The system takes.
We give back.
Up to $10k towards your deposit.
Shave years off your timeline.
Supercharge your deposit
Every time a first home sells, tens of thousands get swallowed up in fees. Normally, it fuels suits and marketing departments.
We thought: what if it fuelled you instead?
So we built Aera Credits - cutting through the fat fees clogging the system and dropping up to $10k back where it belongs: with you.
Turn milestones into money.
You smash milestones, complete learning blocks, and stay on track - we turn that energy and commitment into cold, hard deposit cash.
- Grind the reps: Finish your learning blocks, unlock credits.
- Hit milestones: Each one gets you closer to your today home.
- Cash it in: When you cross the line with Aera, we split our fee with you - up to $10,000 straight into your deposit.
That’s not loyalty points. That’s not a free tote bag. That’s one-fifth of your deposit, gone from their pockets and dropped into yours.
Why It Matters and How it Works
Because while you’re saving, the market is usually climbing 5–6% a year. Sitting still is falling behind. Aera Credits doesn’t just shave years — it saves you from paying tomorrow’s prices. Need more convincing why getting there faster matters? Click here to read this.
Use Aera to secure your mortgage, insurance, and buy your brand-new home, and those credits turn into real cash for your deposit.
We don’t magic money out of thin air — we split the fat fees slushing around in the system and redirect up to $10,000 straight to you. Terms apply of course (click here to see them), but the deal is simple: use Aera, hit your milestones, and watch the system’s waste become your deposit fuel.
JOIN THE AERA FAST TRACK TO ACCESS:
Frequently asked questions
Aera Credits™ are a way for us to give you a first-home-faster boost to your deposit! They keep you on track and motivate you throughout your entire savings and home buying journey.
Credits can be redeemed for up to $10,000 towards your deposit, but only when you use Aera services to help you get into your home. They can cut years off your first home timeline.
You can unlock credits throughout your home buying journey by doing things such as saving regularly, completing quests and hitting milestones.
You can only redeem them when you use Aera's First Home Finder service - they then turn into cash towards your first home deposit.
You can only redeem credits when you ultimately use Aera’s services to complete your first home purchase. For example, Aera facilitating the best mortgage, insurances and purchase of a brand new home for you. The more of Aera’s services you use over time, the more credits you may be eligible to redeem.
You “unlock” credits along your savings journey, and whatever credit balance you have unlocked and are eligible to redeem can only be used towards your first home deposit. Credits have no other value.
How do we give you up to $10,000 in Aera Credits?There are a lot more hidden fees than you think in that first home transaction. To be pretty blunt, when we found out just how much it was we thought it was wrong. And given how challenging it is to get into that first home, more of it should go to Kiwis like you to help you get into your first home years sooner.
We are on the same team as you and we’re in your corner - so when you join Team Aera and you’re ready to buy, we split all our fees with you. You can cash in your Credits adding up to $10,000 when we help with securing your finance and home with our First Home Finder service.
Within the Aera app you need to set up your Credits dashboard. You can then see all the Credits you’ve unlocked and all the other ways you can keep unlocking them.
We are regularly syncing this balance based on your activity. Note there may be a short delay between performing an action (such as depositing your first $500) and your unlock. But normally, this won't take more than an hour, max.
Please reach out to us in your in-app Help Centre if you have any questions.
Deposit Credits do not expire as long as you are an active saver and member of Aera, steadily working towards your first home goal. Any unlocked credits have no value other than contributing to your first home deposit at the point of purchase so long as you have utilised the relevant Aera services and all terms and conditions are met.
They may be deemed inactive if you stop saving with us for a period of three months, however may be reactivated again just by starting your savings again and hitting milestones again. We do reserve the right to change the terms and conditions at any time but will always let you know first!
You’ll be able to see the Aera Credits you build up in the dashboard in your Aera app. Then when you buy your house using the range of services Aera offers, you can then use this as part of your deposit, with Credits viewable throughout your journey.
If you join as an Aera member and use the app to track your deposit goal, knock off learning blocks for everything you need to know, arrange your mortgage and find you a house - you should be on track to unlock the full $10k.
At present, the $10,000 can only be used on a deposit, and we pay this directly to your solicitor on your behalf just before settlement. The reason for this is we get a commission for finding you a home and we split this commission with you. But we often have promotions with our developer partners who might throw in some vouchers to spend on couches and a brand new TV - bonus!
You can only access the Aera Credits of $10,000 once the house you are buying goes ‘unconditional’ - meaning, you’re committed to buying it. We then pay this directly to your lawyer on your behalf at settlement.
No. You can use whoever you like, but we’ve created these accounts specially for first home savers to get ahead. And saving at least some of your deposit with Aera helps you build your Credit balance faster.
As seen in...
Cost of living: New report claims it's now impossible for median-income first home buyers to save deposit without help.
