I don't have a credit card!!! What should I get???

[yoursnowtographer]

Hi all,

Yes that's right I don't have a credit card, I used to with my offset home loan, but now the closest thing is a debit mastercard.

So now I will be flying a bit more I had better get something that earns me some upgrade points.

I've checked quite a few out and am not after a black card yet, though some of the platinum cards seem what I'm after.

Specifically the Bankwest More Platinum MC
and the ANZ Rewards Platinum AMEX
(can't post links sorry)

Both offer 50k points bonus and the MC earns 2pts/$ and the AMEX 3pts/$ if I read them correctly.

Are these cards decent on earning points or are there better ones I've missed.

Thanks

 

[rweir]

Both have pretty terrible rewards systems, and for most people, paying any annual fee at all is a waste of money, since it usually exceeds the value of the points earned. Probably the two best options are either Bankwest Platinum Zero ($0 annual fee, no rewards, no fees for overseas purchases) or Citibank Signature (or Platinum if you can't get Signature) via the Veda offer (Citibank Australia). That said, if there are special offers with big signup bonuses and/or first-year-free-offers, might as well take advantage of them, as long as you'll remember to call up in 11 months and get the card cancelled or the fee waived.

Note: the above may not be true if you'll be spending $30-40-50k+ on the card each year, or can put a lot of work expenses through it, or you can get the fee waived.

 

[rweir]

Oh, and don't forget that the number of reward program "points" per dollar is meaningless - you need to figure out what they actually get you. e.g. with an ANZ Platinum Rewards card, you do get 3 points per dollar on the Amex, but " Account Holders will receive 2,000 KrisFlyer Miles for 6,000 Reward Points" (https://anzrewards.com/public/redeem_category.aspx?deptid=8390) - ie it is one Singapore Airlines Krisflyer point per dollar on the Amex, which isn't good for an Amex, and the return is half that for the Visa.

Oh and on other thing - since even in good cases the value of the points is so marginal (something like 1% for normal people, maybe 5% at the top end if you're using tens of thousands of them to upgrade flights), you need to be sure you won't be tempted to spend even 1% more than you normally would "for points", or you're back to losing money, even if you're not paying an annual fee. So if this is a thing you want to look at trying, you need to be very hard-headed about what card you get and what you spend.

 

[yoursnowtographer]

Thanks so much for the info, there is a lot more to choosing the right card than I would have thought!

 

[Limewood]

The ANZ Plat. cards come with free travel insurance too.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Which should you get?

If you want to fly in the pointy end more easily, then most!!!

Just keep your eye out for good joining bonii with low or waived joing fees, and then pounce. Cancel before the year is up, and just keep the ones that earn a lot of poiints per $ or have good benefits like free fligts, or good Travel Insurance that is "activated" easily without having to buy all of your trip expenses on it.

 

[Revolio]

get one with scissors attached

 

[Colin 2905]

.... Probably the two best options are either Bankwest Platinum Zero ($0 annual fee, no rewards, no fees for overseas purchases) or Citibank Signature....

Amen to that; I have both, and for me, they're both keepers. One of my other keepers (only recently obtained) is an Amex Platinum Edge. It has an annual fee, but the benefits more than outweigh it, IMO. Of course, YMMV.

This all assumes that you'll be paying it off in full each month. If you can't, then what Revolio said.

 

[yoursnowtographer]

Thanks for the recommendations, I don't have a veda score it tells me, maybe because I don't have loans or credit cards? Haven't for years. So no Citibank special offers for me
Also when I check the Bankwest Platinum Zero it seems like it's not a rewards card? But there is the Bankwest Qantas MC at $160.

The AMEX platinum edge is VFF? I'm after QFF.


Thanks

 

[rweir]

Sure, Bankwest Platinum Zero is not a rewards card. How much do you spend each year? Will you actually benefit from paying an annual fee?

 

[Colin 2905]

Also when I check the Bankwest Platinum Zero it seems like it's not a rewards card? But there is the Bankwest Qantas MC at $160.

The AMEX platinum edge is VFF? I'm after QFF.

Correct, the Bankwest Platinum Zero isn't a rewards card but it's a handy card to have to avoid the 3% or so which most cards slug you with in "foreign transaction" fees. I'm not long back from an overseas trip, and it's saved me a fair bit on that basis alone, as well as when used online for "foreign transactions". And when it's not being used it just quietly sits there, costing me absolutely nothing.

Yes, the Amex Platinum Edge can be used for Velocity points, but that's just one of many..... just not Qantas that you're looking for, unfortunately.

On which Qantas routes are you hoping to snag upgrades using points? Mrs 2905 and I tried to upgrade from PE to J recently from MEL to LHR and then LHR to SYD, and missed out both times. So depending on what you're hoping to get, your QFF status, and which way the wind is blowing at the time, a reality check might be a good idea before you start chasing credit card points.

 

[yoursnowtographer]

Last year I put around $50k on my debit master card, and about $30k from my business, that will be going up to about $50k F15/16.
What about the Qantas Amex Discovery Card.

 

[rweir]

have you considered how much of that $100k you could actually put on an Amex, without paying a surcharge?

 

[yoursnowtographer]

No I haven't worked that out rweir, what would an average yearly spend % on AMEX with out surcharge be? 60%?
The route would be SYD-->NRT fortnightly from Dec-Apr.

 

[rweir]

what would an average yearly spend % on AMEX with out surcharge be? 60%?

no one can tell you that, you need to look at where you spend your money.

The route would be SYD-->NRT fortnightly from Dec-Apr.

that'll earn you 5200 points each way (though it'll go up as your Qantas status does), no idea how much upgrades cost.

 

[Colin 2905]

no idea how much upgrades cost.

https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/upgradeCalculator - Google says Zone 6.

 

[yoursnowtographer]

Thanks Colin
I'm also an Aquire member and be taking 1 employee with me this coming Dec-April.
Would the Qantas Amex Discovery Card, and can you earn points on your card when using it to purchase flights? I really am a newbie to this frequent flyer stuff!

 

[Colin 2905]

Would the Qantas Amex Discovery Card, and can you earn points on your card when using it to purchase flights?

Yes, that card will get you 2 points per dollar if used to purchase your Qantas flights (you are flying Qantas, not Jetstar, right?).

 

[yoursnowtographer]

Actually would probably be J*

 

[Colin 2905]

Actually would probably be J*

That changes everything.