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We found several low-fee debit cards that don't charge a foreign exchange fee or fees for purchases or ATM withdrawals, and also don't charge a monthly account fee. If you have a low-fee debit card that doesn't charge a currency conversion fee, the exchange rate you get is set by Visa or Mastercard and is usually better than the high exchange rate margins set by travel money cards. Low-fee debit cards are also a good option for ATM withdrawals in comparison with low-fee credit cards, as they don't charge a cash advance fee. [Extracted from the article]

Credit card processing fees are usually higher, costing businesses about 1 to 1.5% of the transaction value for Visa and MasterCard, and 1.5 to 2% for an American Express card. Q I bought tickets for an activity using my Visa credit card and was charged a 5% credit card surcharge. We'll be looking at how well it compares to a 1.2V rechargeable battery and to the current batch of NiMH rechargeable batteries, when used in devices that require more than a few AA batteries to operate. [Extracted from the article]

Q For an upcoming trip to Europe my local independent travel agent quoted $4291 for Cover-More travel insurance. A CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird: It's not unusual for insurers to charge different prices for essentially the same product that is sold under different brands. A Health insurance expert Uta Mihm: Unfortunately it isn't possible to get tailored hospital insurance; you'll always be covered for some therapies that you won't need. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the role of several hospital health insurance such as dental check-ups, glasses, physiotherapy and naturopathy in public hospitals. Topics discussed include treatment of private patient in a public hospital, covering blood tests, X-rays and ultrasounds performed outside hospitals; and pregnancy and birth-related services.

Travel credit cards with no overseas online purchase or foreign exchange fees and a $0 annual fee (even for additional cardholders) can be a good alternative. THE TOP 3: Bankwest Zero Platinum Basic travel insurance; 14.99% purchase interest rate (21.99% cash advance interest rate); Higher of $4 or 2% cash advance fee; $6000 minimum credit limit. 28 Degrees Global Platinum No travel insurance, but some benefits in case of flight delay; 22.99% interest rate on purchases and cash advances; Higher of $4 or 3% cash advance fee; $6000 minimum credit limit. [Extracted from the article]

Basic hospital insurance policies offer the lowest tier of health cover at the lowest price point. If you earn over $90,000 (or $180,000 for couples and families) and decide you don't need health cover but want to avoid paying extra tax, a Basic policy may be an option for you. [Extracted from the article]

The article evaluates several prescription eyeglasses providers in Australia which include VisionDirect, Luxottica Group SpA, and Specsavers Optical Group Ltd.

The article offers tips for readers in saving on health insurance and preventing the waste of money on junk insurance. Tips include checking if a person is allowed to join a restricted membership fund, making use of discounts, taking out an excess or co-payment and downgrading one's level of cover.

The article discusses the study on consumers' right to return defective products as of March 2016 in Australia, highlighting the implementation of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) in 2011. The results reportedly revealed that numerous salespoeple either misunderstood or ignored ACL. It offers information on ACL which allows consumers to return faulty goods after the warranty has expired. Also examined are the services of retail firm Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd.

When he asked again for a refund request to be made, the RAA Travel agent stated it would be Andrew's responsibility to put the refund request in writing to GSR. Q I have a Panasonic clock radio with AM/FM and battery backup which is getting past its use-by date. A CHOICE digital home products expert Denis Gallagher: I must admit I was surprised at how little choice there is for a simple clock radio with AM, but you can still find a couple of suitable models at JB HiFi and The Good Guys. [Extracted from the article]

A CHOICE health expert Uta Mihm: To get cover for wisdom teeth or dental implant surgery in a hospital you need both hospital and extras insurance. Some funds offer insurance that's harder to claim on (but still costs the same) for members who are working casually, part-time, as carers or those who are out of the workforce. The specifics of moving your super vary slightly from fund to fund but start by contacting the fund you've chosen. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the frequent flyer rewards credit cards and their significance to travellers. Topics discussed include an overview of frequent flyer reward cards, the decline of their points value, their benefits for the card holders, and the review of travel cards both for high and low spenders.

A pandemic-related travel cruise ban was lifted in late April, and many cruise lines have returned to Australia. COVID-19, influenza, and other infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, spread easily between people living and socialising in close quarters." Even if your cruise doesn't leave Australian waters, you'll still need insurance, as doctors working on cruise ships don't need Medicare provider numbers. [Extracted from the article]

Opinions about private health insurance were also sought: Positive points were good hospital and extras cover (such as dental check-ups), and some respondents said their policy was good in comparison to other policies. Private health insurance costs, emergency department wait times and access to mental healthcare were the biggest concerns of participants in a survey published in the Australian Healthcare Index. [Extracted from the article]

The consumer guarantees are separate from the manufacturer's warranty and may still apply even if the warranty attached to the product has already expired. We told Jon that unfortunately there are no legal standards on how long a product should last, but under Australian Consumer Law goods purchased come with automatic guarantees that they are of "acceptable quality", meaning they should be safe, durable and free from defects for a reasonable period of time. We suggested Jon write a formal complaint to the retailer, mentioning that he believes the dishwasher does not meet the consumer guarantee of "acceptable quality". [Extracted from the article]

Some travel insurers, for example, Qantas (NIB) and Virgin (Zurich) now offer travel insurance policies with limited cover against COVID-19. After more than a year, Australia's borders have opened for a travel bubble with New Zealand. But these international travel insurance policies only cover you for travel to New Zealand while a government travel ban still prevents you from travelling anywhere else without an exemption. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses issues involving health insurance in Australia as of July 2015, particularly the issue of the gap payment. The medical gap payment is the amount doctors charge above the Medicare schedule fee. Also cited are some instances where gap payment occurs like tests such as X-rays and other doctors like assistant surgeon, as well as the comment by acting Private Health Insurance Ombudsman David McGregor on the issue.

The article examines the advice that Australia's leading mortgage brokers provide to home buyers. Topics covered include the problems with home loan advice such as advising a home buyer who wanted to refinance a home loan and who is in an unstable employment situation and a broker promoting his company's product while acknowledging that other lenders provided a cheaper loan.

AWhitegoods expert Ashley Iredale: No, gentleness does not equal fluffiness - rather, it's a measure of how much a washing machine beats up and damages your clothes (or how little). Modern washing machines, particularly front loaders, can spin your laundry much faster than washers of yore. We test gentleness by washing 100 x 100mm loose weave fabric swatches (it's actually cross stitch fabric, as specified by the Australian standard). [Extracted from the article]

While you will pay extra when you add a young driver to your policy, there are several things you can do to save on car insurance: Shop around - premiums for listed young drivers and young drivers driving their own car vary widely. Some insurers, like AAMI, will give you a discount if your young driver does their skilled driver training course. [Extracted from the article]

The usual time of health insurance price hikes - 1 April - has come and gone, but it's not too late to compare your health insurance and save. This year most health funds have delayed their premium increase. An excellent way to save money on your health insurance is to prepay your full annual premium before the increase comes into effect (so you can lock in the cheaper price). [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on varied dental fees charged by dental clinics across Australia. Topics discussed include dentists' prices being dependent on variety of factors such as overheads, location and clinical content, according to Australian Dental Association's (ADA) fee policy, views of ADA president Hugo Sachs regarding service offered by preferred provider network and variation in dental rebates from health insurers.

The article offers information on health insurance plans for pregnant women in Australia. Topics discussed include difference between pregnancy care provided by private and public hospitals such as cost, facilities and attendees; Medicare covering public patient bills in public hospitals while non-availability of out-of-hospital care cover in private insurance; strategies to reduce costs and choosing flexible pregnancy cover plans; and health insurance plans for newly born.

The article discusses issues concerning the selection of the right type of health insurance in Australia. Topics covered include private health insurance, coverage of hospital and extras insurance, monthly premium rates for different hospital types, and recommended best buys for basic hospital, budget combined hospital and extras and comprehensive extras policies.

The article examines the options for purchasing an insurance plan for private hospital services in Australia. Topics discussed include consideration of the type of coverage, benefits of a full protection plan that will not be used for several years and savings in the payment of premiums from the excess expense during admission to a hospital. Also mentioned are the hospital and medical gap payments, suspension of membership and coverage for family members.

The article discusses the need for Australians to check how much they are paying for life insurance and what they will get in return. The 40 percent increase in insurance premiums for major industry super funds in 2013 is a development that could take bite-sized chunks out of Australians' retirement savings. Australians are advised to have cover through super to have life insurance.

All car owners must have CTP (compulsory third party) insurance, which covers injury or death of another person in a car accident you've caused. Western Australia CTP insurance in WA is called Motor Injury Insurance and is operated by the Insurance Commission of Western Australia. CTP insurance doesn't cover damage to your car or any other cars. [Extracted from the article]

Worst policy: Bupa Silver Plus Advanced This policy has restricted or no cover for some services including pregnancy, IVF and psychiatric treatment. HCF Established in 1932, HCF is Australia's largest nonprofit health fund with almost 1.6 million members. 8 out of 10 health insurance members have a policy with one of the five largest funds: Medibank, Bupa, HCF, HBF and NIB. [Extracted from the article]

Some insurers also choose to cover the cost of insulin pumps in cases where hospitalisation isn't required - this is listed in the "Gold" group of cover options. If you have diabetes, you may need an insulin pump as part of your treatment. The cheapest ones are: • AAMI (NIB) Hospital Bronze Plus • Medibank Bronze Plus Progress • Suncorp (NIB) Hospital Bronze Plus. [Extracted from the article]

It's the second consecutive year of what is the lowest average yearly rise since 2001, but some funds will have bigger price hikes than others: the lowest increase will be Health Care Insurance at 1.09%, whereas CBHS Corporate will have the largest average increase for the second year in a row with a 5.33% price hike on average across its policies. Most health insurance premiums will increase on 1 April 2022 by an average of 2.7%. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents tips on how hospital patients in Australia can prevent contracting an infection, stating that an estimated 200,000 hospital-acquired infections are caught by patients in Australian hospitals each year as of September 2013. It explains that there are big differences between similar hospitals in infection rates for a potentially deadly Staphylococcus infection. It notes that Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is now a performance indicator for hospitals.

The article reports on Australians' health care expenditures. As of 2013, data showed that a fifth of Australians' health expenditures are out of pocket costs or expenses they pay for themselves. The Consumer Health Forum reveals that families spend an average of 500 Australian dollars a year on doctor's bills and 1,200 Australian dollars a year on medicines. Insurance companies have reported that a growing number of consumers are downgrading their insurance cover to cope with rising costs. INSETS: A lot for a little;EXTRA! EXTRA!.

The article offers information about health insurance in Australia, their premium prices and covered procedures. For young singles and couples, it is advisable that they purchase basic hospital insurance which covers only public hospitals. It is also recommended to know if an insurer covers ambulance by looking at the Standard Information Sheets (SIS) at privatehealth.gov.au.

The article discusses the implications of the proposed increase to the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) in Australia beginning July 1, 2012. This move will give the government about 2.4 billion dollars in savings over the next three years. It explains how high-income earners can still save money if they pay for private hospital cover instead of paying the extra MLS instead.

The article examines several options for hospital insurance policies. It references a guide from "CHOICE's" Best Buy hospital insurance policies which explain the different levels of coverage including full cover, restricted, and cover with exclusions. Best Buy insurance policies were found to guarantee an average savings of 591 dollars for full cover without an excess, 575 dollars for full cover with 500 dollars annual excess, and 617 dollars for restricted-cover policies with 1,000 dollars annual excess.

The article reports on the results of a consumer study on spectacles conducted by CHOICE. The spectacles tested in this study were purchased at retailers W Vision, Budget Eyewear, OPSM, Optical Superstre and Specsavers. Lens options include standard plastic for single-vision lenses, progressive multi-focal lenses and tailor-made progressive lenses while coating options include anti-scratch, anti-reflective and ultraviolet (UV) eye protection. Frame choices include plastics, metal, stainless steel and titanium.

The article discusses the significance of life insurance to families in Australia. This type of insurance is advantageous because it helps families when disaster strikes by providing dependents with a lump sum to pay off mortgages and debts. Tips on how to get insurance cover, types of life cover, and super fund death cover are also discussed.