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Can You Use A Credit Card To Send Money Overseas?

April 26, 2021 by Reporter Leave a Comment

What do you do when an emergency occurs that you have to attend to, and the payday hasn’t arrived? Now is the time to explore the options that allow you to send money online, especially those that accept funding from a credit card.

Using A Credit Card

A credit card is an excellent way to buy goods and pay for services when you have no money. Similarly, you can use your credit card to transfer funds to your friends, family, or businesses across the globe. However, it would help if you shop right for the service provider, so you don’t pay hefty charges.

Similarly, several money transfer services allow you to transfer funds across the globe, but not all accept credit card funding. That means you may need to find out which one will take your funding method. Some of the options you have include bank wire transfer, PayPal, Remitly, or Western Union.

Challenges of Using a Credit Card

Using a credit card may be too costly, depending on the service you’re using. Bank wire transfer, for example, often costs higher than the other methods. Even though most services may be fair, currency exchange may still be a stumbling block since the rates change almost daily. Similarly, some transfer services also charge a high interest rate from the day of transfer.

However, you may find a fairer choice by shopping for the right provider.

Things To Look Out For While Sending Money Internationally With A Credit Card

Using a credit card to fund international transfers is typically costly compared to debit cards or your bank balance. However, some situations necessitate the need to use a credit card for your transfer. If that’s the case, consider these factors to get fairer costs.

1. Consider Service Providers That Specifically Focus on International Transfers

Services that exclusively offer international transfers often provide better exchange rates and fairer transaction fees compared to banks.

Similarly, most of the transfer apps offer additional advantages, including the ability to track your transfer status. This service may be available whether you’re transacting to a bank account, mobile wallet, or cash pickup location.

Even so, remember that funding your transfer from your credit card account still comes at a fee from the card issuer.

2. Review The Fees and Exchange Rates

Some companies apply higher transaction fees and exchange rates on international transfers, regardless of whether you’re using a debit or credit card. Before you settle on the service provider, review charges from a few options, understand their fees and the fine print so you don’t fall prey to high costs.

When To Use A Credit Card on International Transfers

Funding your international money transfer using a credit card may not be the best option considering the high costs involved. However, it can be the right way to go through your transfers if:

• You have a financial emergency to attend to, but you have no other means of funding

• You earn royalties from reward programs such as frequent flyer miles or cash back.

A credit transfer may be convenient but is a bit costly. As a result, it’s best to treat it as the last resort if you don’t stand to gain any benefit from the transaction.

Big four banks to dish out refunds into bank accounts before June end

June 27, 2020 by Reporter Leave a Comment

No one gets money for free, but the refund from Commonwealth bank, Westpac bank, ANZ and National Australia Bank might be hitting your bank account soon.

Forget EOFY tax return refunds from the tax office, this is sweeter as you don’t have to apply for it, its your money getting refunded without any paperwork needed.

If you see this in your commonwealth bank account

Additional interest
refund
Value Date_ 25/06/2020

The refund posting may look different depending on which bank you bank with.

Fancy a $10,000 refund?

Refunds can be anywhere from couple of thousand dollars to even $10,000 or more depending on how many loans you have with the bank.

Why the refund ?

If you have a refund looking like above in your bank account you could have possibly got a refund related to remediation done on your home loan, refunding you amounts of interest that was wrongly charged by the bank.

This is due to the remediation the banks have been forced to do due to the government enquiry into banks and how they treat and charge their customers.

CBA Refund on home loan interest charges 2020 for COVID19

This is not a refund, but more like a payment for the interest on interest you get charged for your deferred home loan repayments. Australia’s largest bank will make payments to home loan customers impacted by coronavirus to offset interest charges.

When a home loan repayment is deferred for six months, interest is calculated and added to the loan balance each month which can result in customers paying interest on interest each month. Anyone having a home loan could possibly get this refund before end of June this year.

“This means for an average loan of $350,000, CBA will be refunding approximately $45 to offset the effect of interest on interest over the six-month period. Customer payments will vary based on their loan amount and interest rate.” Commonwealth bank representative said.

2020 – Big four’s Banks current relief packages for covid19

The four major banks in March announced they would allow home loan customers to defer mortgage repayments for six months as part of a $100 billion scheme with the Reserve Bank of Australia to alleviate stress on Australian households, as thousands are tipped into unemployment.

CBA – Following the end of the six-month pause, home loan repayments remain the same as before, with the loan term being extended. CBA will also make a one-time payment to offset the interest on interest being charged to customers over the deferral.

Westpac – Impacted customers are being offered a 3-month pause with the option for a further 3 months after review. Home loan repayments increase after the deferral, but the loan term remains the same.

NAB – Following the repayment holiday, home loan repayments increase, but the loan term remains the same.

ANZ – Customers can choose to keep the loan term the same or extend it by six months, with a review at three months, with both options likely resulting in mortgage repayments increasing after the pause.

Robodebt refund: June 2020

The Federal Government has announced it will refund more than $721 million dollars in wrongly issued Centrelink debts to over 373,000 Australians.

The incorrect debt collections made between the 2015/2016 financial year and November 2019 targeted individuals who had supposedly received more welfare than their income entitled them to.

The debts were automatically calculated by special algorithms without human intervention and became known as rob debts.

How do I get my robo debt refund?

If your eligible, the amount will get credited in your account, so update your details on mygov if not done already. Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said 190,000 individuals will be repaid starting from July 1.

Royal Banking Commission Australia

Started: 14 December 2017

Ended: 4 February 2019

The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, also known as the Banking Royal Commission and the Hayne Royal Commission, was a royal commission established on 14 December 2017 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and report on misconduct in the banking, superannuation, and financial services industry.

2018 CBA Junk Insurance Refund

After the royal commission, refunds for 140,000 were said to be issued to CBA customers

Commonwealth Bank will issue $16 million in refunds to 140,000 people who were sold add-on insurance right before the bank’s ‘junk’ products become the subject of royal commission hearings.

“Consumer credit insurance” has been pitched to customers as a safety net that’ll help them meet their credit card or loan repayments if they lose their job, become sick, injured or die. The financial regulator characterises them as not of much value and consumer groups simply describe them as ‘junk’.

Consumer Credit Insurance. Consumer credit insurance (CCI) covers you if something happens to you that affects your ability to meet your credit repayment. You may be offered CCI cover by your lender when it approves your credit (such as a credit card, personal loan or mortgage).

Find more about this here- https://www.choice.com.au/money/insurance/insurance-advice/articles/commonwealth-bank-refund-16m-junk-insurance-royal-commission-080318

2016 -Recent Fee for no service scandal:

The sweeping scandals – tagged by ASIC as “fees for no service” in its landmark report in October 2016 – saw the big banks and AMP targeted for practices dating back years where millions of dollars in fees were creamed off accounts for financial advice never given.

Wealth management and financial advice industries were involved and investigated in the banking royal commission for this scandal.

Commonwealth bank Wealth package refund in 2015

This happened in 2015. If you held a wealth package, you could have got a refund. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) was said to refund approximately $80 million to around 216,000 Wealth Package customers as compensation for failing to apply fee waivers, interest concessions and other benefits since 2008.

It equated to an average refund per customer affected of around $370, which includes interest. In this case bank staff had to manually apply many of the discounts available under the Wealth Package, which in some instances did not occur.

2017 – CommInsure refunding – CCP premiums

Commonwealth Bank and insurers QBE and Virginia Surety would repay a total of over $26 million to people who were mis-sold add-on insurance, including consumer credit insurance.

CreditCard Plus (CCP) Insurance protects customers’ credit card repayment obligations in the event of death, terminal illness, disability and involuntary unemployment.

Following a review of their records, they identified that CCP Insurance may have been sold to a number of customers who may not have been eligible for all the benefits when they bought their policy. Therefore, they were refunding the premiums paid by impacted customers.

More details here – https://www.commbank.com.au/insurance/creditcard-plus/faqs.html

2020 Westpac refund for small business – Merchant terminal fee relief

The Merchant terminal fee relief was a part of Westpac’s COVID-19 support package for Australian businesses, for 3 months, starting in April 2020.

All eligible merchant customers would have received their final refund payment and westpac are working to provide you with a GST adjustment note for tax purposes in the coming weeks.

Who is eligible? -Merchant customers with a total card spend of less than $5 million per annum.

More here- https://www.westpac.com.au/help/disaster-relief/coronavirus/business/merchant-terminal-fee-refunds/

2015 – 2019 Nab Refunds

NAB’s refund program was set up in 2015, however only about $300 million has been paid back to customers. IN 2015 National Australia Bank WAS SAID TOl refund A$25 million ($18.38 million) to around 62,000 wealth management clients who were wrongly compensated.

https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2015-releases/15-194mr-nab-wealth-refunds-additional-customers-following-asic-action/

In 2019 Nab was ordered to pay back money to customers for junk insurance given to customers by shoddy financial advice. This came about by the royal banking commission.

It now expects another of its remediation Project Hunt to be finished in October.

ASIC is currently overseeing more than 100 remediation programs expected to pay out more than $2 billion to consumers on top of the almost $1 billion that has already been returned. About $10 billion has been set aside by the industry for remediation programs.

Qantas refund /Airline refund/ Flight Centre Travel agent refund

Qantas and Singapore airlines have many destination flights from Australia and there are thousands of customers still waiting for refunds directly from the airlines or then from flight centre or travel agents.

Airlines have given a mix of “travel credit” “travel vouchers” flights for future and money refunds. Flight centre has attracted court action and being looked into by authorities for delay in them giving refunds to customers.

Those customers who have accepted a travel credit voucher may not be eligible for a refund of money, however those whose flights got cancelled will be able to claim a refund.

Delayed air ticket and hotel accommodation refunds by travel agents and airlines could lead to further legal action being taken by irate customers due to interest charges escalating on credit cards.

Qantas Refunds

https://www.qantas.com/us/en/book-a-trip/flights/compensation-and-refunds-policy.html

Singapore Airline refund

https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/travel-info/charges-changes/cancellations-refunds/

Flight Centre Refunds

https://www.flightcentre.com.au/support/bookings#my-options

https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/flight-centre-to-refund-cancellation-fees

The ACCC has received more than 6000 complaints from consumers dissatisfied with travel companies’ refund policies and cancellation fees, with thousands more contacting their local state or territory fair trading agencies seeking assistance resolving individual disputes.

Qantas is refunding customers for flight cancellations after the ACCC COVID-19 Taskforce raised concerns with the way the airline had handled claims

CRUISE REFUNDS

COVID-19 has been called one of the worst things to happen to the cruise industry in decades.

Thousands of cruise customers from big cruise companies like Caribbean Cruise, Princess Cruise, Carnival Cruises and P & O Cruises are awaiting their refunds due to cancellation of cruises all over the world.

Most cruise liners though American owned, operate from overseas tax haven countries and so has been denied by USA for financial bailouts in the COVID19 Crisis times.

Most cruise liners are offering cruise credits to their customers leaving not many options to disgruntled clients.

Princess cruises

https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/refunds-and-future-cruise-credits.html

Royal Carribean Cruises

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy

P&O cruises

https://www.pocruises.com/request

Carnival Cruises

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/list/search/suggested/1

Reference Websites

Banks:

Westpac Bank – https://www.westpac.com.au/

ANZ Bank – https://www.anz.com.au/

National Australia Bank – https://www.nab.com.au/

Commonwealth Bank – https://www.commbank.com.au/

Government:

ASIC – https://asic.gov.au/

ATO – https://www.ato.gov.au/

APRA – https://www.apra.gov.au/

ACCC – https://www.accc.gov.au/

Search Keywords to Article:

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Building A Successful Business By Boosting Employee Satisfaction

April 8, 2020 by Reporter Leave a Comment

It’s been said by experts that employee satisfaction is key to a business’ success. An organisation will fall behind if it isn’t able to retain its employees. Even when the job market is weak, top talent will be able to find plenty of job opportunities. How can a business attract excellent employees and retain them?

When it comes to employee management, there aren’t any strict guidelines that you need to comply by. With that said, you’ll want to make sure you have a clear picture of how your employees are motivated.

Finding Intangible Sources Of Motivation

Naturally, a company will need to offer competitive wages and strong benefits if they want to get the attention of top talent. Unfortunately, paying well may not be enough to retain workers that have a lot of opportunities. Wages and benefits aren’t the only things that employees consider when they’re trying to decide whether or not they should leave a job. Some of the best ways to improve the satisfaction of your workers won’t cost you anything at all.

Some of the intangible things workers look for include:

● Workers want company leaders to communicate with them. They don’t want to find major developments via gossip or press releases. They want to hear about new strategies and plans for the future.

● Workers want to feel appreciated. They want to hear from leaders about the impact their activities are having on the company.

● Employees want to work with leaders who are willing to listen to them.

This is why it’s so important for managers to have regular meetings with the members of their team. During these meetings, leaders should pass along essential information, invite workers to ask questions and encourage them to give feedback. Companies should have an open communication policy that begins with senior management. From there, these policies will spread throughout the business. These values are something that should be expressed in employee handbooks and in any job descriptions that are posted.

Realising the Important Roles of Management

No matter what an employee’s title is, it’s likely that they’ll want to contribute to the organisation they’re working for through their leadership skills. Workers want to be involved in the decision-making process, especially when it comes to decisions relevant to their role at the company. They also want to be recognised for the contributions that they make.

Small business advisors at Lend say “employees quit bosses rather than jobs.In fact, a research proves that 57 percent of employees have left a job because of their manager. Moreover, 14 percent have left multiple jobs because of their managers. An additional 32 percent have seriously considered leaving because of their manager. ” They suggest, “employers need to evaluate the process they are using to select, develop, and train people in management or supervisory positions.

Helping in Career Development

The majority of employees want to develop and advance in their career. This is especially likely to be true when it comes to top talent. If people aren’t able to do their job properly, they won’t stay in that position for long. Training and developing an employee shows workers that their employer is willing to invest in them. Costly training isn’t always necessary. In many cases, companies already have experts on their staff that can train employees. This does two things: it provides the trainer with recognition and a development opportunity, and it gives trainees a chance to learn new skills and information.

Having a Flexible Work Environment

In 2013, The Australian Bureau of Statistics pushed through the Flexible Working Environment (FWE). That same year, a change in the office environment and supporting policies and guidelines were first trialled.

Over the past years, a focus on -People, Place and Technology which are the three key contributing factors needed to build a flexible workforce, has seen a positive cultural shift in flexible working attitudes.

Nowadays,workers are looking for employers that acknowledge that they have responsibilities and interests beyond their job. Employees appreciate benefits like flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, and modified schedules. When used appropriately, these benefits can do a lot to boost employee retention. FindLaw has an article on this subject that goes over some of the benefits and drawbacks of telecommuting.

It’s also crucial that workers have choices and flexible options. It’s important to remember that not all workers are going to be motivated by the same thing. Parents may be interested in on-site child care. Single adults might be drawn to fitness centres or gym discounts. Other workers might want a company phone or car. It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to do away with rigidly defined categories when it comes to time off work. Instead, businesses are offering flexible policies that allow workers to take a day off when it makes sense for them.

Being a Good Listener

If you listen to your workers, you won’t need to wonder what they want. They’ll tell you. Surveys, suggestion boxes, and exit interviews are all excellent ways to get more information about what employees are looking for. Any company that does conduct exit interviews will want to take the time to analyse these interviews. This can help a business to determine where changes need to be made.

Seeking Legal Assistance

When it comes to job retention strategies, companies can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. If you have questions about human resources management, you may want to consult with an attorney that specialises in employment law.

How Merchant Cash Advances Are Helping Small Businesses

October 25, 2017 by Reporter Leave a Comment

Small businesses play an important role in the Australian economy by continually meeting the increasing demand for jobs. However, small businesses that want to expand are often held back by lack of working capital and the difficulty of obtaining business loans.

Some turn to local banks, but banks do not make it easy for small businesses to acquire loans if they’ve not been in business for many years. Fortunately, these days there are other financing options for small businesses, and one of them is the merchant cash advance.

So, what is a merchant cash advance, and how does it work?

Merchant cash advances are innovative financial products offered by companies like Brisbane-based Beyond Merchant Capital that are ideal sources of additional working capital for businesses for which credit card sales make up a substantial proportion of their turnover.

To clarify, a merchant cash advance is not a business loan, but rather an advance based on the credit and debit card revenues of the business.

A lot of small businesses turn to merchant cash advance lenders because the application is fast and easy – whereas bank loans can take a long time to approve. Also, paying the advance is faster because the lender takes an agreed percentage from the business’ debit and credit card sales, so the higher the sales, the quicker the debt is paid off.

Pros of a Merchant Cash Advance

You get money quickly.

This is one of the biggest advantages of a merchant cash advance. Unlike bank loans where it takes weeks, or even months, to get approved, merchant cash advance lenders have quick application processes.

As a result, borrowers get a response in hours and if approved they receive the funding in days.

Providing collateral is not a requirement.

The approval of a merchant cash advance is based on the past credit card transactions of the business. If the business has a steady flow of credit card sales, the advance is likely to be approved – whereas with bank loans only about a quarter of small business loan applications are approved.

The amount required to pay monthly is not fixed.

With a merchant cash advance, the monthly payment is a percentage of the monthly credit card sales. So, more cash flow means that the advance can be paid off sooner. On the other hand, if business is slow, it will take more time to pay off the debt.

A good credit rating is not required.

Merchant cash advance lenders are more lenient when it comes to business credit ratings because they base the approval on how strong the credit card sales are.

Cons of a Merchant Cash Advance

A merchant cash advance may have higher interest charges and fees.

Banks are regulated by the government and have access to sources of funding at cheaper interest rates, so can offer business loans at lower interest rates than other financiers.

On the other hand, merchant cash advance lenders’ may charge higher fees and interest rates because their industry is not subject to the same regulations as banks.

Conclusion

Merchant cash advances are one of a number of new products offered by financial services providers that play a vital role in keeping small businesses alive.

This type of financing helps small businesses grow by providing fast access to funding for expansion when businesses see suitable opportunities to do so.

Choosing which type of financing to apply for should be thought about carefully. A merchant cash advance is best suited to businesses with a heavy reliance on credit card sales.

A merchant cash advance can be more expensive than a bank loan, but if the business is thriving, it is easier to pay.

Lifetime Learning Credit for 2012, 2013 – US

December 1, 2012 by Reporter Leave a Comment

It’s obvious that paying for school, either through a student loan or out of pocket, is going to be expensive for you or your family. There are actually two credits available for this year that can help you get some of that money back, rather than sending more money to the IRS.

These credits are the American opportunity credit and the lifetime learning credit. In this article, we’ll talk about the lifetime learning credit, including who qualifies for it and how much it’s for, so if you’re in an institutions of higher education, make sure you’re paying attention.

Overview

The lifetime learning credit is a credit of up to $2,000 which is available to all eligible students. The best benefit of this credit is that there is no limit on how many years in a row a student can claim the credit, as long as they’re in school at the time.

The amount of your credit is usually controlled by how much income you have and the amount of taxes that you own. The credit is based on any education fees that you pay for yourself, your spouse or your dependent. You must have begun your enrollment in the beginning of 2012 or have been enrolled in higher education for the first three months of the year.

Limits

If you’re married and filing jointly, the income limit to qualify for this credit is $122,000. If you’re single, then your maximum income is $61,000. You must be attending at least one college course during the year to file for the credit. You cannot claim this credit if you are married, but filing separately.

Degree

This tax credit applies to anyone who is attending an institute of higher education. You do not need to be perusing a specific degree or have a concentration in a selected area to be eligible.

Residency

You must have been a legal resident of the United States for the entire year of 2012. If you were not a legal resident of the US for any part of the 2012 year, then you cannot qualify for the credit.

The lifetime learning credit may have some new changes as tax laws so often do. Any new changes can be found here,

Credit

Can You Use A Credit Card To Send Money Overseas?

Things To Look Out For While Sending Money Internationally With A Credit Card

Big four banks to dish out refunds into bank accounts before June end