CC recommendations - new to Aus, but not to CCs!

[Firentiosi]

Moving to Aus from the UK in a fortnight. Used to the points game here in the UK so was wondering about recs for CCs in Aus.
Looking to build Krisflyer points, probably flying back to the UK twice a year and maybe a more medium-haul trip to Asia.

I've had a good read of some of the points websites and the forums here and it seems the

St George Amplify Signature
Amex Edge (but read all the stuff about the recent devaluation)

come recommended.

I'm also eligible for a BOQ Specialist CC (doctor) but information about that card quite hard to find. Any advice appreciated.

 

[Scr77]

Welcome....you’ve come to the right place. I agree with the signature but can’t comment on the Amex. I’m sure others will have suggestions.

 

[daft009]

get an amex via the AMA offers I'd say (i'm not a Doc), a charge card if you can justify the perks

American Express Credit & Charge Cards | Compare Our Cards | Amex AU

American Express offers world-class Charge and Credit Cards, Gift Cards, Rewards, Travel, Personal Savings, Business Services, Insurance and more.

www.americanexpress.com

 

[Firentiosi]

get an amex via the AMA offers I'd say (i'm not a Doc), a charge card if you can justify the perks

American Express Credit & Charge Cards | Compare Our Cards | Amex AU

American Express offers world-class Charge and Credit Cards, Gift Cards, Rewards, Travel, Personal Savings, Business Services, Insurance and more.

www.americanexpress.com

Thanks for your reply. Would you still recommend it anyway if no discount was given? The discount seems negligible when faced with a $1500 membership fee to the AMA!

 

[daft009]

yes, provided you can justify the perks.

its the highest earning amex card (without invite), would you use the lounge & hotel perks?
also comes with $850 in travel credits (with the free reserve card), so what is $650 effectively worth to you?
what is your annual spend etc

the edge is great for supermarkets but not much else.

between the edge & charge would be the explorer

 

[theblank]

Looking to build Krisflyer points, probably flying back to the UK twice a year and maybe a more medium-haul trip to Asia.

you need to check the PointHacks website Credit Card table.

the credit card annual fees kill most good FF point earners, so unlesss you are spending > 50k annually you might want to start hunting for a credit card you can get for free first , eg perhaps with the bank you have a home loan with

or cards with other benefits that cancel out the annual fee

 

[Pointy Bird]

Following the devaluations, The entire exercise is hardly worthwhile unless expenses are higher (I would guess > 100k pa).
The key is to see if you can structure your medical practice so that most expenses can be paid via Amex.
Generally - Amex is only "profitable" if used when no credit card fees OR if fees are tax deductible.
If expenses even higher than above figure, it may well be worth investing in a platinum charge amex (especially if cost tax deductible) for the higher points earning rate.
If you are planning to contribute to your new homeland by paying a lot of tax, it is well worth studying the ATO thread.

 

[Firentiosi]

Cheers for all your replies. So it seems like that the devaluation has really hit home: I'm used to £1 = 1 Amex Rewards point and I understand that Amex is currently paying 1.125 ppd for Krisflyer for the Platinum Charge Card.

Lounge access is a fairly big priority for me since I'm not flying J or F yet so having that is a nice perk.

Notice that everyone here is recommending Amex only albeit not very strongly; are the Visa options (St George or Citi) equally unattractive?

Following the devaluations, The entire exercise is hardly worthwhile unless expenses are higher (I would guess > 100k pa).
The key is to see if you can structure your medical practice so that most expenses can be paid via Amex.
Generally - Amex is only "profitable" if used when no credit card fees OR if fees are tax deductible.
If expenses even higher than above figure, it may well be worth investing in a platinum charge amex (especially if cost tax deductible) for the higher points earning rate.
If you are planning to contribute to your new homeland by paying a lot of tax, it is well worth studying the ATO thread.

Useful food for thought. Will discuss with the accountant to see if any benefits can be obtained with a business Amex to see what expenses can be pushed through it and will have a read of the ATO thread.

Thanks again.

 

[piratematerial]

Bear in mind that £1 = 1 Amex point is roughly $1.8 = 1 Amex point so Platinum Charge or Explorer are equivalent to your UK example.

With the devaluations no cards are really worth holding unless you can put significant volumes through them, really want the lounge, free flight and other status benefits, or want somewhere to keep your main direct debits.

More than ever you're much better off churning through cards with the best sign up bonuses. The sign up bonuses in Australia tend to be much bigger than the UK ones. Remember also that you can both book Singapore Airlines flights on Virgin Australia (if you can find availability) and also transfer from Virgin to Krisflyer at 1.55:1.