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A CHOICE home heating and cooling expert Chris Barnes: As far as I am aware, there's no evidence that Wi-Fi devices have any effect on pacemakers. Q I have heard that it is illegal for health funds to charge me for health insurance when I am travelling overseas (because I can't use my cover). A CHOICE insurance expert Uta Mihm: Health insurers usually allow you to suspend your cover while travelling, but as you have noted, they normally have a minimum period such as four or eight weeks. [Extracted from the article]

Travel money card tips Make sure the card allows the currencies you'll need, and also consider stopovers. TRAVEL MONEY OZ CURRENCY PASS (MASTERCARD) The Travel Money Group is owned by Flight Centre and is a foreign exchange retailer. Watch out for: fees to load the card - either a percentage of the total or a flat fee ATM withdrawal fees a cross currency fee or margin when you use the card in a currency you haven't preloaded further fees if you close the account or haven't used the card for a period of time. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers tips on getting a better deal from banks and other financial institutions. According to a bank satisfaction survey of the members of the "Choice" magazine group, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) is considered the best in terms of negotiating with its customers, while Westpac is the top choice for transaction accounts. Many members recommend dealing with a personal banking manager when an issue needs to be resolved.

The article presents the right way of paying credit cards, including the better options offered by big banks in Australia, the recommended strategies when dealing with more than credit card with a balance and the truth behind the savings realized when switching to cheaper credit cards. Also mentioned are statistics on paying credit card debt, the benefits associated with consolidating debt and a list of the top 20 credit cards in Australia.

The article investigates the disadvantages of bank accounts aimed at children. It reveals the interest rates and tax cuts on children's bank accounts. Highlighted are the advantages and disadvantages of the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) Youth Saver, Suncorp Kids Savings Account, ANZ Progress Saver, Westpac Reward Saver, Bankwest Children's Savings Account and the Credit Union Australia (CUA) Youth eSaver.

The article offers insights into a new credit-reporting and privacy regime in Australia effective March 12, 2014. It notes that the new repayment history information covering credit cards, loans and other types of credit is held by credit-reporting agencies like Veda and Dun & Bradstreet and can be accessed by banks when assessing borrowers' creditworthiness. It talks about the consequences of late payments, highlights of the credit report and fixing an incorrect listing on one's credit report.

The article presents the results of a survey on whether banks in Australia are planning to comply with the revised Code of Banking Practice which comes into effect on February 1, 2014 and which further strengthens consumer protections. It was found that the banks surveyed had trouble following the code's direction to promptly process a direct debit cancellation at the customer's request. It also shows that not all banks have signed up to the code, including Bank of China and Macquarie.

The article offers brief information on the top five savings accounts offered by several banking companies in Australia as of March 2016 based on bonus rate which include ING Direct Australia, UBank, and RaboDirect.

The author reflects on his experience with an online subsidiary of a major bank that switched his loan from the subsidiary to the bank and highlights the dilemma that he faced when he had to change transaction account.

The article reports on the support by financial counselors in Australia of the release of the revised Code of Banking Practice which would provide more relief for borrowers and add more protections that came into effect on March 1, 2013.

The article reveals the lower earnings of big banks on an average home loan over 25 years, according to figures from The Australia Institute (TAI).

The article offers several tips on switching to a bank that offers a better deal than one's current bank in Australia. Under the bank account switching package of the government, financial institutions are required to give consumers a list of their direct credits and debits for the previous 13 months to allow the new bank to make arrangements to set up those payments. Those who plan to switch home loans are advised to consider refinancing costs.

The article discusses the results of the research conducted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) regarding the Big Four banks. It says that the variable home mortgage rates of the three banks were increased by 0.25%, wherein Westpac Banking Corp. and National Australia Bank Ltd. (NAB) have increased by 0.45% and 0.25%, respectively. It mentions that the Big Four banks have also increased their profit margins by 0.20% to 0.25% due to the diminished competition associated with global downturn.