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Why 7.7 Isn’t Just A Day To Shop, But Also For You To Start Making Better Financial Decisions

Make some good financial decisions this year on 7.7


This article was written in collaboration with DBS. All views expressed in this article are the independent opinion of DollarsAndSense.sg based on our research. DollarsAndSense.sg is not liable for any financial losses that may arise from any transactions and readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence. You can view our full editorial policy here.

When it comes to dates like 7.7 (7 July), 10.10 (10 October) or 11.11 (11 November), online shoppers are often excited by these special shopping days with the best, can’t-miss deals. For those of us who are not big on shopping, it’s easy to think that these dates mean nothing to us.

But that’s not always true. If you are someone, like me, who prefers making better financial decisions, dates like 7.7 can also be a good day to review the financial decisions that we have been procrastinating on, and take concrete actions to improve our current financial situation, while saving (and even earning) some money at the same time.

Get Started On Your Investment Journey On 7.7

If you have been reading DollarsAndSense for some time, you would surely know by now the importance of starting your investment journey early. Yet, it is never too late to start.

Investing doesn’t need to be intimidating. If you are unsure of how to invest, Singapore’s first hybrid human-robo advisor digiPortfolio by DBS has been designed to help us get started on our investment journey from as little as SGD/ USD 1,000. In fact, you don’t even need to open an investment account because most people in Singapore already have a DBS account. Simply log in to your DBS digibank app or website to start investing today.

Through DBS digiPortfolio, you will gain access to quality ETF-based portfolios that have been specially curated by DBS investment experts. You can choose the risk level that you are comfortable with, and the portfolio will automatically be constructed based on your preference. Do read more on our review of the DBS digiPortfolio here before getting started.

If you prefer for your investment funds to be actively managed by a fund manager, you can consider investing in unit trusts via DBS. This can also be done online on our DBS iBanking platform. With unit trusts, you can select the geography, sectors and type of assets that you want to invest in, and DBS will suggest the funds that you can consider based on your inputs.

On 7 July 2021, DBS will be providing a very attractive S$18 cash rebate to DBS customers who invest at least S$1,000 cash in the DBS digiPortfolio or online unit trusts. This applies even for existing investors with DBS.

Best of all, the rewards given for both the DBS digiPortfolio and online unit trusts are independent of one another. This means if you invest at least S$1,000, each, in both the DBS digiPortfolio and online unit trusts, you get 2 X S$18 cashback rewards. Not a bad way to get started on your investment journey!

Trades must be successfully placed online between 6th July 3:01pm to 8th July 2021 2:59pm. Find out more in the terms and conditions here.

Improve Your Insurance Coverage On 7.7

Even as you invest for your future, it’s important to protect yourselves and your loved ones financially today. After all, life can throw us curveballs that nobody can anticipate.

Life insurance protection is essential especially if you have dependents, such as children, elderly parents or non-working spouse, who are reliant on your income. If you are not around to provide for them, a life insurance payout can provide your dependents with the financial support they need to continue living their lives without having to worry about money. A term life plan can be an affordable way to cover against death, total and permanent disability or terminal illness.

Besides life insurance coverage, you also need to protect yourselves against critical illnesses. While you may recover physically from a critical illness, the experience would take an emotional, physical and financial toll on the family. Critical illness coverage allows you to at least remove the financial burden on the family during the recovery period.

Additionally, don’t forget your home – the most valuable asset that you likely own. A fire, burst pipe or even theft could destroy and rob you not just of the valuable belongings that you own, but also leave you needing to incur hefty renovation costs. You may also need to seek alternative accommodations during this period. Thus, a home content insurance plan is vital in ensuring that you don’t incur heavy financial losses if such an unfortunate incident occurs.

If you need any of these insurance coverages, 7.7 is going to be a good time to consider getting the policies that you need. Through DBS, you can enjoy premiums starting from as low as $1.49* per month for TermProtect, which is a term life insurance plan, or premiums at $2.86* per month for eCriticalCare, which is a critical illness plan, both of which are offering 50% off first-year premium discounts.

*Footnote for TermProtect: This premium amount is calculated based on a male non-smoker aged 18 with coverage amount of S$50,000 for a policy term of 10 years

*Footnote for eCriticalCare: This premium amount is calculated based on a male non-smoker aged 18 with coverage amount of S$50,000 for a policy term of 10 years.

For home content insurance, you will receive S$50 of shopping vouchers if you purchase the myHome Protect home content insurance plan on 7.7 through DBS.

Save More Money On Essential Services On 7.7

Besides your investment and insurance needs, making better financial decisions also means ensuring that you get the best bang for your buck when you spend on essential items. As the saying goes, a dollar saved is a dollar earned.

In Singapore, one of the easiest ways you can save money each month is to simply pay less for your electricity. Through one of the many plans provided by OEM providers, you can enjoy cheaper electricity rates than what is offered by the default provider, SP Group. If you have not already switched provider, you can use the DBS Utilities Marketplace to find a suitable plan for yourselves.

7.7 will be a great day to make that switch for those who have not done so. This is because DBS will be giving an additional $8 cashback, on top of any other rebates that will be given by the OEM providers. To do so, pre-register your interest first. On 7.7 itself, shop on DBS marketplace and make a transaction to receive the $8 cashback.

Besides electricity plans, you can also consider getting a product from their Education marketplace or Leisure and Travel marketplace. So you are not just limited to one category for the cashback offer.

Earn 8% Cashback When You Pay At Online Marketplaces Using DBS/POSB Cards On 7.7

If you are already looking to score some great online deals offered by ecommerce platforms such as Amazon, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee and Taobao, here’s a piece of good news.

You will also enjoy an extra 8% cashback (capped at $8 per cardmember) by checking out on the 5 online marketplaces using any DBS/POSB Credit or Debit Cards. So, take full advantage of the opportunity to save more on your purchases, whether you are shopping for yourself or the household. To get the best deal, keep your order to around $100 (or as close as you are able to) and pay using your own personal DBS/POSB Cards to receive the 8% cashback, capped at $8 per cardmember. If you are planning to buy more items, split household purchases across your spouse or family members’ DBS/POSB Credit or Debit cards and they will also enjoy the 8% cashback.

Remember, the 8% cashback is on top of any savings that you are already enjoying from the 7.7 flash deals and DBS/POSB Cards promotions here

Pay Using PayLah On 7.7

7 July falls on a Wednesday this year, which is a regular working day for most of us. Whether you are working in the office or working from home, there is a good chance you may need to buy your lunch or dinner if you are not intending to cook.

If you are paying for your hawker meal on 7.7, remember to pay using DBS PayLah!. You will get to enjoy an 8% cashback on your first PayLah! transaction at hawkers or any merchants*. So if you are paying for a $10 meal, paying via PayLah! will means getting an $0.80 cashback. Do note that the cashback is capped at $1 for the first 300,000 customers, no minimum spend required.

*Excludes Gojek, ComfortDelgro and Gpay transactions.

How Much Can We Earn On 7.7 DBS Extra Bonus Day?

After reviewing all the various perks that one can enjoy on 7 July 2021 with DBS Extra Bonus Day, we couldn’t help but attempt to calculate how much a person could earn on that day.

Just by making simple financial decisions on the day itself. Here’s the possible amount that an individual can enjoy.

Start investing via DBS digiPortfolio and in Unit Trusts via DBS 2 X Receive S$18 cashback
Purchase myHome Protect home content insurance through DBS Get S$50 shopping vouchers
Choose an OEM plan through DBS marketplace

 

Earn S$8 cashback, on top of any additional rebate (up to S$80) that the OEM provider is also giving
Pay using a DBS Credit or Debit Card on online marketplaces  (Amazon, Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee and Taobao) Earn up to S$8 cashback (8% cashback)
Pay using PayLah! at hawkers or merchants Earn up to S$1 cashback (8% cashback)
Total S$103 in cashback and vouchers

 

Of course, the exact amount that we earn very much depends on the financial decisions that we wish to make on the day itself. It’s possible you may even earn more than the $103 that we show above.

The point here is that even as a non-shopper on 7.7, we can take stock on any financial related decisions that we may have been procrastinating on, and to use the additional benefits offered by DBS on this day to encourage us to take action!

Find out more about the details of these promotions on the 7.7 DBS Extra Bonus Day.

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