• expired

Macquarie Hilton Platinum ($0 Annual Fee, Gold Status, Bonus Weekend Night Certificates)

760

Pay $0 annual fee when you apply and are approved by 30th November 2017 (annual saving of $295).

  • Earn a reward weekend night certificate on your card's anniversary (each year) valid at over 4,600 hotels and resorts when you spend $12,000 per year, plus a sign up bonus of an additional weekend night certificate when you spend $2,000 in first three months.
  • Automatic HHonors Gold status.
  • Upgrade to HHonors Diamond status when you spend $40,000 or more on eligible purchases a year.
  • 2.99% balance transfer for 12 months
  • $0 additional cardholder fee (apply and be approved by 30 November 2017)
  • You need to earn a minimum taxable income of $30,000.
  • 4 HHonors Bonus Points per $1 spent at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio.
  • 1 HHonors Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases.

Please Note: Primary or additional cardholder annual fees may be introduced or varied in future.

Related Stores

Macquarie Bank
Macquarie Bank

closed Comments

  • +7

    Macquarie is a hard beast to get approval for.

    • +1

      They have lowered the taxable income required to $30,000

      • +2

        Yeah I know but a lot of people got decline in AFF whereas they would get approval everywhere else. This includes myself.

  • +1

    Annual fee waived only for first year?

    • doesn't appear so, doesn't say it's first year only (nor does it say lifetime free)

      T&C:

      18 Offer is limited to new applicants only. To be eligible for this offer, you must apply and be approved for a Hilton HHonors Macquarie Platinum Card before 11.59pm AEST 31 August 2017. Primary or additional cardholder annual fees may be introduced or varied in future.

      • I wonderif this is free for life offer like last year. If so this could be lucrative.

    • On my letter it says "Annual Primary Card Holder Fee: $0 debited to your account on first use of the card (including card activation) and then on each anniversary of the date we first issued a card to you". This is the same for the additional card holder.

  • +4

    i got decline when i try to apply the woolworth one, but all the westpac black, anz black, nab platinum all approved. …… I will never apply Macquarie again..

  • +3

    seems like a good deal to replace my Citibank if it's permanent $0 annual fee

    how does 1 pt HHonors stack up against 1 pt QFF?

    • Depends on how you use the points, I value airline points higher than HHonors points. Saying that if you spend $12,000 each card year you will earn a reward weekend night certificate and most people I know used it at Hilton Maldives where one night is around $1500 mark. And as an added signup bonus you will get an additional weekend certificate if you spend $2,000 in first three months.

      • do you forfit the night if you dont use it or does it rollover to the next year?

      • +1

        yeah that's a good point, i just found this on google:

        Hilton HHonours 10,000 HHonors = 1,500 Qantas Points

        *Exchanges are in increments of 10,000 points.

        Looks like my ANZ black is still the goto card for the next 12 months

      • +1

        I found that HHonors points are pretty worthless. Only if Australia has one for SPG that would be so much better…….

        • The Amex Explorer card earns 1 SPG pt / $1 spend.

        • @T-man: Sadly there is an annual fee $395 p.a….. wonder if there is any free ones which has SPG.

        • @lplau:

          but you get $400 credit, it offsets the annual fee. I think the Amex Essential card has no annual fee

    • +1

      The earn rate is not that good. It's the weekend nights and elite status that's worthwhile.

  • +1

    I did this with an annual fee at $99 as I have a 6 week holiday coming up at mostly Hilton properties.

    have found Gold HH quite reasonable, especially in Australia. Always seem to get a room upgrade and executive club access.

  • I assue you can gift your free nights to others if you dont get a chance to use it in the year?

  • Would you still accrue points using the Hilton rewards if you book through sites like expedia using this card?

    • Card spend on Expedia = points credited to credit card
      Card spent at Hilton hotel = points credited directly to HHonors

      • Thanks wizzle, seems like I could've answered that myself but was hoping that if it was a Hilton hotel through expedia it would still get the points :)

        Cheers

        • Well I assume that you will get HH points when you book via expedia because I stayed at a Hilton recent and booked via Expedia, at check-in they asked for my HH number which I didnt have as I was not a member.

          So I assume you can still get the points even if book via expedia.

  • I took this offer last year but the free night can't be used in Hilton Sydney…

    • +2

      Why? i checked with the hotline, and the lady confirmed there is no issue to use at Hilton Sydney. do you want try again?

      • I called the hotline twice a few months ago and the staff member said it's not valid in Hilton Sydney. I will call again tonight. I really hope I can use it in Sydney as I have no plan to travel to other cities before the gift certificate is expired.

    • I thought you can based on this exclusion list.

      https://www.hiltonhhonors.com/ProcessLanding/ProcessLanding/…

      • i don’t see hilton sydney in this list.

      • +2

        I have just called the hotline again and give them the details (reward certificate ID, etc) and the staff member said upon checking the certificate is not valid in Hilton Sydney. I don't know if it's just my reward certificate or it also applies to the other. Interested to hear if there is other who have succesfully book Hilton sydney using the free night.

        • The Hilton phone booking staff are dodgy. I had a similar situation to yours.

          I tried to book for the Conrad Tokyo and originally was told that there were no standard available rooms available for the night I had chosen to redeem the certificate for (which was not true as I had checked online in advance). They tried to convince me to book for the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba instead.

          I then talked to someone via the online chat system who had told me that there were in fact rooms available and confirmed the certificate could be used for a standard room at the Conrad Tokyo. I called back again a few days later and had no trouble booking the room (although they made me wait for about 30 minutes to get a supervisor to override the price to complete the booking).

        • @jacknkandy:

          I'm getting the same problem. How did you convince the supervisor to push the booking through?

        • @nightelves: Hey sorry, haven't been here for a while. I didn't have to do anything myself. The first time I was flat out denied, second time the girl on the phone told me it was part of the process, but the supervisor was busy so I had to wait quite a while.

          Overall quite annoying, but it was worth it in the end

        • @jacknkandy:

          I tried 3 different people however they all flat out said I can't because all the rooms are premium and not standard.

    • I just did a booking recently in Hilton Sydney with the weekend certificate, without an issue.

      No plan to go anywhere with Hilton recently, have to spend it in Sydney as a Sydney sider before expiry :-(

      • Presumably the certificates are not transferrable to allow someone else to use them?

        • I assume so.
          Also the expiry date is a hard date, it can only be booked and used by the expiry date.

  • If they introduced annual fee for next year would you still get the free stay if you didnt pay annual fee?

  • this is the good one, why not many people like it? free night certificate worth min $150 on average bookings. gold status give you bonus point when you book in Hilton. $12000 per year spend get an additional free night certificate (worth $150). No annual fee for life (at this stage, they may change later, but you can always close the account if they change), better then 1 year annual fee free, right? so, why complain? yes, it is hard to get it, it tooks me about 4 weeks last year to get it!

    • i just applied, the online process took 10 minutes max. - pretty easy process imo

    • where does it note that is free for life?

      • In the fees and rates it doesn't specify a fee after the first year

        • but they could introduce the fee anytime?

        • @t0087669:

          Then keep a copy of the T&Cs many people have success with fee free for life last yr and Macquarie had to honour it.

        • @nightelves: The pages seems a bit inconsistent. https://www.macquarie.com.au/dafiles/Internet/mgl/au/persona… and http://www.macquarie.com/au/personal/credit-cards/expertise/… both state an annual fee of $295 even though the credit card page makes no mention of any ongoing annual fees. Then it also says a minimum income of $30k but when you apply, it says minimum income of $50k. Not sure which to trust…

        • @deflation:

          People have managed to get fee free for life by keeping a copy of the current T&Cs

        • +1

          @nightelves:

          Primary or additional cardholder annual fees may be introduced or varied in future."

          So I guess they really can just introduce fees anytime next year

        • +2

          @t0087669: And we have the option to call them up and cancel the card if they trued that one. Not interested in paying annual fees for a credit card. They get enough out of my purchase.

        • @t0087669:

          Any company can do this. They just have to let you know in writing and give you the opportunity to pay out and close down the account.

  • how do I use the free night ? is it online ?

    • got the card last year. I rang them to organise the free night. It's a simple process - it is meant to be weekend only though, but you may get lucky (if you need a weeknight) and get a weeknight booking.

      • May I know which Hilton you booked ? I have no luck booking Hilton Sydney

        • -4

          Hilton Sydney is a waste of a free night anyway.

  • Min income shows $50K when you apply the card

    Hilton HHonors TM Macquarie Platinum Card6

    Minimum credit limit of $6,000 applies. You need to earn a minimum taxable income of $50,000.
    4 HHonors Bonus Points per $1 spent at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio7 8
    1 HHonors Bonus Point per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases8

  • +3

    Awesome I've been looking for a non-Amex no-annual-fee card with ApplePay

  • HHonor point is worst

    • why is it the worst?

      • What can you do with HH points, except for Hilton hotels? The SPG point is much better, most valuable and flexible.

        • +1

          is there any SPG points credit card with reasonable earn rate and limited annual fee out there?

        • +1

          @Cri3:

          Yeap Amex Explorer. It earns 1 pt per $1 spend

        • @nightelves:

          ah thanks

          wish i could get that card now, but i've only recently cancelled my un-used corp AMEX and i'm currently serving my 18month way :(

        • I tried to do some digging, and I think you can convert HH points to some Frequent Flyer programs?
          The conversion ratio isn't very appealing though:
          "Exchange 10,000 Hilton Honors Points for 1500 Qantas Frequent Flyer points."
          Same ratio for Velocity too.

        • @wutang01:

          yeah it's definitely not a good transfer ratio

          i guess the question is, in $ terms, how much does each 1000 HH points worth in real dollars

          i think someone once said 1000 QFF points is worth about $10?

  • +2

    just called the customer service, the person said that the fee waived is ONLY for the first year.

    • +6

      You should never call CS about these things as they can easily change the T&Cs.

    • They had this deal last year and there still hasn't been an change to my $0 annual fee, although as the OP pointed out, that is subject to change. The actual term is this:

      "Offer is limited to new applicants only. To be eligible for this offer, you must apply and be approved for a Hilton HHonors Macquarie Platinum Card before 11.59pm AEST 31 August 2017. Primary or additional cardholder annual fees may be introduced or varied in future."

      • So you haven't been charged an annual fee after the first year?

        • No, into my second year already and no fee

        • @meatball:

          Excellent! Thanks so much! One thing are the weekend nights transferrable?

    • +3

      The CS sometimes just tells you BS, don't trust them.

    • On my letter it says "Annual Primary Card Holder Fee: $0 debited to your account on first use of the card (including card activation) and then on each anniversary of the date we first issued a card to you". This is the same for the additional card holder.

  • +1

    Don't risk your credit rating with MB if you have good rating, they absolutely don't like people who pay their balance on time :)

    • -6

      honestly i think credit rating is a myth in AUS (not in US)

      I've never once ran into a situation where my credit rating is needed/checked or affected the outcome of an application

      • +3

        Macquarie and Westpac declined my cc application last yr based on credit score if that helps.

      • +2

        It's not a myth. You may have a credit score in good standing hence never being declined.

        When I went to get a home loan, they checked my credit score and at that time I'd never had a credit card or loan and hence no score. I was advised by the banker to get a credit card to build my score up.

        When I checked my score recently, I could also see that every single time I applied for a loan or credit card, the issuing bank had made a query to my score. (Apparently, if you have too many queries in a short amount of time, it can negatively affect your score as it indicates you're trying to apply for a lot of credit at once.)

        It's definitely one of several criteria they check before they approve your application.

        • +1

          is there a way for me to check my own score?

        • -3

          There is no such thing as a score in Aus. Cri3 is correct, this is a US system.

          In Australia you can request your credit report, but it's just a list of events, such as "applied for credit / loan" etc. You don't get an actual number that goes up and down like the US does.

        • +2

          @Cri3:

          Dun & Bradstreet do a free report (not score): http://fwdme.info/d0km

        • +1

          @wizzlesticks:

          That's not true, unless Equifax is making a number on my login screen: 610/1200

        • +2

          @Cri3: I think https://www.creditsimple.com.au has an actual score for you

        • +1

          @wizzlesticks: You definitely can check a score now, it changed fairly recently when the banks started to consider both adverse history and positive credit history.

        • @wizzlesticks: Sign up with https://www.creditsavvy.com.au

          They calculate the score and it has changed based on my credit history.

        • +2

          @wutang01:

          I believe those scores are created by the company selling the report, and are not universally recognised across the banking industry. If they are, please show me your source, as I'd be interested to know.

    • Some people have said increasing your expenses have worked.

  • +4

    Hilton Group has too little hotels in OZ, compare with US (thousands) and China (hundreds)…
    so…errr think about it. if some banks do IHG or ACCOR, I will submit for sure

  • +4

    Good card, I went overseas and Stayed in the more premium Waldorf Astoria for free using the free night certificate. Got a free upgrade not to a suite but still to an awesome bigger room with great views, free welcome fruit platter / snacks, exec lounge, nice breakfast, and all the other gold member benefits and they even gave me $40 drinks discount to use at any of their bars. Had an awesome time, was one of the high lights of the trip !!!

    • Hi there,

      Looking to sign up this year, will I get the free night certificate after signing up?

      • After you meet the spending requirement of $2,000 in first three months, and then $12,000 in first year.

  • +4

    For some reason, I read this as Quilton…

  • Was declined last time this deal came up even though I satisfy all the requirements, will see how I go this time.

    • same here declined last time. let me know how you go. i might wait until late august to spread out recent cc applications. not sure what criteria they are looking for? what can one do to increase their chances of getting approved? maybe i should make a large deposit in their savings account before applying?

  • applied this, not sure if it will get declined.

    for some reason, got declined for both QF money and HSBC in the last 2 months and those are the 2 cards that i applied in 2017 and nothing else this yr.

  • Bonus reward weekend certificate expire or I can use two together??

    • I believe they expire one year after the date of issue.

  • Anyone know what their fees are like for foreign exchange purchases ? rude ? typical ? or like 28 Degrees ?

    • Usual 3%

  • Anyone else having trouble signing up with less than 50k taxable income?

    On the website it says minimum 30k but I can't get past step 5 if I put in anything less than 50k.

  • Sorry for my naive question: but doesn't a zero annual fee and free night accom make this rather attractive??

    • It does for me..

  • Applied on 27 but no communication yet. Anyone got approval or rejection yet?

    • I got a conditional approval screen at the end of application, together with instructions for uploading payslip. Haven’t heard back since. Did you get the same screen?

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