When it comes to spending club rewards points, Community First has been working with rewards program providers and participating clubs to give members the ability to spend their rewards points at thousands more places. 

Community First has developed a unique account with a Visa Debit Card, designed to integrate with the rewards or loyalty program of participating clubs. Unlike traditional redeeming methods, members are able to transfer earned points to dollars on their Visa Debit Card, opening up thousands of new places to spend rewards points as the card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.

Traditionally, club members redeem points via gift cards, or by other in-club purchases. An additional benefit of using a Community First Visa Debit Card linked to a participating rewards program is that reward points don’t ever have to expire once they are transferred to dollars on the Visa Debit Card. This offers a huge benefit to members, as points can be accumulated over a longer period of time which means added value.

Community First has already launched the product across a number ofNSWclubs thanks to the established partnership with a number of rewards program providers. 

Community First continues to work within the clubs industry to use innovation to add value and meet the needs of the communities in which we live and work.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our club rewards products or participating clubs, please contact us on 1300 13 22 77.

The ACCC is warning people to be careful about who they ‘friend’ online this Valentine’s Day with stats showing people are most likely to be preyed upon by dating and romance scammers on social media sites.

Australians reported losses of $20.5 million to Scamwatch from dating and romance scams in 2017 with more than 3700 reports. These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. Women lost nearly twice as much money as men and people aged 45 and over are most likely to be targeted.

Overall people lost $9.7 million to dating and romance scams through social media – an increase of nearly 30 per cent compared to 2016.

“Social media has overtaken online dating sites as the most common way for dating and romance scammers to contact potential victims,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and while it’s a happy day for many, for some it can be quite lonely and isolating. If you’re going on social media, a dating site or app to find a potential Mr or Ms Right, it’s important to keep your guard up to a scammer’s advances.”

Follow these helpful tips to protect yourself online from a dating and romance scammer:

• Scammers create believable profiles to present themselves as an almost too good to be true ‘catch’. Use a Google Image search to check if their profile picture is genuine.
• If the person you are interested in says they are overseas, or can’t meet you right now for any reason, be suspicious. Their excuse may sound reasonable but it is usually a lie.
• Be careful when people profess strong feelings early on. Scammers want you to fall in love with them so they can abuse your trust and feelings to get money out of you.
• Don’t ever give money to someone you have only met online. Scammers spin sympathetic tales about why they need money but don’t fall for it.
• Don’t share intimate photos or use webcams in an intimate setting. Scammers use these photos or webcam recordings to blackmail their victims.

For more advice on how to avoid dating and romance scams, visit Scamwatch. People can also follow @scamwatch_gov on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts.

With interest rates at an all time low, and price being influenced by more than just the RBA cash rate, it’s anyone’s guess as to when rates will move and by how much. As a result, borrowers may be feeling uncertain as to which type of loan is best for them in the long and short run – fixed or variable. However, the home loan market isn’t just a game of chance. By considering your individual circumstances, the pros and cons of available options and utilising tools such as ahome loan comparison tool, you are more likely to be able to find a solution that works best for you.

Why choose a fixed home loan?

1. It allows for greater stability
   
   A lot of borrowers look to fixed home loans as a source of stability. By locking in your mortgage rate, you allow yourself protection from future interest rate increases for the duration of the fixed period. Fixed rates allow borrowers the confidence of knowing if they can afford repayments now, then they can still afford to make them for the rest of the fixed period (if their circumstances stay the same), whether rates rise or drop.

1. Enjoy those market lows
   
   One of the advantages variable home loans have over fixed is that when rates drop, your interest rate drops too, helping you to save money on your repayments. The lender will consider a range of factors to determine your variable interest rate. For example, the RBA cash rate, the ratio of fixed versus variable loans they currently have, regulatory requirements, internal financial measures, market pressures and competitor pricing, to name a few. For example, according to Rate City, choosing a variable home loan rate in September 1991 (the end of the recession in Australia) would have saved borrowers tens of thousands in interest repayments compared to those who fixed, as the RBA cash rate fell 4.75 percentage points over the next three years.
   
    
2. Flexibility and features
   
   Variable home loans are typically known to have more flexibility and features for borrowers. Extra payments are allowed at no extra cost (often unlimited), helping you to pay back your debt faster. You can also enjoy additional loan features such as redraw facilities and offset accounts, however these are also available on Community First’s fixed home loans, which is rare in the market. It can also be easier and cheaper for borrowers to refinance their variable home loan with another lender as they don’t need to pay a penalty to break the fixed period.

• Ask you to make a payment for parcel collection
• Email you to reconfirm your address by clicking a link
• Charge you to hold a parcel
• Send you an email asking for your password
• Call or email you out of the blue to request payment. 

• For parcel delivery notifications, do not click on the link if it is requesting money or further information. Instead, go to the organisation’s website and track the delivery of your parcel. Ask family and friends to notify you if they are sending a parcel so you know when to expect it.
• If you receive an e-card or electronic gift card, check the legitimacy with the gift giver prior to opening it. Be especially wary of .zip or .exe attachments or links.
• If a suspicious email appears to be from a legitimate company, contact the company directly to confirm the legitimacy. Do not use phone numbers or email addresses contained in the email, verify the correct contact details yourself through an online search or phone book.
• Regularly backup your computer’s data on a separate hard drive. If your computer is infected by malware or ransomware you can restore the factory settings and easily re-install all of your software and data.
• Remember to report any confirmed scams to www.scamwatch.gov.au. This helps raise awareness of the scam so others do not fall victim.