consumer

Australian banks collected roughly $15 billion in fee revenue in the year to June 2025, a 3 per cent lift on the prior year, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest annual survey of bank charges. On the big four's combined balance sheets, that number barely registers.

The Default Market Offer is the number most electricity customers have never heard of, even though it directly sets the ceiling on what they pay. The DMO is a safety-net price rather than the cheapest plan available, and it acts as a reference price to help consumers compare market offers.

The number that matters most to anyone carrying a balance: NAB is lifting the variable purchase rate on the Rewards Platinum, Rewards Signature and NAB Qantas Rewards Premium cards from 20.99% to 22.49% p.a., effective 1 October 2026.

Your offset account might not be saving you a cent. The corporate regulator found banks quietly failed to link, open or activate them, and repaid more than $55 million to borrowers who never knew.

Ask how to compare loans and you will be pointed at a comparison site. Loan matching is the channel that actually reflects what you can qualify for, and no lender pays to influence the order.

Shoppers were told 60 months interest free with no deposit. The Federal Court found the ads left out what customers were really signing up to, and has ordered Harvey Norman and Latitude to pay $55 million.

Flight Centre reports a 34% spike in European trip cancellations as airfares surge following the Iran conflict.

Thoughtful, well-designed gifts that dads genuinely want to unwrap. No novelty socks. No boring razors. Just things that make everyday life better.