Frequently asked questions
About Qantas Money Home Loans
How does Qantas Money lend for a home loan?
Does Qantas Money offer introductory (honeymoon) home loan rates?
How can Qantas Money offer such low home loan rates?
Why choose a Qantas Money Home Loan?
Considering a home loan
Am I eligible for a Qantas Money Home Loan?
I'm self-employed, can I apply for a Qantas Money Home Loan?
How quickly can I get a home loan?
Can I submit an application for multiple properties?
What is a Comparison Rate?
Mortgage versus home loan - do they mean the same thing?
What are the fees associated with a Qantas Money Home Loan?
Saving for a home loan
What is equity?
How to increase borrowing power?
What does LVR mean?
What is Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) and when would I need it?
How much does HECS affect borrowing power for a home loan?
What other upfront costs are involved in buying a home?
Can I use the equity in my current home as a deposit?
How much deposit do I need for a home loan?
Types of home loans & features
Is fixed or variable rate better?
What is a Key Fact Sheet?
What type of home loan is best if I’m a first home buyer?
What is a variable rate home loan?
What types of home loans does Qantas Money offer?
What is a fixed rate home loan?
I’m not sure which type of loan or features will be best for me. Do I need to know before I apply online?
How do I choose a home loan?
Principal and interest or interest only?
What is a roll-to rate?
What is a home loan interest rate?
What is an offset account and how does it work?
Applying for Pre-approval
What is Pre-approval?
When should you get Pre-approval for a home loan?
How long does Pre-approval take?
How long will my Pre-approval last?
How does the Pre-approval application process work?
I’ve got Pre-approval. What's next?
Will my credit history be affected when I apply for Pre-approval?
Can I bid at auction with Pre-approval?
Applying for a home loan
What happens after I have applied?
How do I submit a joint application?
How does the application process work?
I am not an Australian resident, can I still apply for a Qantas Money Home Loan?
Can I apply for any type of Qantas Money Home Loan online?
How does full approval with Qantas Money work?
What is a Foreign Tax Form and why would I need one?
How can I check the status of my application?
How does Qantas Money assess the value of my property?
Will I always get your published interest rate?
How does making an application affect my credit score?
How long does it take for a home loan to be approved?
Where can I get help to complete my application?
What documentation will I need to provide?
How does Qantas Money assess my household expenditure?
After approval
I’ve completed the application process. What happens next?
When will Qantas Points land in my account?
What is Stamp Duty?
How will Qantas Points be allocated for a joint application?
How does the settlement process work?
How long does it take to receive my home loan funds?
Who can act as a witness when I sign the loan documents?
After settlement do we deal with Qantas Money or Bendigo and Adelaide Bank?
Managing your home loan
How often will I receive information on my account?
Can I make changes to my loan?
How can I make repayments and redraw on my home loan?
How do I redraw on my loan?
What are the features of an offset account debit card?
Can I pay extra into my home loan each month?
How can I check what my current home loan repayments are?
How do I log in to online banking for my home loan?
Refinance
How much difference does 0.5% make on a home loan?
How much can I borrow when refinancing?
How do I refinance my home loan?
How can I calculate my savings from refinancing?
Can I use equity in my loan?
What are the benefits of refinancing your home loan?
Financial Difficulty
Security & Privacy
Is it safe to get a home loan online?
How can I tell which emails are genuine?
Is entering my online banking details safe?
What is Qantas Money’s privacy policy?
How does Qantas Money manage data security, to protect my financial information?
What do I do if I receive a suspicious phone call?
Customer support and complaints
All Categories > Frequently asked questions > Types of home loans & features > What is an offset account and how does it work?
What is an offset account and how does it work?
An offset account is similar to a savings account that is linked to your home loan and offsets the balance of your home loan. This means you will pay interest on the home loan balance minus the amount in your offset account. If you have a decent balance in your offset account, you could save thousands of dollars in interest over the life of your loan.
Qantas Money offers 100% offset accounts with all of our home loans, including our fixed rate loans.
Can I withdraw money from an offset account?
An offset account has most of the features of a normal transactional savings account. You can deposit money into it and withdraw from it any time to pay bills or for day-to-day expenses. We will also send you a debit card so that you can access funds in the account for regular transactions.
It is important to remember that the more you have in your offset account, the less interest you are paying on your home loan.
Is my money protected?
Your offset account is maintained by our funder, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, who are an Authorised Deposit-Taking Institution (ADI). This means your offset account is guaranteed under the Australian Government's Financial Claims Scheme (FCS) for up to $250,000.
Qantas Money Home Loan offset accounts
We don't build the cost of the offset account into our interest rate. You simply pay $10 per month for the feature instead. Our offset accounts include:
- a Visa Debit card which you can use like any other Visa Debit or EFTPOS card, including the option to use ATMs free of charge, like all other banks;
- a BPAY facility to make bill payments; and
- deposit and debit features just like a normal bank account.
Adding or removing offset account
If you decide after you get your home loan that you'd like an offset account, you can add one to your existing home loan for a fee of $150. If you are on a fixed rate an additional break cost will also apply (this can be significant, so make sure you weigh up the costs and benefits). Removing an offset account from your existing home loan will incur the same $150 fee.
To add or remove an offset account before settlement, please give us a call on 1300 992 700 or email ask@homeloans.qantasmoney.com.
To add or remove an offset account after settlement, please give us a call on 1300 992 700 (Option 3) or email myloan@homeloans.qantasmoney.com.
What is the difference between an offset account and a redraw facility?
Redrawing simply means accessing any extra payments (that is, repayments in excess of the regular minimum) that you’ve made on your home loan. With Qantas Money, you can do this whenever you want - free - using online banking.