Balance Transfer Credit Card

Balance transfers are, in effect, the same as debt consolidations as you can transfer balances from multiple credit cards onto just the one credit card which usually charges a much lower introductory interest rate. These lower interest rates are used by banks to tempt people into switching banks, but if you’re smart you can use it to your advantage.

If you can pay off your balance transfer in this time then you may just be able to save yourself a lot of money! But here’s a word of warning: don’t be fooled by low introductory rates that increase to really high interest rates – these will not save you money unless you can pay it off within the introductory time frame.

So, its fair to say that it pays to do a bit of number crunching when making a decision. We found that the introductory rates didn’t always equate to less interest being paid. As a result, we took into account both rates and fees over a year for a range of balances to work out which would be the cheapest.

Check out our reviews below to see which Balance transfer credit card works for you.

Editor's Choice - Balance Transfer Credit Cards

Balance Transfer Credit Card Reviews

GE Money Low Rate MasterCard Credit Card

FEATURES SUMMARY

  • Annual fee: $58
  • Purchase rate: 14.99% p.a.
  • Cash Advance rate: 20.49% p.a.
  • Balance Transfer rate: 4.99% p.a. first 6 months (14.99% p.a.)
  • Interest-free days: Up to 55
  • Extras:
    • Apply online
    • Price Protection Insurance
    • Purchase Protection Insurance
    • Up to 9 free additional cardholders


GE Money Low Rate MastercardThis card is on the cusp of being a standard interest credit card, only just making the cut with a purchase rate of 14.99% p.a. This is further reinforced by the cash advance rate which sits at a whopping 20.49% p.a.

Balance transfers however, are available at just 4.99% p.a. for the first 6 months and as a refreshing change, this rate only increases to the purchase rate rather than the cash advance rate (as most other credit card rates do after the introductory period is over).

Benefits of this card include price protection cover and purchase protection. So if you have made a purchase on your credit card and you see the same product offered cheaper a week later, you’ll get paid the difference by GE. Or if your credit card purchase is accidentally lost, broken or gets stolen then you’ll be covered for that too.

At just $58 it is a card that sits in the middle of the range in terms of its annual fees. It includes up to 55 interest free days on purchases, however it should be noted that these do not come into effect until all balance transfers have been paid.

While this is a good credit card overall, and the lowest interest rates of all the GE Money credit cards, it’s not quite good enough to compete with all the other cheaper, low interest rate credit cards out there.

See our top credit card picks in the Editor’s Choice category

GE Money Clear Advantage MasterCard Credit Card

FEATURES SUMMARY

  • Annual fee: $0
  • Purchase rate: 18.49% p.a.
  • Cash Advance rate: 18.49% p.a.
  • Balance Transfer rate: 4.99% p.a. first 6 months (18.49% p.a.)
  • Interest-free days: Up to 55
  • Extras:
    • Apply online
    • MasterCard Applause
    • Free withdrawals at Westpac ATM’s
    • Up to 9 free additional cardholders


GE Money Clear Advantage Credit CardThe GE Money Clear Advantage MasterCard is a very basic credit card supplied by GE Money through Wizard Home Loans.

It has no annual fee which is great, however the interest rate compensates for this a bit at 18.49% p.a. for both purchases and cash advances. While this is pretty high for purchases its one of the lowest we’ve seen for cash advances. It also comes with up to 55 days interest free and a 4.9% p.a. balance transfer rate for the first 6 months.

As banks have their own ATM’S to make withdrawals from it might seem like a bit of a disadvantage getting the GE Money Clear Advantage credit card because of the withdrawal fees you’d get using other banks’ ATM’s. But there’s no need to worry.

GE Money and Wizard have teamed up with Westpac to allow people with this credit card unlimited access to Westpac ATM’s free of charge. So if you go with this card you can use Westpac ATM’s for all your withdrawals without the hassle of ATM fees.

GE Money has had a fair crack at providing a good low annual fee credit card so hats off to them. But when it comes down to it, there are better options out there. Sure there’s no annual fee, but other cards that offer better interest rates will cost you less in the long run despite (in some cases) having to pay a small annual fee.

See our top credit card picks in the Editor’s Choice category

GE Money eco MasterCard Credit Card

FEATURES SUMMARY

  • Annual fee: $49
  • Purchase rate: 18.49% p.a.
  • Cash Advance rate: 19.99% p.a.
  • Balance Transfer rate: 0% p.a. first 6 months (18.49% p.a.)
  • Interest-free days: Up to 55
  • Extras:
    • Apply online
    • MasterCard Applause
    • Design your own card
    • Charity-based rewards program
    • 3 additional card holders free


GE Money eco Mastercard 2This GE Money eco MasterCard is quite vague when it comes to getting all the little details and interest rates.

Instead it prefers to hide behind the main selling point of the card which is a charity-based credit card rewards program that focuses on offsetting carbon emissions and ‘creating a healthier planet’.

While this is a worthwhile and important cause to get behind, they would do well to make the details of the card clearer and easier to find, as we would predict that the people who are concerned enough about their carbon emissions to get this card would be unlikely to be too worried about the cost.

The good news is that we can give you the details without any fuss.

The purchase rate for this card is 18.49% p.a. and the cash advance rate is 19.99% p.a. Balance transfers are available at a very low 0% for the first 6 months, after which it increases to 18.49% p.a. You also get up to 55 days interest free (which only apply if you pay your monthly balance in full), all for the annual fee of $49.

Now for the rewards program…

GE Money has obviously cottoned on to the issues of today’s society and realized that more and more people are becoming concerned about the environment, so would be willing to forfeit material rewards for something that is more beneficial in the long-run.

So, they now offer a rewards program where on Earth Day (April 22nd) each year, GE Money uses 1% of your credit card expenses to purchase carbon offsets on your behalf from the Origin Energy Carbon Reduction Scheme. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and in turn reduces your carbon footprint.

For example, if you spend $200 on the GE Money eco MasterCard, your rewards will offset 500km’s of car travel. Spending $700 on the credit card per month (for a year) you’ll offset the carbon emissions produced from the household energy consumption and card usage of one average Australian.

Alternatively, you can choose to allocate half of the 1% to carbon offset rewards and take the other half as a cash back reward which would be credited back to your monthly statement annually (after Earth Day).

If you are looking for a card that saves you money then this is most definitely not for you. The annual fee of this card is relatively inexpensive for a rewards card; however the interest rates are quite high. But in terms of rewards programs, it is a very valuable card where rewards are accumulated much quicker and are a lot more valuable than most.

See our top credit card picks in the Editor’s Choice category

Page 2 of 20«12345»1020...Last »

Disclaimer - Information found on this website is current and up to date at the time of publishing, with reasonable efforts being made to maintain its accuracy. The Credit Card Guide features a limited selection of the credit cards available in Australia and recommends seeking independent financial advice to suit your circumstances. At times we receive a small commission from some credit card companies if you sign up after clicking the "Apply Online" buttons on this website. The content is provided as general information and should not be taken as professional financial advice.