Latitude 28 Degrees $8 per month starting September 2024

[Ansett Nostalgic]

What method did you use to cancel? Phone app? Website? Call and speak to human?
I only ask because the conventional wisdom is that any automated process will immediately reject if you have any outstanding balance on the account at all (either +ve or -ve)

I did not know this, thanks. I've never closed a credit card before, so have not experienced the pleasure. Calling though, while superficially sounding nice and easy, has been made as traumatic and difficult as possible (deliberately) as part of the built-in delay companies enjoy when they have a vested interest in dragging out something as long as possible and especially until after fees and penalties have kicked in. It's always made to sound incredibly easy and carefree whenever someone says, "just give us a call" until you go to do that very thing and quickly find actually speaking to a human who can help is in fact almost impossible.

Yep, exactly my experience with most companies these days, not just Latitude. You know things have gotten bad when you have to lodge a complaint with the relevent ombudsman service just to get them to answer the phone! I've noticed increasingly these days a creeping new reality too. Companies are being so hammered with ombudsman complaints, they've started even outsourcing their complaints departments to external handlers. Both AMP and NAB for example when you complain about them to AFCA, will respond via their external complaints department which comes with all the right looking logos and contact details, but when you actually start conversing with them, they slip up and reveal they're not actually on-the-books employees of the banks in question, or even departments of the banks in question. They are sub-contracted off-site handlers of their complaints.

I cancelled through the online tool.

 

[burmans]

Many rewards cards have an annual.

can’t answer for mel-world, but for me, many of my travel expenses are booked direct with hotels, airlines and car hire companies overseas, charging in local currency. So 3-3.5% saving in transactions fees makes up for any points I’d earn. All my aeroplan purchases and associated costs are in CAD for example.

Some reward cards have an annual fee and no forex fee so depending on your spend the points earned easily make the fee a worthwhile investment but I get that’s not everyone.

 

[mel-world]

In responses above I was asked why one would put all overseas bookings on a non-reward earning CC. In my case, I never earned enough regular income to satisfy the obscure requirements for the best cards. Project work can deliver your income in one month, then nothing for the next several months. Banks never liked that insecurity. The Latitude card was, and probably still is, the best option in my situation.

 

[SYD]

Some reward cards have an annual fee and no forex fee so depending on your spend the points earned easily make the fee a worthwhile investment but I get that’s not everyone.

It’s pretty easy to work out how much to spend (and save 3%) to offset the annual fee but aren’t those Oz based CC options VERY few and far between these days?

NAB Rewards recently bucked the trend and was “enhanced” for the better.

 

[Cynicor]

It’s pretty easy to work out how much to spend (and save 3%) to offset the annual fee but aren’t those Oz based CC options VERY few and far between these days?

NAB Rewards recently bucked the trend and was “enhanced” for the better.

Yep, as I posted above there are 5 options left, maybe one or two others that I have missed.
2xCBA, 1xNAB and a couple BW

 

[Legoman]

Anticipating all this future pain and suffering, I have started laying the groundwork and papertrail for the inevitable dispute when they charge their $8 fee to my account because I wasn't able to cancel it in the 5 days between zeroing the balance owing and the new statement issue on 15 Oct. I won't put the entire e-mail here, but it ends like this:

And just because they don't publish any real external e-mail addresses to contact them on, I can confirm the following three do work and you will get a response from them. Everyone can guess that the domain name is always going to be @latitudefinancial.com
The e-mail addresses are therefore:
complaint
disputes
customerresolutions

This is absolutely classic. Latitiude have just responded in writing via e-mailed PDF letter with their response to my pro-active, anticipated complaint I predict I'm going to have in about 2 months' time when I go to close my account in a 4 day window between October 11 and 15.

Remember, I don't as yet actually have a real complaint. This is just purely speculative on my part given my history and what I know about how unreliable and deceptive Australian financial institutions are.

Here's the guts of their response:

Latitude has made a commercial decision to credit your account with $24.00, for the fees that may be charged to your account. If you manage to close the account prior to the fee being applied, please accept the credit as a gesture of goodwill for being a Latitude customer.

 

[Hunter4vr]

This is absolutely classic. Latitiude have just responded in writing via e-mailed PDF letter with their response to my pro-active, anticipated complaint I predict I'm going to have in about 2 months' time when I go to close my account in a 4 day window between October 11 and 15.

Remember, I don't as yet actually have a real complaint. This is just purely speculative on my part given my history and what I know about how unreliable and deceptive Australian financial institutions are.

Here's the guts of their response:

This is pretty good from Latitude to be honest; it is totally your own decision to keep using the card post introduction of the fee and that you're not willing to close prior to the statement issue date as you want to maximise the 55 days interest free

Seems like a silly thing to worry about anyway, pay off your card on the 11th and close it when it allows you to. Chances are the fee won't get charged and even if it does, it's $8.... You've spent way more time and energy worrying about a potential $8 charge than anyone ever should imo. Send a quick email after the fact and that's it.

 

[burmans]

It’s pretty easy to work out how much to spend (and save 3%) to offset the annual fee but aren’t those Oz based CC options VERY few and far between these days?

NAB Rewards recently bucked the trend and was “enhanced” for the better.

Few and far between indeed, but as Cynicor noted there are 5 left (and some of us still have the ANZ Travels card), how many do you need?

 

[Legoman]

Send a quick email after the fact and that's it.

That's exactly the risk and problem though isn't it. In a past world when people's word could be taken as the truth and there was actual honesty and respect between negotiating parties, acting after the fact was not a problem. People were honest and you could simply explain why this thing went wrong, and they would issue the appropriate refund as necessary.

Unfortunately we all now live in a Qantas world, where the concept of a refund in terms of meaning you actually get your money back, is as foreign as a Kalahari bushman living in a $20mil penthouse apartment at the top of Crown Sydney Barangaroo Tower. It's not going to happen. Once you've handed over the money, all your power is gone, and no amount of pleading or explaning or justifying will help. They've got your money and that's that.

Acting after the fact is completely pointless. You must be pro-active in the modern world and corner people into doing the right thing when the bovine execrement inevitably hits the fan.

 

[mel-world]

That's exactly the risk and problem though isn't it. In a past world when people's word could be taken as the truth and there was actual honesty and respect between negotiating parties, acting after the fact was not a problem. People were honest and you could simply explain why this thing went wrong, and they would issue the appropriate refund as necessary.

Unfortunately we all now live in a Qantas world, where the concept of a refund in terms of meaning you actually get your money back, is as foreign as a Kalahari bushman living in a $20mil penthouse apartment at the top of Crown Sydney Barangaroo Tower. It's not going to happen. Once you've handed over the money, all your power is gone, and no amount of pleading or explaning or justifying will help. They've got your money and that's that.

Acting after the fact is completely pointless. You must be pro-active in the modern world and corner people into doing the right thing when the bovine execrement inevitably hits the fan.

I know not how you value your time but I would surmise that you have spent more than $8 worth of your time communicating with Latitude and explaining above, in some detail, why you predict the card company will deprive you of said $8. Some people would just move on.

 

[SYD]

Few and far between indeed, but as Cynicor noted there are 5 left (and some of us still have the ANZ Travels card), how many do you need?

Just one, and if can’t get another I may well stump up the $8 pm (when not getting a cash back or voucher)….

 

[MARTINE]

. Japan is probably one place my cabdriver trust factor is very high!

After reading @drron’s traumas - I doubt I will be testing this again

 

[Pushka]

After reading @drron’s traumas - I doubt I will be testing this again

And if something goes wrong with you card and you don't have cash.....

 

[Viridis]

Yesterday I was denied a Wise credit card despite still being employed part time. ……….. All up 9 documents just for a $5000 card, and declined. Harumph. .

What is the Wise Credit Card? Wasn’t aware they offered one in Aus or the UK. Did a search; can’t find anything …..

 

[RooFlyer]

What is the Wise Credit Card? Wasn’t aware they offered one in Aus or the UK. Did a search; can’t find anything …..

not aware of the credit card part, but it’s a multicurrency debit card - see and continue discussion here

Wise debit card

Hi, Has anyone had experience using a Wise debit card internationally ? Thinking of obtaining one for use in Europe and the UK.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Pushka]

not aware of the credit card part, but it’s a multicurrency debit card - see and continue discussion here

Wise debit card

Hi, Has anyone had experience using a Wise debit card internationally ? Thinking of obtaining one for use in Europe and the UK.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Yes. My bad. It is an ING credit card I was applying for. I have too many credit cards and debit cards and travel cards for travel happening. And now medications stuff for Japan. I'm losing it.

What is the Wise Credit Card? Wasn’t aware they offered one in Aus or the UK. Did a search; can’t find anything …..

 

[apj01]

Here we go, following the loss of the waived foreign currency fees on the Coles Rewards Mastercard I just received this email from Latitude:

Important information regarding changes to your Latitude 28° Global Platinum Mastercard credit card.

We are writing to let you know about upcoming changes to your Latitude 28° Global Platinum Mastercard credit card. Please note that from 17 September 2024, the following changes will take effect:

• A card fee of $8 per month will be introduced. You will see this fee being charged on your first statement from 17 September 2024.
• Interest rates on purchases – your rate will increase to 27.99% p.a.
• Under a new rewards program, you will be eligible for a $10 e-gift card every statement period from participating retailers when you spend $1,000 or more on eligible transactions in each statement period.
• Complimentary Purchase Protection Insurance will now be available covering the loss of purchases due to accidental damage or theft – up to $1,500.
• Complimentary E-Commerce Protection Insurance will now be available covering the non-delivery and/or incomplete delivery of online purchases – up to $1,500.

All other existing card features will remain the same. If, at the date of this change you are under a temporary hardship arrangement, the terms of any variation notice previously provided for that temporary arrangement will continue to apply until they end.

As with all products and services, please consider if this product is still right for you. If you would like to contact us or for further information about this change including cancelling your card or having credit funds paid to you, please visit latitudefinancial.com.au/28degreeschanges.

My card was hacked a few days after Latitude announced this! That speeded up the cancellation process lol

 

[apeman]

I to had the earlier 28 Degrees card but cancelled when they moved the goal posts. Likewise my Coles card was cancelled when a fee was charged, only recently to get the NAB card as a back up but with a fee now imposed will evaluate again. The NAB card is only a back up to my Comm bank ultimates card, which was compromised on my last trip and luckily could use my electronic wallet for most things, but had big dramas in Italy as the car rental would not accept electronic wallet card, matter resolved by using my now cancelled Coles card

 

[Legoman]

I to had the earlier 28 Degrees card but cancelled when they moved the goal posts.

This moving of the goal posts is rampant at the moment. So many institutions are executing their "right" to change their T&C's whenever they see fit, it's seriously hard to keep up. I remember back when contracts were actual contracts and the whole point of them was that THEY COULDN'T BE CHANGED. I know that concept seems oddly quaint like something your grandfather would come out with either right before or after the words "Back in the good old days…", but seriously, what is the point of a contract for credit if it includes the clause that the terms and conditions included can be changed at any time without the agreement or approval of both parties?

Surely such a clause immediately dissolves the contract from being an actual contract, or else the very definition of the word contract has changed so dramatically as to not actually mean the same thing anymore. I guess it's a bit like traffic lights, where green, amber and red used to mean go, be prepared to stop, and stop, Whereas now green means go, amber means go faster, and red is nothing more than a suggestion.

 

[BJReplay]

luckily could use my electronic wallet for most things, but had big dramas in Italy as the car rental would not accept electronic wallet card

I carry plastic cards, just in case, but usually not actually on me (as in they're usually locked in my hotel room, for example), so when I say "I don't have a physical card on me" it's true - though my wife is usually carrying.

When travelling, usually one of us has one, just in case, but when pressed, I usually say, sorry, I never carry one. I don't carry a wallet.

I've gone to walk out of car rentals and hotels in the US where they've got pre-booked and pre-paid rentals where they've said they can't rent without a card - and I've said "that's OK - you've already taken my payment from my card details online, so clearly that is sufficient, I'll be doing a charge-back on my credit card for failing to deliver the services I've already paid for" and suddenly they discover that "oh, actually, we can process the rental without a physical card".

Which, of course, they can. They would if you were a premium member where you just walk up to the car and drive away - the counter staff are usually just power tripping, and I just one-up them with my power trip, knowing that they're the one going to get written up for the charge back, so they'll back down.

Italy, of course, might be different, especially if you don't have language on your side, or it's a smaller rental office, but most places turn out to accept electronic wallets when the alternative is to accept no payment at all and to explain why the booked vehicle wasn't picked up.