Annual fee currently $395
Special promotions:
. 60,000 Altitude or Qantas bonus Points with a new Altitude Black card after you make your first purchase by 30 April 2015. Offer ends 19 April 2015.
. 0% p.a. purchase rate for 6 months from card approval on new cards only. Apply between 6 January 2015 and 19 April 2015.
. 3.99% p.a. for 6 months on balance transfers requested at new card application
Yes just hold off getting the card and put the $395 towards a flight I say!
Annual fee = $395
60K Altitude Points = 30K AsiaMiles = 30K SQ Krisflyer Points
So might as well choose the 60K Qantas points I reckon ?
imo FF points are best for flight class upgrades
+1 for upgrades.
This is not a good deal, the card costs too much. The ANZ deal last year was for 80,000 points and was free yearly fee for the first year.
yeh definitely far from a "bargain" anyway..
This card comes with free family travel insurance (Zurich), so for overseas travellers, it might be worth the annual card fee alone. It also has 24 months additional warranty on purchases as well.
Features are here: http://www.westpac.com.au/personal-banking/credit-cards/rewa…
How does this stack up against other credit cards that offer these features?
Just be aware that there is generally a $250 excess for any type of insurance/warranty claim. The features are good - at least when I decided to keep it. :)
I was caught in the typhoon in Japan in September this year with my family and put a claim for $1600 in extra airfares I had to book to get home and the claim process went well with Zurich. $250 excess was what I paid.
I used the insurance to replace my iPhone after it stopped working correctly but was out of warranty. The $250 excess worked out as a cheap upgrade.
But for the additional warranty you will need to be an active card member. Once you cancel the card, the additional warranty goes with it!
Of course, it's insurance. You stop having your car insurance it won't be covered in an accident. Common sense isn't it?
Just informing other people.
Plus, it's not the insurance you are cancelling, it's the card. Some people might think that they might be separate.
This is a good credit card if you spend a lot on credit. Fee is high, but you can earn points quite fast as the linked Amex gives you 3 points per dollar. My card gives me Altitude rewards points, where you can get a $100 voucher for ~18,200 points. That equates to ~$6k spend for $100 return.
You can also use your points to pay for your annual fee.
Still not convinced with the high annual fee.
I believe it's also the credit card you get if you have a home loan package with Westpac. :)
Yep, got mine for "free" with the Westpac Premium Advantage Package. Have to pay for the package though :-(
Point earnings are uncapped as well. So if you have a big month on the credit card you do not miss out on any points. Mastercard points per dollar spent are 0.625 QANTAS points which is a bit more than most cards (1 point would be better). 1.5 QANTAS points per dollar for Amex Card. More if overseas.
Uncapped is why I stayed with Black when they brought it out over the Platinum one. They agreed to keep the annual fee the same as my old Platinum so it has worked out well.
If the $395 annual fee were used to buy QFF points directly, it would get you 12,500 points (https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/usingPoints/top…). To get 60,000 points directly from Qantas it would cost $1,500. Also, the two lounge passes can be sold on Gumtree for $60 to $75.
Overall, its a pretty good card but I imagine better deals will come later in the year.
Also, the two lounge passes can be sold on Gumtree for $60 to $75.
I am glad you said this, I had no idea I was supposed to be getting two passes for my Earth Black. The stupid thing is that you have to opt into it first. Even though my QFF details are all linked up, you need to opt in to get the free lounge passes separately. No doubt to save them a ton of give aways for all the people like me that missed this point completely. I just opted in of course, now I have to wait until I buy some Qantas tickets etc… before they send passes. I have purchased heaps of tickets in the past, and missed out on years’ worth of these passes to use/give away.
How come you have to buy tickets first? With ANZ Black you just request them over the phone.
You need be on QF to use the passes but not to request them?
Ask them that:
"2:Qantas Club Lounge Invitations To be eligible for the two complimentary Qantas Club Lounge Invitations, you must first register at earthblack.com.au and then use your Earth Black card in Australia to purchase selected Qantas products and services.Selected Qantas products and services are the following items purchased directly from Qantas: Qantas passenger flights (with a QF flight number), Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qantas Club membership joining and annual fees. Excludes Jetstar, Qantas Holidays, Qantas branded non-airfare products and any Qantas products and services not purchased directly from Qantas. Each year, you will receive two complimentary lounge invitations once you have made the required spend on selected Qantas products and services."
I think the Free for Life CitiBank Siganture Card Offer is a better deal. Sure no bonus points on signing up but no fee for life, and you can opt to link the card to QF for FF points so in the long term a better deal. I mean you are $395 better off to start with and Citibank offer the interest free period and all the other perks such as Travel Ins and Purchase Price Protection etc at no extra cost.
Good card but yes the annual fee kills it. Get a job in the Westpac group though and you can get this free (no annual fee) for life.
60,000 points directly from Qantas it would cost $1,500
0% interest for 6 months
2 years extended warranty
6 months of family travel insurance
2 lounge pass
= $395
It's a good deal
The HSBC Platinum CC $0 Annual Fee For Life promo has been extended until 30 April 2015.
OzBargain thread: http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/147012
HSBC Platinum CC $0 Annual Fee For Life promo site: http://www.hsbc.com.au/1/2/personal/credit-cards/platinum
Without the 10k bonus points?
No bonus points but you get $0 annual fee … for life. Your choice really, pay annual fee (get X-amount bonus points) or no annual fee with no bonus points but which you can accumulate every year at your leisure.
I'll wait for the next bonus points card with first year free.
(I find it painful accumulating points like a normal person after scoring 320,000 bonus points between ANZ/NAB)
Switches, upgrades, customers accessing employee benefits or packaged cards are ineligible. In order to be eligible customers must have been charged the standard annual fee.
I got home loan packaged, is that mean I am not eligible ? due to I did not pay the CC annual fee.
$395 annual fee kills it.