For those in Perth always looking for a better, faster, cheaper way

Monday, September 28, 2009

Perth Royal Show 2009 - should I bother?



Just wondering how many people googled this and ended up here? The royal show has come around once again to Perth and the inevitable question we all ask is, "should I bother?"

If its for the day of entertainment then maybe its worth a look in. If you are the type of person who needs to be in the crowd no matter what the crowd is actually gathering for, then yes, you should go. However, if you have been to the royal show in the last 5 years, its probably too early to forget how disappointing it was the last time you went so maybe you should wait a few more years.

For those hunting good showbags, Mens Health Australia looks like a good bag and the usuals are still there, Mars, Coke, Perth Glory etc. What did you get?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Where NOT to get Coffee in Perth

Maybe you are considering a coffee but you don't want to get ripped off. Here is a list of cafes around Perth that you may want to avoid if money is an issue for your daily coffee fix.

Palais 85 in South Perth - $5 for a flat white and $7 for a latte
Boatshed and Bellhouse cafes in South Perth - $4.50

Matilda Bay in Crawley - $4
Floreat Beach Kiosk - $4
Cottesloe's Blue Duck - $4
Epic Espresso in West Perth - $4
Cimbalino in Cottesloe - $4

Subiaco's Hot Shots - $3.80
Milkd in North Perth - $3.80

Mt Lawley's Coode Street Cafe - $3.70
West Perth's Fix Espresso - $3.40

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Everyday Money 5% off Groceries

What looks like a really good offer is being made by Woolworths with their Everyday Money Credit Card. They are offering 5% off all your groceries for the next three months. I said it looks like a good offer because when you really think about it, how much do you spend on groceries in one month? For me, its not much so maybe you need to do the maths before you make an impulsive decision about signing up.

Just some things to note:

  1. New cardholders who apply between 1 September and 30 November 2009. 
  2. Offer not available to customers who apply through Dick Smith in-store finance. 
  3. The 5% dicount applies for 3 months from receipt of your credit card on all in-store purchases made at Woolworths/Safeway supermarkets and Woolworths/Safeway Liquor stores only

Friday, September 11, 2009

How to get the best hotel deal in Australia

Been recently having to look at different hotel deals which brought me to a very interesting question, what is the best way to get the best hotel deal in Australia (though some of these websites apply overseas as well). We'll look at which hotel website is best for what. 


Which website is best to see the best performing hotels?
The best way to know good feedback is to ask the customers and that is what www.tripadvisor.com does. Thousands of people who have benefitted from the feedback of other customers write reviews of the hotels that they stayed in at this social networking website for hotels. Find out what the most recent hotel guests had to say and whether there is any evidence of hotels improving on previous comments. Trip Advisor is a good place to start. 


Which website is best to find a good deal?
I am still not quite sure how hotel websites get allocations or whether they are just portals. One thing I noticed was that www.lastminute.com.au had a hotel room offer that even the website of the hotel couldn't beat. I soon realised that it was because the search included "package" deals which give you a cheaper rate for booking more than one night. Generally it is probably good to look at: 

  1. www.wotif.com.au
  2. www.lastminute.com.au
  3. www.hotels.com
  4. www.hotelclub.com.au
  5. Hotel's direct website
For some reason, I trust the LastMinute website a little more because even searching for 2 nights on the other websites, I did not get the discounted rate. 


Also remember that there are government rates if you are working in the government sector.  In some hotels, they employ a revenue manager who's job is to optimise revenue on a daily basis by adjusting the prices based on all the different factors. As prices change all the time, the later you leave your booking, the more you will pay. 


If you are leaving it to the last minute.. maybe try www.lastminute.com.au


DISCLAIMER: My experience is not as experienced as maybe some of you out there, so if you have anything to add, even anonymously please do so by clicking on the comments below. I have no affiliation with any of the abovementioned websites.  




Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Everyday Money Credit Card Fees - just so you know

9How many points do you need to earn to get a shopping voucher from Everyday Money Credit card? You will need 3,448 points to receive our minimum shopping card value of $20. 

172 points = $1 shopping credit = 0.58% return on spending.

As there are many of us who have the Everyday Money credit card, it pays to know how much you are going to be charged for different things. As mentioned in the earlier post, this may even affect the decision as to which credit card you use for what transaction.

Since it is nigh impossible to find the terms and conditions for some credit cards, I've reproduced the fees and charges that EverydayMoney charges for various fees for your convenience. This is only current as of 8/10/09. This information came from https://creditcard.everydaymoney.com.au/pdf/FeesAndCharges.pdf


Everyday Money
Credit Card.
FEES AND CHARGES
Unless stated otherwise, the following charges are payable on provision of the service and are debited to your account at that time.

Annual charge
– unless waived, this will be debited on the first statement after a user first conducts a transaction on their account and then on each 12 month anniversary of either the transaction date, the account opening date
or the period specified in any promotional terms and conditions.
$49

Over limit arrangement fee
– payable when your informal request for a credit limit increase is agreed.
$35

Late payment reminder fee
– payable on or after the day an amount is due for payment and has not been paid.
$35

Card replacement charge
– payable each time we replace a lost or stolen card (excluding the first replacement each year),
or when you request us to reissue you with a different coloured card.
$20

Urgent card replacement charge
– payable each time you ask us to replace a lost or stolen card on an urgent basis.
$50

Overseas card replacement charge
– payable each time you ask us to replace a lost or stolen card to a country outside of Australia.
$50

Overseas transaction charge
– payable when you make a transaction on your account in a currency other than Australian dollars,
or you make a transaction on your account in any currency (including AUD) that is processed by the
card scheme or billed by the merchant outside of Australia.
2% of the total
value amount of each
such transaction

Additional statement charge
– per statement (payable when you request a statement or copy of a statement in addition
to the regular statement we give you).
$8

Sales voucher retrieval charge
– payable when we are required to retrieve and produce information about your account.
$10

Cash advance usage charge
– payable each time a user accesses your account in order to obtain a cash advance.
The higher of $2.50 or
2.0% of the total transaction amount (including any fees and charges imposed by us or a third party to effect the
transaction.)

Disputed item charge
– payable in respect of each item you dispute which is not resolved in your favour.
$10

Return fee
– per return, payable when payments to your account are returned.
$15

Reinstatement charge
– payable when you request us (and we agree) to reinstate your card or your account
if it has been cancelled or suspended.
$25

Foreign currency conversion charge
– payable each time a payment is made to your account in a currency other than Australian dollars.
1.5% of the AUD amount
of each payment

Monday, September 7, 2009

Credit Card Fees - Overseas Transaction Charge

Many people don't think about this but there is quite a big difference between what each credit card company charges for your international purchases for example, on overseas websites. When you think about say a $1000 purchase, 3.4% is $34 and that is easy money for credit card companies.

Just to compare, here are some foreign currency conversion fee percentages for different credit cards that I know of.
  • Citibank Mastercard overseas transaction fee - 3.4%
  • American Express Platinum card overseas transaction fee - 3%
  • Woolworths Everyday Money card overseas transaction fee - increased to 3% as of Feb 2011.
Let us know if you discover other rates for other cards