Back to school with Saver Plus

Many Australians put their ‘out of office’ on come summer holidays. Families relax by the beach, connect with old friends, watch the cricket, or go camping by the river.

But for many families, the end of that summer fun can come with a shock: back-to-school costs for children.

ANZ’s Saver Plus is helping families ease their financial anxiety when it comes to back-to-school costs through Saver Plus’s annual ‘Back to School’ campaign.

Eligible participants that complete the ten-month program learn invaluable knowledge and have their savings matched (up to $500 AUD) by ANZ for education-related expenses.

Kylie, a past participant of the Saver Plus program, first heard about the program through her son’s school newsletter.

“[I thought it], would be a great opportunity to learn more about budgeting, while saving for my son’s laptop for school,” she said.

While participating in the program Kylie learnt valuable tips on saving and how ‘little things’ purchased during a weekly grocery shop can add up.

“When I now go grocery shopping, I try not to buy the little bags of lollies,” she said. “These little extras really do add up. For somebody who doesn’t have any idea about saving and budgeting the program was really insightful and valuable.”

Kylie completed the program in 2021 and has not looked back.

“Over many years, evaluation of Saver Plus has shown the program utilises the combined power of goals, incentives and personal support to support lower-income people to build savings behaviour,” said Kath Bray, Managing Director Retail Banking at ANZ.

“For many participants the program is literally life changing. We’re proud to have reached such a significant milestone of the program – 20 years of delivery – and thank our partners for their hard work and dedication”,

Since completing the program Kylie now teaches her three children the art of financial literacy and how important it is in everyday life.

“My son is very good with money and budgeting,” she said. “I think he has seen what it means to grow up without that much money, so he is definitely more conscious of it.

 “Everybody can benefit from this program.”

If you, a family member, or a friend are interested in the program, you can register here. Eligibility criteria applies.

Brianne Keogh (she/her) Social Impact Manager Communications and Corporate Affairs, ESG team at ANZ