There are numerous credit card deals available depending on how you use your card. Some want best rewards incl Qantas Frequent Flyer points, no annual fee, best balance transfer rate, lowest long term interest rate, no foreign transaction fees.
Credit Card Deals:
Earn between $300 to $500 of Kogan Credit when you spend on your credit card.
Free Kogan First Membership (Worth up to $99)
100,000 Flybuys points when you spend $3000 within the first 90 days of receiving the card.
Please see full terms & conditions on the website link above.
ANZ Credit Cards
They often have deals on their frequent flyer credit cards so check them out especially their Black Credit Card.
NAB Credit cards
frequently have deals on their platinum cards including free points and annual fees.
Westpac Credit Cards
Often have deals on their credit cards including 55 day and altitude cards
NO Annual Fee Credit Cards
BankWest Zero Platinum Mastercard
$0 Annual Fee plus Free Travel Insurance
Top Rewards
Woolworths Everyday Rewards Credit Card
$0 for first year then $49/yr
MoneyBack Rewards
Reserve Bank of Australia in Dec 2011 found the average spend required on a standard rewards card to earn a $100 voucher was $21,900, compared to $18,500 in June 2011.
Premium reward cards need on average less (around $11,300 spend) but have much higher fees as well.
Retailer Branded credit cards such as Woolworths Everyday Rewards Credit Card & Jetstar Platinum requiring on average a $12,600 spend but have lower annual fees.
FREQUENT FLYER CARDS
There are a range of frequent flyer cards. Many offer free points such as Qantas frequent flyer points.
Jetstar Credit Card
Jetstar Credit Card is a way of earning points to fly on Jetstar
You can also avoid paying Jetstar credit card transaction fees by paying with this card.
Gold & Platinum Cards with FREE Travel Insurance
Gold or Platinum credit cards often offer free travel insurance for you and sometimes your family if you pay your holiday with your credit card. This can work out substantially cheaper than normal travel insurance and is provided free with the cards annual fee.There are certain conditions allowing you to get insurance:
You usually have to pay for part/most/all your holiday costs on this credit card to activate cover
Pre-existing medical conditions are often not covered.
You usually need a return ticket to Australia.
The card has to be valid for the entire trip.
NOTE: TERMS & CONDITIONS VARY BETWEEN CARDS SO ALWAYS CHECK YOU ARE COMPLETELY COVERED. Don’t rely on being covered. Always get written proof of cover if you are not completely clear about your cover.
Current deals:
Bankwest Gold Zero Credit Card
NO Annual Fee
Complimentary Travel Insurance up to 3 months.
Bankwest Platinum Zero Credit Card
NO Annual Fee!
Complimentary Travel Insurance up to 6 months.
No Foreign Transaction fees for purchases.
Usually with BankWest the cover is activated by purchasing your overseas ticket on your card, but check BankWest terms & conditions for the latest information.
Credit card travel insurance vs standard travel insurance
There are a range of reviews about how credit card insurance.
The main thing to review is
the terms & conditions, as always for any insurance.
you may need to
call your credit card insurance company before you go
and is not a bad idea to do this anyway to make sure you are covered.
check if you have a pre-existing medical condition whether covered as normally you aren’t.
if you do any activity it may be considered high risk by travel insurance such as diving and so may not be covered.
That is why it is essential to read all terms & conditions before deciding this is enough cover for you.
To activate the cover you will normally need to spend a minimum amount such as $500 (currently on NAB Credit Cards).
Other things to be aware of when you compare credit card travel insurance vs a standard travel insurance policy is the policy excess.
With standard paid for policies the excess for any claim is often $100 vs $250 on credit card insurance.
However credit card insurance can cover you to higher amounts and can often cover car rental excesses. This may mean you don’t have to take out the expensive car insurance when you hire a car whilst away (or event sometimes domestically). The following have car rental cover domestically:
ANZ
St George
Westpac
Bank of South Australia
Bank of Melbourne
Top Deals for Foreign Transactions
When travelling or buying things from abroad, you’re often charged fees for paying in a foreign currency.
These fees can vary between 1.5-2.5% which is pretty high if you’re frequently travelling or buying things online abroad.
There are however cards that can save you money by not charging you foreign transaction fees if you pay for things abroad such as hotel rooms, car hire or the latest iPad!
Bankwest Platinum Zero Credit Card
NO Annual Fee!
Complimentary Travel Insurance up to 6 months!
No Foreign Transaction fees for purchases!
How to find my Credit Rating?
There are two main credit rating companies in Australia which are offered for FREE!
Dun & Bradstreet
You can order their standard service that takes 10 business days or you can get a report instantly online but pay $30.
Make sure you click the correct link to make sure you don’t pay $30!
Offers a premium service as well but the link above takes you to their free credit report service.
Improve your credit rating
Cancel old credit cards you don’t use
Show you’re not moving around all the time: Stay at same address, keep the same bank account, Stay with the same employer
Check your credit file there isn’t anything on it that is incorrect
Don’t apply for too many cards or loans at the same time and try to avoid rejections.