Latest information about 28 degrees card

[Mattg]

What card are you using for Int Tx fee free?

At the moment, it's Bankwest Qantas Platinum. (It also earns Qantas points.)

 

[karen blancfield]

What card are you using for Int Tx fee free?

We still travel OS with 28 degrees, has been highly reliable for many years and many trips, most recently last week in Japan. We always pay the bill in full before due date, never paid interest.

 

[SYD]

We still travel OS with 28 degrees, has been highly reliable for many years and many trips, most recently last week in Japan. We always pay the bill in full before due date, never paid interest.

Yep. Already having one and still being annual fee free is of value to me. The fee free Bankwest cards are probably no better. The Platinum QF earn card would be handy but has $160 annual fee for 0.75 pts / $ but only up to $2000 pm. But they do have a 50k sign up bonus….

 

[Gold Member]

Anyone know definitively if you must advise 28Deg of travels? In the past I’ve done so, but I’ve just found a FAQ on their website with an update dated from 2 months ago stating that we don’t need to advise. I don’t trust there online advice, but I’m reticent to call due to the long wait times and useless offshore call centre.

 

[karen blancfield]

Anyone know definitively if you must advise 28Deg of travels? In the past I’ve done so, but I’ve just found a FAQ on their website with an update dated from 2 months ago stating that we don’t need to advise. I don’t trust there online advice, but I’m reticent to call due to the long wait times and useless offshore call centre.

We haven’t for 4 recent OS trips, no problem whatsoever.

 

[SYD]

We haven’t for 4 recent OS trips, no problem whatsoever.

Ditto.

 

[Scarlett]

We haven’t for 4 recent OS trips, no problem whatsoever.

Ditto ditto.
Had the card for probably 15 years and have never advised them of o/s travel.

Related, I keep the 28 deg card as my backup travelling credit card. I use the Coles Platinum ($99 p.a.) to earn Flybuys->VFF points on all international spend, but put hotel and car rental preauths on the 28deg so it doesn’t otherwise tie up my main cc balance.

 

[RB]

Anyone know definitively if you must advise 28Deg of travels? In the past I’ve done so, but I’ve just found a FAQ on their website with an update dated from 2 months ago stating that we don’t need to advise. I don’t trust there online advice, but I’m reticent to call due to the long wait times and useless offshore call centre.

I rang and advised them of an upcoming trip & was advised it would be noted. In the next few days a rogue transaction appeared. I rang back to question the transaction (all fixed) but the new 28degree employee noted that there was no notes re our upcoming trip. Incidentally think I probably waited 10 minutes to talk to the rep.

 

[Stargazer]

Hi, can someone explain in simple terms what is dynamic conversion. Secondly as someone who has not travelled overseas, i would appreciate if someone can someone explain the problem that Anna had in terms of hotel bookings duplicate payments. I thought that hotels on checkin swiped a credit card but only used this at the end of the stay for payment. In reading Anna’s posts it came across that the hotel swiped the entire payment twice - once on checkin and secondly, when departing. The first was meant to drop away and didn’t? If I have got this right doesn’t seem like a useful card. Do all credit cards do this?

 

[RB]

Hi, can someone explain in simple terms what is dynamic conversion. Secondly as someone who has not travelled overseas, i would appreciate if someone can someone explain the problem that Anna had in terms of hotel bookings duplicate payments. I thought that hotels on checkin swiped a credit card but only used this at the end of the stay for payment. In reading Anna’s posts it came across that the hotel swiped the entire payment twice - once on checkin and secondly, when departing. The first was meant to drop away and didn’t? If I have got this right doesn’t seem like a useful card. Do all credit cards do this?

Maybe this article might help with dynamic conversion Dynamic currency conversion and why you should avoid it - The Points Guy

 

[SYD]

Maybe this article might help with dynamic conversion Dynamic currency conversion and why you should avoid it - The Points Guy

Basically, if you’re using any Oz issued credit or debit card overseas look carefully at the EFTPOS machine screen after you insert your card. If it prompts to choose to pay in AUD or the local currency select the later.

If just goes to enter PIN (with no choice) it should just go through in local currency.

Try not to let the merchant press buttons after you enter your card.

I started seeing DCC in all manner of places in the UK. I don’t know if it’s a conscious thing to cream Euro paying customers or just something that comes with the bank supplied EFTPOS machines and most merchants are really none the wiser? Several have said “You don’t want that” referring to the AUD option. But a couple of others (not many) have tried to make out that it’s a good thing…

 

[Anna]

the hotel swiped the entire payment twice - once on checkin and secondly, when departing. The first was meant to drop away and didn’t? If I have got this right doesn’t seem like a useful card. Do all credit cards do this?

Correct. I do not have any other cards that do this. During this month I have stayed at various hotels and the pre authorisation has always dropped off within 48 hours if not sooner.

Note that the pre authorisation is a hold that the hotel is able to put on its expected final bill, not an actual charge. But it has the same effect on your credit limit as if it were an actual charge - namely, it swallows up your available credit until the pre authorisation drops off, meanwhile leaving you with less credit available. (Why not simply apply for a higher credit limit? Because when someone wants to look at your credit score, eg if you want to apply for a new card with a sign up points bonus, they will assume that all your credit cards are maxed out before they make the calculations about whether your income is adequate for whatever purpose they are looking. It doesn't matter if you're the sort of person who pays off cc's in full every month without ever incurring interest. So the aggregate credit limit of all your cards is not something to increase just for the fun of it).

 

[Anna]

doesn’t seem like a useful card.

It might be fine if you are making non refundable hotel bookings in advance where the full amount goes through immediately as a charge.

 

[SYD]

Correct. I do not have any other cards that do this. During this month I have stayed at various hotels and the pre authorisation has always dropped off within 48 hours if not sooner.

Note that the pre authorisation is a hold that the hotel is able to put on its expected final bill, not an actual charge. But it has the same effect on your credit limit as if it were an actual charge - namely, it swallows up your available credit until the pre authorisation drops off, meanwhile leaving you with less credit available. (Why not simply apply for a higher credit limit? Because when someone wants to look at your credit score, eg if you want to apply for a new card with a sign up points bonus, they will assume that all your credit cards are maxed out before they make the calculations about whether your income is adequate for whatever purpose they are looking. It doesn't matter if you're the sort of person who pays off cc's in full every month without ever incurring interest. So the aggregate credit limit of all your cards is not something to increase just for the fun of it).

I’ve found 28° authorisations can hang around for upto 2 wks. Fortunately I usually have an AMEX on my profile and then I settle on the 28° at checkout. AMEX authorisations tend to disappear quicker.

 

[SYD]

If I have got this right doesn’t seem like a useful card.

I don’t go OS without it! I use it everywhere from hotels, cars, restaurants and bars. Catching public transport etc. Not paying 3% on everything adds up to a lot of savings.

 

[Stargazer]

so does the pre authorisation show up your credit card statement as a charge which is then reversed as a credit?

 

[oz_mark]

so does the pre authorisation show up your credit card statement as a charge which is then reversed as a credit?

No. You see it as a pending charge. If it drops off, you don't see it as ever being there.

 

[SYD]

No. You see it as a pending charge. If it drops off, you don't see it as ever being there.

Pending charges (authorisations) never appear on ’statements’.

 

[Anna]

Not on statements but you can see them on the app

 

[SYD]

Both SYD+1 and I received similar but different Webjet e-Gift offers. Spend $2000 AUD equivalent for $150 voucher (me) or $3000 for a $250 voucher. Register by 18 Feb, spend between 01 Dec 22 and 28 Feb 23. There could be other variations on this?

Annoying that it’s mid / late Jan already but I’ve already meet my spend threshold….

Oh, there’s also the chance to win a trip to Hawaii thrown in but whoever wins those sorts of things…?

eMail link to my $150 voucher arrived today. Exp 31Jan2026 - so plenty of time to use it but inflation will gobble it up before then!

I’m at least pleased that last years OS spend did get included. Now I just need another AMEX cash back offer to make it worthwhile (I prefer to book flights through airlines where I can).