Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i CHOICE

While nobody relishes getting the bill at a restaurant or opening their wallet at the checkout, paying for things is essential to get by in society. It’s also essential that everyone has easy access to a fair way to pay, whether by cash or card. In 2023, the government released a Strategic Plan for Australia’s payment system that aimed to set out a framework to modernise all aspects of payments. However, for most Australians the most important part of the future of payments is to retain access to the existing ways we pay. In recent months, the government has publicly recognised the importance of cash in society, which we have welcomed. CHOICE is campaigning to ensure that cash and card payments are guaranteed into the future. We want the government…

The wildfires that swept through Los Angeles, California in January resulted in mass evacuations, 24 deaths and the destruction of over 12,000 homes and businesses. The damage is estimated to cost as much as $450 billion, with only $32 billion covered by insurance. As reinsurers try to recuperate their losses from the wildfires, experts predict that higher premium prices will be felt across the world. This will be unwelcome news for most Australians, but for the 15% of Australians experiencing acute insurance stress, it could be devastating. Higher premiums could force people to reduce or abandon their insurance altogether. With 230,000 homes in Australia at risk of flooding every 20 years and 5.6 million homes at risk of bushfires, it is essential that we make a plan to address unaffordable…

Most of us want to maintain our standard of living when we retire. To do this, we need to know how much money to save to last us through our retirement. Super Consumers Australia, a partnership with CHOICE that gives consumers a voice in the superannuation industry, has done the calculations for you. Actual spending, rather than aspirational targets, is a more useful measure These retirement savings targets are independently calculated, providing savings goals based on: ● your age ● whether you are single or in a couple ● how much you want to spend when you are retired. Based on these three factors, Super Consumer Australia’s retirement savings targets give you a starting point to work out how much you need to save in order to sustain your desired…

Whether you’re downsizing, moving into your first or forever home, relocating for school or work, or making a sea change, there’s no denying that moving house is a big job. Packing up your belongings and getting them from A to B can be stressful – emotionally, mentally and physically. We’ve put together a guide to lighten the load, with tips, advice and some important tasks to remember: from choosing a removalist and thinking about whether you need extra insurance, to packing, moving large appliances and dealing with your utilities. Finding a removalist Doing the job yourself might be the most cost effective option, but many people will opt to use a professional removalist. The additional cost can be worth it for the time and effort it will save you. Professional…

It’s that time of year again. Health insurance premiums will go up on 1 April, but if you pay your yearly premium upfront by 31 March, you can delay the premium increase by 12 months, giving you the lowest possible price. CHOICE experts have selected the cheapest hospital policies to make it easy for you to compare. Gold vs Silver Plus The average premium for a Gold policy in NSW has increased by nearly 45% over the last four years. Many health funds ‘closed’ their Gold policies, so that the old, cheaper policies are no longer available to new members, who must instead buy much more expensive ‘new’ policies. So, if you have been on a Gold policy for a while, it may be a great deal and could be…

Is your fridge bursting at the seams trying to accommodate enough food for your large family? For families of five or more, and those who entertain regularly, you’ll probably need a fridge that’s at least 440L to comfortably fit in food and drinks for everyone. If you’re considering an extra large fridge, you’ll need to start saving: they cost anywhere from around $1500 upwards. The most expensive fridge we’ve tested costs $18,150 (yes, really!). Seven of the best extra-large fridges we tested cost less than $3000 When you’re dropping that sort of coin, you’ll want to make sure you’re buying something that will perform well and stand the test of time. And the most expensive fridge isn’t always the best: seven of the best extra-large fridges we tested cost less…

Wearable tech products have come and gone over the years, but fitness trackers have had staying power in Australia, and the market is only projected to grow. All models count steps or distance travelled and save that information in an accompanying app. This data is presented in graphs so you can track your activity progress. More expensive models have features like sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring (active and resting), calorie input logs and even support for some smartphone apps like Spotify. The accompanying apps can get quite granular, with the ability to track different types of exercise including swimming, rowing and weightlifting. Types of trackers Fitness trackers generally fall into two categories – dedicated trackers (such as the original fitness bands), and smartwatches with fitness tracking features. Early fitness bands…

Areport released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) late last year delivered both good and bad news for Australian households: more than 80% could move to a cheaper energy plan if they shopped around, but relatively few are doing so. The report found that households that are on offers that are more than a year old are paying $238 more per year than households on newer offers. Retail energy prices actually declined in 2024, but at the same time energy pricing became even more complicated. More than half the customers on plans that include demand charges, for instance, are paying more than the government safety net price (also known as a Default Market Offer). This means that many customers who ostensibly tried to get the best deals from…

How much do you know about superannuation? Do you know the rate your employer’s super contributions are usually taxed at? Do you know what percentage of your pay goes to super (known as the superannuation guarantee)? And is it true that once you turn 50, you can usually access your super? * In Super Consumers Australia’s latest Pulse survey, we found that around half the people who responded couldn’t answer those questions correctly. When it comes to knowledge of super, we found it increases with age, and with super balance. First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse people know less about super than others in the community. At Super Consumers Australia, we want to see this knowledge gap closed. The federal government is currently reviewing the retirement system and how…

Q I recently bought a toaster that turned out to be faulty. I contacted the manufacturer and they agreed to replace it, but asked me to send it back. This is fine with me, but I had to pay for the return postage myself – the manufacturer said they wouldn’t cover the cost. Is this legal? A CHOICE customer service: For an item like a toaster that can be sent via post for a reasonable cost, the consumer is generally responsible for returning it and bearing the associated costs. However, if the manufacturer confirms that it is faulty, the consumer must be reimbursed for any reasonable postage costs associated with its return. So we suggest you remind the business of their obligations before you send it and make sure you…

When it comes to the lifespan of your superannuation, there are generally two phases: the ‘accumulation phase’, where you’re working and building up future retirement income, and the ‘retirement phase’ (or ‘pension phase’), where you get to spend your retirement income. However, despite its name, you don’t always have to be completely out of the workforce to move into the retirement phase. When you enter the retirement phase, you have a few different options with your super. You can: ● leave it in your accumulation account ● move it into an account-based pension ● withdraw it as a lump sum (e.g. to pay off your mortgage) ● buy an annuity or other retirement income product. And you don’t need to pick just one of these options. A combination of one…

Getting hit with a high energy bill can bring on a dispiriting mix of combativeness and helplessness. You want to get to the bottom of it, but you also know you’ll probably end up paying the thing – because who has time to go to war with their energy company? Smart meters can add an unwelcome new layer to this conundrum. Some people who had smart meters installed by their energy providers have noticed new charges. It’s a concerning development that could be coming to millions of us who live on the east coast of Australia. The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) recently announced that it aims to have every property that’s connected to the National Energy Market (NEM) hooked up to a smart meter by 2030. Customers in Queensland,…

Stains are an unfortunate part of life – even the neatest and most fastidious among us will still fall foul of spills, splashes and general mishaps. So, unless you exclusively wear army fatigues or you’ve based your wardrobe around mission brown, you’re going to have some stubborn stains gracing your laundry. Pre-wash stain remover sprays are an easy way to battle these blights on your laundry, pronto. To misquote RuPaul, just spray and sashay away. Powders, on the other hand, are a triple threat: they whiten, they brighten and they boost. These versatile laundry queens can go in the wash to amp up your laundry detergent, or be used as a soaker for those times when you’ve spilled too much tea on your best white frock. When we test stain…

Nothing says summer like a ceiling fan lazily (or furiously) circling above your head. A saving grace during the warmer months, ceiling fans are a great addition during the cooler seasons too. We give you the lowdown on what you should look for when buying a ceiling fan, including how to find the right-size fan for your room, installation and which features you should consider. Fans with a DC motor are now more common than those with an AC motor AC/DC fans No, we’re not talking about lovers of Australian rock music – AC and DC are the two broad categories of ceiling fan: alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Within these two categories are a number of options that use different materials, sizes and blades. Some include a…

With so much consumer-unfriendly behaviour going on in the world of telecommunications, you would think that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) – the government agency in charge of policing the sector – would have some real teeth. So it may come as a surprise that its compliance and enforcement powers are less than fearsome. As it stands, the ACMA can’t take direct enforcement action against breaches of industry codes without first giving the offender a chance to cease and desist. If they do, there are generally no penalties. In a suite of proposed reforms, the federal government wants to flip this around so that ACMA can apply penalties in the first place, as well as demand compliance. It also proposes to raise the maximum penalty for breaches of…

Homeowners and renters looking for help from locksmiths are being urged to beware of businesses charging prices higher than advertised and forcing customers into making payments. State and territory consumer protection agencies say some operators claiming to help residents locked out of their homes or needing locks replaced have misled customers about their prices and harassed or bullied them into paying. Consumer Affairs Victoria recently revealed some customers of one locksmith were charged more than double the price they expected to pay, while others were charged exorbitant amounts for faulty services. The warning comes as groups representing the locksmithing industry say there has been a surge in complaints about scammers posing as professional locksmiths and intimidating residents into paying high fees for poor-quality services. The Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia…

Like many older Australians who buy into a retirement village, Frank and his wife Stella* are discovering that getting out can mean taking a huge financial hit. In fact, they may not be able to afford to leave. In 2015, they handed over $326,000 to live in a unit at a village in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region. Now that they’ve “settled down to a life of medical appointments”, as Frank puts it, the couple have been wondering how long they’ll be able to stay there. The reality is that at some point, an aged care facility may become necessary. The steep entry fee was really just an interest-free loan to the village operator rather than a purchase price, which is how the system works. The couple have also been paying…

Using a dishwasher is pretty easy, right? You load it up, lob in a tablet or powder, hit start and hey presto, the dishes are done. But spend some time with our experts and you’ll quickly learn there’s a big gap between beginner and boss level when it comes to getting the best clean from your machine. So that you can learn from others’ mistakes, our experts outline the everyday errors to avoid. 1. Not using it Perhaps you think you’ll save water and energy by washing your dishes in the sink instead of your dishwasher. Brace yourself for this truth bomb: washing your dishes by hand in a sink typically uses more water than a dishwasher. So, saving time, money and water are huge wins, but CHOICE dishwasher expert…

If the humble lock and key has become passé and you’re looking for an exciting new way to open a door, a smart lock may be the answer. They provide a range of online and offline options to activate the lock, including PIN codes, biometrics, geofencing and even smartphone apps that connect via Bluetooth. They also add security and monitoring features that can help keep your home safe. But like any online device, there are some risks you have to consider before buying. How they work A smart lock is essentially any type of lock that uses something other than a traditional key for entry. Depending on the model, smart locks can be opened using options like a PIN, fingerprint scanner or through an app on your phone that can…

For those of us who find mowing a chore, a robot lawnmower promises to give you back hours of free time. However, there’s a fair bit of set-up to get this robot up to speed. Don’t believe the hype without doing a bit of research. How they work Robot mowers are relatively autonomous, small lawnmowers. They consist of the main mower unit and a charging dock. There’s no catcher, as a robot mower cuts the lawn fine enough to leave the grass on the lawn. They’re expensive compared to most conventional lawnmowers – some can equal the cost of a ride-on mower. They’re suitable for lawns up to 5000 square metres (sqm). Getting started INSTALL THE GUARD WIRE Most robot lawnmowers will come with a guard wire, which is used…