said. ...Read more

Property
First home buyers brace for strengthening headwinds
While Australian first home buyers dominated the market in 2020, increasing their market share by 50.4 per cent in the past year, they're likely to face strengthening headwinds as prices soar. ...Read more

Property
Australia’s most popular rental suburbs revealed
Tenants should brace themselves for rental price hikes as tightening vacancy rates continue across the country, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Property
Australian home values rise at fastest rate in 17 years
Overall, Australian home values surged 2.1 per cent higher in February, the largest month-on-month change in CoreLogic’s national home value index since August 2003. ...Read more

Property
Housing finance records continue to tumble
Australian housing loan commitment has reached another record high in January, rising by 10.5 per cent in the last month alone, official figures show. ...Read more

Property
Detailed forecast: How will the capital cities perform in 2021?
With most of the property market finding its footing by the end of 2020, after the COVID-induced disruption, experts have grown optimistic about the future of real estate in a post-pandemic world. ...Read more

Property
‘Allowing super to be used for deposit will jack up house prices’
Capital city prices could soar if the backbenchers’ continued push to enable first home buyers to access their super to fund their home deposit is given the green light, a super lobby group has said...Read more

Property
Poor wage growth could impede home price growth
With wages growth at record-low levels, a property expert has warned that continuing low and flat wages could impede home price growth. ...Read more

Property
Negotiating a lower interest rate on your property loan
The banks are customer hungry, meaning they’re willing to offer increased discounts to new customers and apply these discounts to existing customer loans, a mortgage broker has said. ...Read more