Financial

Transferwise saved us a lot of fees, definitely cheaper than the banks we are members of and highly recommended to transfer funds abroad.

Click here for a free transfer of up to GBP £500 when you sign up. The credit will be converted into your local currency, so you do not need to be British to receive the offer!

Note: We frequently used the service whilst living abroad to send money to/from our home country. The link does provide us with a GBP £50 of credit for every three sign-ups.

American Express. I know, what is this doing here? Well, this is my favourite Australian credit card in terms of travel benefits. I say this because you have to be an Australian resident to sign up to the card.

In my opinion it’s affordable, the rewards are great and it’s always easy to cancel if you change your mind. Some of the benefits attached to the American Express Platinum Edge credit card are:

• Travel credit of $200 every year (slight more than the annual card fee!) which can be use towards an American Express Travel booking, including flight, hotel and car rental.
• Complimentary domestic and international Travel Insurance when you pay for your travel on the card.
• Purchase Protection for items lost, stolen, damaged or refused a refund on an item within 90 days of the purchase date. (There are thresholds on what you can claim, but this was extremely handy when water was spilled on our 2 week old MacBook Air!).
• Receive 15,000 Membership Rewards points if you use my referral link and and you spend $550 in the first 2 months of Card Membership. If you sign up directly, you’ll only receive 10,000 points.
• Complimentary Membership Rewards Ascent program.
• Points earned per $ is maximised for your everyday spend. You receive 3 reward points at supermarkets, 2 points earned on fuel, and 1 point on all other purchases excluding utilities, insurance, telecommunication providers and government bodies in Australia where you earn 0.5 points.

The cost of the card is $195 p.a. is recovered as long as you use the $200 travel credit, let alone the other benefits attached to the card. Click on the link for a guide on redeeming your American Express travel credit.

Note: We have been American Express members since 2006 and frequently use our American Express Platinum Edge credit card, especially to receive the benefits of the complimentary travel insurance. We will receive reward points if you sign up through the referral link, this varies depending on promotional periods and therefore I have not stated the number of points.

Of course, as with any credit card, travel insurance and other benefits, there are terms and conditions. I certainly have not listed each and every item in this post. I am not a financial adviser and therefore cannot provide you with advice. Signing up for any credit with a financial institution is based on your own assessment and acceptance to the product disclosure statement and any terms.