Westpac Black (Altitude or Qantas) vs Amex Platinum Edge and HSBC Platinum

jackjason on 01/01/2017 - 13:46

Hi All,

I wanted your opinion regarding credit cards.

Based on the credit card guide wiki from this site, I currently have the following three cards.
- 28 Degrees for international use
- Amex Platinum Edge for local purchases and the free flight
- HSBC Platinum Visa for local purchases where Amex is not available

Recently I got a letter from Amex regarding the change in flights to $200 travel credit which personally I am not a big fan of. In addition, I want to get rid of the HSBC card as the points expire after three years (at the rate I'm collecting points, it will be a long time before I can get a worthwhile return). I then came across the Westpac Altitude Black card where the points don't expire and we can get a Amex and Mastercard combo. Also, I found that as an employee, I won't be charged annual fees. So the question is, is it worth cancelling the Amex and HSBC card and simply taking the Westpac one (assuming that I am eligible for the card)? Which one should I take - Altitude or the Qantas one (I am inclining towards Altitude due to the multiple FF options)? What are the cons for the Westpac card? Currently one of the cons I can think of is that the purchases have a max of 44 days interest free (others are 55 days). Since I pay all my balances on time, it's not a major thing however I need to plan the payments so that I don't hit 44 days without making a payment. The Amex Platinum Edge was giving me 3 points and 2 points per supermarket purchase and petrol purchase respectively however the Westpac one is 1.25 Altitude Points (or 0.625 Qantas Points).

If I decide to go ahead with the Westpac one, I want to apply for the card in the next two days to take advantage of the 100,000 bonus points so I hope I can get enough data to make an informed decision.

Thanks.

TL, DR - Want to get Westpac Black card (Altitude or Qantas) but want to clarify any major cons that may be there.

Poll Options expired

  • 2
    Westpac Black Altitude
  • 3
    Westpac Black Qantas
  • 0
    Amex Platinum Edge + HSBC Platinum
  • 3
    Other combo of cards
Financial

Comments

  • bdl on 01/01/2017 - 20:10

    just a heads up, I'm a current Black cardholder and Westpac sent through a survey at the beginning of December asking for opinions on a changed Black product - looks like they are looking at reducing the benefits of the card due to the upcoming credit card regulatory changes…

    • jackjason on 02/01/2017 - 01:46

      @bdl
      Thanks for the heads up. Could you please send me a link regarding the upcoming credit card regulatory changes? Thanks again.

  • kiribatian on 01/01/2017 - 20:39

    The change from complimentary flight to travel credit and is annoying. The AMEX card can transfer to 9 FF programs (not Qantas). Transfer is generally 1 MR point to 1 FF point.

    I take it you have only been using the HSBC Rewards. Flight-wise…they are pretty rubbish. You can only convert to Velocity, Asia Miles or KrisFlyer and 2 HSBC rewards points = 1 FF point.

    Westpac Altitude has 5 FF partners. Whilst you may earn 1.25 Altitude points for each dollar spent, the conversion rate is 2 Altitude points = 1 FF point (even worse for KrisFlyer and Asia Miles since the change in November, 2.5 Altitude point = 1 FF point).

    Basically I think the bank's individual rewards programs are rubbish. Get the Westpac (a large factor being that you don't need to pay the annual fee)

    Do you pay annual fees for your credit cards?
    Have you ever booked flights using FF points?

    Apart from Velocity, it can be difficult to book flights using the other programs. However if you are able to do some complex flight finding (and some luck) it can pay off quite well.

    • jackjason on 02/01/2017 - 01:55

      @kiribatian
      Thanks for your response.

      Do you pay annual fees for your credit cards?

      I prefer not to pay any annual fee if I can; I chose to pay $195 for the Platinum Edge as I would get better value in terms of the flight. Once it was changed to travel credits, the value instantly diminished hence the reason for not choosing to stick with Amex.

      Have you ever booked flights using FF points?

      No, I have not. Is there something I need to be mindful of while booking flights using the points.

      Basically I think the bank's individual rewards programs are rubbish. Get the Westpac (a large factor being that you don't need to pay the annual fee)

      Agree with you there; in fact it is my main motivation for going to the Altitude Black.

      Based on what you have mentioned, I think it might be worthwhile to go with the Altitude Black Qantas program rather than the Altitude Black Rewards program. What do you think?

      • kiribatian on 02/01/2017 - 15:31

        Depending on your profession, you can get the AMEX Platinum Edge for $50 less.
        I actually never used the complimentary flight myself but sold it on ebay each way for $350-400. It has actually been in my drawer for the last 2 years. I am also evaluating whether I should keep it.

        What do you want to redeem- domestic/international flights? Economy/business/first class or upgrades? Do you have FF status with any airline?

        • jackjason on 03/01/2017 - 16:01

          No, I don't have any FF status with an airline. Depending on how I want to proceed with the Altitude Black, I will make that decision.

          I want to redeem it against international flights. One of the flights I want to do is the Sydney to Dubai flight - that's a 14 hour flight so if I can get a First or Business Class with it, it would be great. Unfortunately only Emirates covers that route which means it would be with Qantas. I would have considered Sydney to Abu Dhabi which is offered by Etihad however I didn't see Etihad in the list. Would any of these have a code share with Etihad - Virgin Australia, Velocity, Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer, Malaysia Airlines - Enrich, Air New Zealand - Airpoints, Cathay Pacific - AsiaMiles. If so, I could consider the Altitude Rewards too.

  • swong on 01/01/2017 - 22:38

    Read the fine print, but I don't think customers who access staff benefits (ie the annual fee waiver for employees) are eligible for the bonus points promotion.

    • jackjason on 02/01/2017 - 01:48

      @swong
      Thanks for your input. I'll have a look into this.

  • coolsteps on 05/01/2017 - 02:22

    dont forget with westpac Altitude cards you are automatically enrolled in the westpac extras promos and send you targeted emails often. i was surprised to be getting about 10% cash back on my statements since mid Dec for amex contactless payments. i called up and they said its for all Altitude cards they are automatically enrolled in this promo until jan 12th. but cant find the exact details nor got the westpac extras promo email about this offer. has anyone else been getting 10% westpac cash back credits and got a copy of the email terms post it here or pm me please?

    • lilkid28 on 05/01/2017 - 23:00

      I have never receive any extra promos or targeted emails? Is it because I initially enrolled in the Altitude Qantas then subsequently changed to Altitude Rewards? Do you know how I get these emails?

      • coolsteps on 06/01/2017 - 09:45

        im enrolled in the Altitude Qantas and i always get the emails but not this time round i think they are being sneeky on this offer. anyway i got cash back on all my wbc cards. ref https://www.westpac.com.au/personal-banking/credit-cards/wes… just call them up ask about the 10% cashback westpac extras offer and post the full details on here.?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join