Archive for November, 2009

Aussie Attitude towards Credit Card Use Changing

Monday, November 30th, 2009

It’s about time that Australians change their spending habits especially in terms of credit card use. With recession still reeling, several recent reports have shown how Australian shoppers have finally learned to change their spending habits. The same situation is seen in other developed countries including the U.K.

While it’s true that some Australians have depended on their credit cards to buy their basic needs and pay for their bills, many have also learned their lessons. Some have even developed a fear of the plastic cards all because of the debt they have accumulated due to the card as well as due to the fraud that continues to hound the credit card industry.

Recent reports specifically from the Reserve Bank of Australia have it that credit card use in Australia went down in August this year. For a period of one month alone, the total value of transactions dropped by more than one percent. From July which recorded a credit card spending worth $19,159 billion, the value fell to $18,865 billion in August 2009. The number of purchases using the plastic card was lesser by four million in August compared to the July figure. In addition, the bank report revealed that cash advances via the credit and charge cards also went down by almost three percent.

This statistics only proves one thing – that Aussie shoppers are indeed affected by the global recession and the high cost of using credit cards. Unfortunately, some remain attracted to the offers of credit card companies done through aggressive promotional campaigns.

Australians should, however, be aware that other than the credit cards, they have other options when it comes to borrowing money for their urgent financial requirements. One of them is the short term loans that include the payday and cash advance loans. In fact compared to the plastic cards, these unsecured personal loans are rather more affordable. Ideally meant for emergency use in between payday, the amount can range from as little as a few hundred dollars to a thousand or two while the loan period is also shorter. This means then that employed borrowers don’t have other reasons not to afford to pay back their loans.

Growth in Personal Loans Continue

Monday, November 30th, 2009

It is without a doubt that personal loans are the preference of people today to meet their urgent financial needs. Understandable enough because these loans are easier to obtain, have lower interest rates and require less time for approval. This has been the choice of many people who failed to secure loans from banks, major lenders or from their friends and colleagues.

Across Australia, personal loans are experiencing rapid growth this year. The Bureau of Australian Statistics, in its latest report, confirmed that personal loans reached a record figure in August 2009 alone.

What these latest figures mean is that business is thriving for short term lenders. Their numbers continue to increase especially those that operate online. This can be attributed to the presence of low wage workers notably in the service sector whose salaries may not be sufficient to meet their family’s needs. Many of them experience financial difficulties especially in between payday forcing them to take advantage of short term loans. For these people, cash advances and payday loans are cheaper compared to those offered by banks.

Despite being a fixed rate loan, cash advances and payday loans are considered by many consumers to be more affordable.  Short term lenders can also attest that they don’t receive many complaints from their customers because in the first place, they understand that they made the right decision when they approached these lenders.  Some even no longer bother to ask about the annual percentage rates as long as they are able to obtain a loan the quick and easy way. This is a usual attitude of borrowers who bank on their regular salaries to repay their loans.

Lending companies don’t usually hesitate to accommodate high risk borrowers such as people with low income. What they do is to ensure that those applying for cash advances and payday loans are employed and with a current back account. In this way, they are assured of repayment of the amount when the borrowers get their checks come payday.

A common come on used by short term lenders are the fast approval of the loan and transfer to the borrower’s bank account. The absence of a credit check is another incentive used by online companies. Most people with poor credit history would normally have second thoughts getting a loan for fear of being turned down. But with willing lenders especially those that operate online, they see a good resource to help them in their financial requirements.