Household bills · 2 min read
broker vs diy: why we use one for a mortgage but not for bills
81.6% of new Aussie home loans go through a broker. So why are we still DIY-ing our power, internet and mobile bills? A quick, honest comparison.
By Agent Bill team · 4 November 2026
You'd never write your own home loan. Most of us don't even shop for one alone: brokers facilitated a record 81.6% of all new residential home loans in the June 2026 quarter, according to the MFAA (data by Cotality).
So why do we still DIY our power, internet and mobile bills?
why we use brokers
- There are too many options.
- The fine print is full of jargon.
- Someone else checks the market, so you don't lose a weekend to it.
bills are the same problem, just smaller and more often
Power alone is a maze. The ACCC found customers would be offered up to 233 plans when seeking to switch. No wonder 31% thought it was too hard to compare offers and that the savings wouldn't be significant (Energy Consumers Australia, cited by the ACCC). And only 1 in 5 residential customers switch retailers each year, according to the ACCC.
the cost of DIY-ing badly
Finder estimates Aussies paid $6.7 billion in loyalty tax across internet, mobile and energy. That's Finder estimates of $986 million on NBN, $2.8 billion on mobile and $2.9 billion on energy. And 64% of Aussies haven't switched a single household bill in the past 12 months, according to a Finder survey.
Curious what yours might be? Try the loyalty tax calculator, or read what a loyalty tax is.
where the analogy falls over (honestly)
Mortgage brokers are usually paid commission by lenders. We're not. We charge you a flat fee, and that's it.
- No commissions or kickbacks from providers.
- No affiliate deals.
- No sales calls.
You pay us, so we work for you.
what a "bill broker" actually does
- Checks the market against your actual bills.
- Tells you exactly what to do, in plain English.
- Keeps watch, so the next price rise doesn't sneak past.
Want to see the process? Here's how we review a bill. And if rate rises are biting, read what you can actually do.
your bills, sorted
Sources
Too busy to compare? Send us your bills.
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