Qantas to pay $400 million in dividends

Qantas pays first dividend in five years, Microsoft hikes fees, and home loan offsets soars 60%. Here are five things you may have missed this week.

Qantas to pay $400 million in dividends

Qantas shares hit high altitude this week when the airline reported a $1.4 billion mid-year profit, and its first dividend since the start of the COVID pandemic.

All up, the airline will pay $400 million worth of dividends, which works out to 26.4 cents per share.

But the airline may hit turbulence later this year.

Qatar Airways has been given the green light to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia (the airline is unlisted).

This will allow Virgin Australia to resume long haul flights in mid-2025, placing downward pressure on airfares.

Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka, says Qatar Airways' investment is "a major win for Australian consumers, who are already benefiting from more choice and greater value when travelling to Europe, the Middle East and Africa since our flights went on sale in December."

Microsoft jacks up subscription price 

Tech giant Microsoft announced earlier this year that it will hike subscription fees to "reflect the extensive benefits we've added over the past 12 years".

As it stands, a family subscription to Microsoft 365, now costs $179 annually, up from $139.

Microsoft users have vented their displeasure on social media.

But the tech giant is not alone in jacking up subscriptions.

Worldpanel's latest Entertainment on Demand data shows the average monthly spend per Australian household for video on demand services has jumped from $43 in 2023 to $50 by the end of last year - a 16% rise.

The crazy thing is that 8.4 million Aussies are currently paying for subscriptions they don't even use - from entertainment, health and fitness subscriptions to dating apps.

According to ING research, the main reasons we keep forking out for unused subscriptions, include:

• We forget to cancel a free trial (32%)
• Friends or family use the service (31%), and
• Almost one in four (23%) simply forgot about the subscription.

All up, subscriptions cost Aussies an average of $874 each per year.

It could be time to check if you're paying for subscriptions you don't use.

Mortgage offset balances jump over 60%

Both Westpac and NAB are allowing homeowners to offset their mortgage across up to 10 separate accounts.

By way of background, an offset account is an at-call account linked to a home loan.

Instead of receiving interest on the balance, the value of an offset account is deducted from, or offset against, a home loan when interest is calculated.

It can make offset accounts a big money saver.

Both Westpac and NAB report soaring offset account figures, with balances jumping 63% at Westpac and 65% at NAB over the past five years.

In response, the banks are giving home owners the option to spread spare cash across multiple offset accounts at no additional fee.

The idea is that this allows home owners to set aside cash for different goals into separate offset accounts.

Westpac's managing director of mortgages, Damien MacRae, adds, "Multi-offset accounts can also allow customers the flexibility to open a home loan with family or friends and still reduce their interest payments while keeping their broader finances separate."

Australia's gender investment gap

Australia has a 'gender investment gap'. That's according to CoreLogic's 2025 Women and Property report.

Just how wide the gap is, depends on the type of investment.

As a guide:

• 24% of men own cryptocurrency, compared to 8% of women
• 34% of men invest in shares, compared to 19% of women.

But when it comes to property, the gap narrows.

Overall, 14% of males own at least one residential investment property compared to 11% of women.

The playing field is a lot more level when it comes to 'rent-vesting' - owning an investment property, and renting where you choose to live.

Around 8% of both men and women are choosing to grow property wealth through rent vesting.

One in five pensioners skip medical treatment due to cost

This is not good.

While both sides of politics have pledged a multi-million dollar boost to Medicare to make GP visits free for more Australians, new research suggests many older Australians are struggling to afford essential healthcare.

A survey by Australian Seniors shows 20% of pensioners are putting off, or simply giving up on, medical treatment because they can't afford the cost.

Private health insurance can be out of the question for seniors. And it's not getting any cheaper.

The federal government has just approved an average increase in health premiums of 3.73% effective April.

But the additional funding in Medicare may not solve the problem.

Dr Michael Wright, president of the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) welcomes an increased investment in Medicare, which he says "has been under-funded for years".

However, he notes, "Extending bulk billing incentives to everyone won't necessarily mean everyone gets bulk billed, because patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care."

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