Hi there,
I’d like to start by saying a huge thank you to the team at Point Hacks for the incredible content for us to filter through. It can be overwhelming but it certainly is very beneficial.
I am currently using the HSBC Platinum Qantas VISA and have been for the past 12 months.
This is 1 point per dollar spent, $199 annual fee, cut off of 1 point per dollar spent at 2500 points etc. My income is about $70,000 p.a.
I have been purchasing everything on this credit card (fuel, groceries, bills, house renovation supplies, presents, flights, online shopping etc) and paying the monthly balance, but I have a few questions if this is the right card for me:
1.
This card has quite a large international fee (3%), I do buy things online maybe once a month, which incurs a international fee (1 thing I don’t like about the card)
2.
We aim to do 3-5 domestic flights per year and 1 international flight per year. We live in Newcastle, 2 hrs north of Sydney so that is our main airport for smaller flights, but Sydney airports for larger flights.
The 3% international fee, the no travel benefits and the $2500 per month cut off for the 1 point per dollar turns me off this card and I am looking into other cards. I think the main benefit I want out of a card is travel benefits.
If I could have some advice on anyone in a similar situation or some guidance on what they suggest would be the right card for me to look into that would be much appreciated!
This website cannot recommend credit cards to individuals, it is considered financial advice. However you should take a look at this page that highlights some of the available cards.
Don’t necessarily dismiss cards that have a seamingly high annual rate as the benefits may contra the fee depending on your circumstances. You have to do your own research. Regarding the card you already have, you should be aware that ‘ineligible transactions’ for earning points, include payments for rates, licences, motor vehicle registrations etc.
Unfortunately we can’t provide any information about what card is best, or even which card we think is best. So here’s some very general advice.
The best card is all subjective, you’ll have to consider all the travel benefits, fees, offers and bonuses to weigh up for yourself what you think is best. There are a few cards out there with no international transaction fees, both credit cards and debit cards.
What travel benefits are you after? Most premium credit cards offer international travel insurance, Choice recently reviewed credit card travel insurance policies so you can easily compare some policies there. The excess is usually higher than for a stand-alone policy (and usually can’t be removed) and the process for activating the cover is another thing to check - if you buy very cheap flights, or use points, then you might not be covered. There are a few few cards that offer lounge access - very few offer unlimited access, two passes is more common, or a sign-up discount for members.
Qantas’ website has a very easy way to compare credit cards, there’s a similar thing on the Velocity page. I’m not sure what options there are if you collect points in other programs. I might be missing something, but it seems that Virgin don’t make a big point of the option of using a credit card that earns FlyBuys points and then transferring those to Velocity.
If you have a partner, consider a divide and conquer approach, where you hold different cards so you can spend on another card if you’ve reached the monthly cap.
Finally, Westpac are going to significantly change their offering, particularly in regard to American Express cards, so that’s likely to change a lot in the coming months.
