Bon Voyage!

Just need a holiday to get away from it all? Or are you finally going to do that round-the-world trip you’ve been talking about for years? Whether it’s a quick weekend away or a year long junket, planning a holiday is lots of fun… until you start realising the difference in cost between first and economy and six stars and two! Follow the four simple steps below to get you on your way to making the trip you’re dreaming of.

1. Create an account

SmartyPig is for people who want to save for specific goals and have the support and incentive to achieve them. Just tell us what you’re saving for, how much you want to save and when you want to reach your goal, and we’ll suggest an automatic monthly deposit you’ll make from an existing transaction or savings account until you reach your goal. We pay you interest to help along the way and have retail partners like Blue Holidays that can give you an added reward when you reach your goal.

2. Set up goals

First of all, it pays to work out how much you need. Use our holiday savings calculator to work out how much it’s all going to come to so you know where you stand.

Now you know how much you need to set aside overall, you can start thinking about how you’re going to get there. Do you have anything saved now to go towards it? And when will you need each amount by? In many cases you’ll require a deposit and will then pay the full amount closer to when you leave. If you haven’t tried out our calculator, don’t forget the little things like insurance, spending money and any stuff you might need whilst you’re away – anything from hiking boots or skis to a new bikini.

3. Start saving

SmartyPig can be a great way to help you pay for your trip in cash so you can enjoy yourself without thinking of the bill when you get back! Here’s how:

  1. Create a SmartyPig profile. You can link a bank account from any institution in Australia. This is where your direct debits will be drawn from to make regular contributions towards your goals.
  2. Set up goals for each of the categories you’re going to be spending money in. eg. Create one for airfares, one for accommodation, one for your spending money and so on. All you need to do is enter the amount you need and when you need it by. SmartyPig will work out how much you need to put aside each month to make it happen. Each month, on the day you nominate, SmartyPig will activate a direct debit that will draw your monthly contribution out of your bank account and into your SmartyPig goal.
  3. As you’re setting up your goals, you’ll notice that you can notify friends and family. Using this feature will send them an email notifying them of the goal you’ve started and showing how far toward it you are (either as a % or $ amount). This can be a great way for the people closest to you to contribute towards your trip and actually be able to see what it’s going toward.
  4. If you’d prefer not to use the email feature, you can also add widgets for each of your goals to your blog, Facebook or Myspace page, or many other social networks. This allows your friends and family to see what you’re saving towards. If you’re lucky, they might chip in!
  5. If you find yourself with some extra money one month, you can add that toward your goal before you have a chance to spend it on something else using SmartyPig too. In the case that you have contributed extra towards your goal (or your friends and family have), you’re able to reduce your monthly contributions to the minimum amount that would allow you to still reach your goal on time.
  6. As you’re working towards your goal, SmartyPig will help you out by paying you interest on your savings. Our current interest rate is available on the homepage.

4. Reach your goals

When you’ve reached your goal, you can have your savings transferred back into your savings account as cash. Alternatively, for more ’bang for your buck‘ you can take your savings as a gift card with an extra % on top with one of our retail partners. These include great companies such as Blue Holidays (business class upgrade anyone?) and JB Hi-Fi (if you’ve never done a long-haul flight, you’ll need some distracting, trust us).

So what are you waiting for? Start your SmartyPig goals today and get on the way to having your dream holiday!

Let’s Get Started!