The Bankwest Lite Gold MasterCard is yet another one of Bankwest’s credit cards showing great potential in The Credit Card Guide’s credit card categories rankings.

This card’s annual fee is higher than that of its standard counterpart; however this is ridiculously cheap for a gold card, and the extra cash pays for the additional ‘built in’ services you receive as a Gold cardholder.

These include up to 12 months extended warranty (on top of the manufacturer’s warranty)and purchase protection on purchases made with your Gold credit card. You’ll also be entitled to worldwide travel and accident insurance which is a great benefit for all you travel bugs out there.

As a Gold card, MasterCard Moments also applies to this credit card so you’ll have exclusive access to more luxurious benefits than most, including learning to fly a helicopter, beachfront-living getaways and international exploration holidays.

A noticeable difference in this gold card (compared to other gold credit cards) is that there is no rewards program. At Bankwest this is reserved for the More MasterCards. So if you are looking for rewards points and are willing to sacrifice the low interest rate then the More MasterCards would be more in line with your needs.

This is a credit card with a very low balance transfer (it came very close to being in the top 3 for the low balance transfer category) and interest rate on purchases, and seems as if it was created with the traveler in mind.

However if all you’re looking for is a low ongoing interest rate (no matter how big or small your balance is) then the Bankwest Lite Gold credit card is a good credit card option for you.

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According to Bankwest, their Lite MasterCard is the ‘lowest stress credit card’, and we’re inclined to believe them when they offer customers the very low interest rate.*

The only other cards to have a lower interest rate are ones with introductory offers that finish with a much higher rate after only a few months. Meanwhile, the Bankwest Lite MasterCard interest rate is ongoing.

The cash advance rate on this low rate credit card is significantly higher than the purchase rate*, but is within the standard cash advance range so it’s not much of a downside.

In terms of balance transfers this card shines again with a super low rate, which is much longer than most balance transfer cards across the board.

With a low annual fee this is a reasonably priced credit card that also offers up to 55 days interest free on purchases*. Like the Aussie MasterCard, the features on Bankwest’s Lite MasterCard make it very appealing.

If you look at the card over all, it’s fair to say that if it’s used wisely, this credit card could be very valuable. Its ability to cater so well to such a wide range of financial needs has enabled to take out a top 3 placing in the Editors Choice category, and therefore comes very highly recommended.

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Like its siblings, the Bankwest More Gold MasterCard is a bit of a wild goose chase when it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty and finding all the right information. With interest rates usually being the first thing that people look for when assessing a credit card, it was strange to see that these weren’t included on the credit card’s information page.

But seeing as we’ve got the information, how about we share it with you?

A number of the core features on the More Gold MasterCard are exactly the same as the standard More MasterCard. There’s the interest free period which is up to 55 days, the interest rates (on purchases and balance transfers, and for cash advances) and also the points earning rate of 1.5 points per dollar spent on the More Gold MasterCard.

But that’s where the similarities end and the advantages of having the Gold card over the standard More MasterCard shine through. For  more in annual fees, the BankWest More Gold MasterCard has everything that the standard More MasterCard was missing. For starters, you get 10,000 bonus points from Bankwest when you activate your credit card and the maximum points you can earn is capped at 200,000 (as opposed to 150,00 on the standard credit card).

You’ll also get purchase protection which will cover you if items that you have bought on your credit card are lost, stolen or damaged within three months from the purchase date. Extended warranty on these goods means you’re also covered for an extended warranty period that matches that of the manufacturer’s warranty.

Transit accident insurance is also included, along with the big kahuna of credit card benefits….travel insurance, which is available for trips up to 3 months in length. As an added benefit, you’ll also get great discounts and offers from MasterCard Moments, purely for having a Gold MasterCard.

Overall, the Bankwest More Gold MasterCard is evidence of yet another Gold credit card that is by far better than the standard option, and possibly better value than the Platinum option. The interest rates are fairly run of the mill for a Gold credit card, but the rewards program in combination with the interest free days, travel and insurance benefits make it a worthwhile rewards credit card to consider.

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The Bankwest More MasterCard is the most basic of the Bankwest credit cards with rewards.

On any purchases you make you’ll be charged interest, unless of course you pay your balance in full each month and can take advantage of up to 55 days interest free. Cash advances earn a little more interest which is unfortunately at the higher end of the cash advance interest rate scale. Balance transfers are available; however there isn’t an introductory rate like on a lot of other balance transfer credit cards. Instead Bankwest just offers the same interest rate as purchases.

The Bankwest More MasterCard has over 2,800 rewards (including cash back) available for redemption with Bankwest’s More Rewards points and to boost your initial points total, Bankwest gives all new More MasterCard holders 5,000 bonus More rewards points when you activate your credit card.

Every dollar spent on your More MasterCard will earn you 1.5 rewards points. While there is no set rate at which rewards are priced (as some rewards with the same values have varying points prices), a $100 voucher on the Bankwest More Rewards program will in most cases cost you 22,150 points.

That’s a spend of just under $15,000. A point to take note of however is that it seems as if the more ‘expensive’ the rewards are the more value you’ll get from your points. For example, you can redeem 12,000 More Rewards points in exchange for a $50 Woolworths voucher. So by standard logic you would then expect a $100 voucher to cost 24,000 points, but this is not the case. It is actually cheaper, at $22,150.

If you are spending a lot of money on your credit card quite regularly then it might be worth holding out for the higher value rewards. If not then opt for the lower points more regularly as the general redemption rate is quite high in comparison to other credit cards’ rewards programs.

For a basic credit card with rewards, Bankwest’s More Rewards credit card has quite an expensive annual fee and interest rates, without any other benefits to justify these prices. And despite there being a huge range of rewards to choose from, the redemption rate is not quite competitive enough to make this card a valuable addition to your wallet.

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FEATURES SUMMARY

• Annual fee: Low annual fee
• Purchase rate: Low p.a. purchase rate
• Cash Advance rate: Low p.a. cash advance rate
• Balance Transfer rate: Low p.a. balance transfer rate
• Interest-free days: Up to 55
• Extras:
  • Cashback

• • Price Guarantee
  • Extended warranty
  • MasterCard moments
  • Phone/Internet banking
  • 24/7 Concierge Service
  • Rewards (plus bonus points)
  • Purchase Protection insurance

With the Bankwest More Gold MasterCard being pretty good value, the pressure is on for the More Platinum MasterCard to prove itself just as worthy. So let’s see what it has to offer.

It’s only fair that first we point out the annual fee, which is  more than the Gold card. This is pretty average for a platinum credit card, but do the features and benefits measure up to this increase in annual fee?

Well, let’s see. The interest free period (up to 55 days) and the cash advance rate are the same as the Gold card. But then we see a nice little decrease in the purchase rate, bringing it down. This in turn decreases the balance transfer rate as well, so both are lower than their Gold card counterparts.

Rewards points are earned at a rate of two points for every dollar spent, with a maximum of 400,000 points able to be earned per year. To reach this maximum you’d need to spend $200,000 on your credit card in a year (or nearly $17,000 a month) so we think you should be ok! As a nice little bonus, Bankwest increases the bonus points given to platinum cardholders, with 15,000 bonus points when your More Platinum credit card is activated. As a result this credit card is the #2 place getter in the Editor’s Choice – Rewards Credit Cards category.

It also comes with all the same travel and insurance benefits, plus another addition to sweeten the deal. Your international travel insurance covers you for up to six months of travel and for things such as rental vehicle excess, unexpected travel delays or cancellations, medical expenses and even (we hate to say it) funeral costs.

Purchase security insurance also gives platinum cardholders at Bankwest up to $30,000 in claims for damaged, stolen or lost credit card purchases. Warranties of less than one year are doubled and warranties from one to four years are extended by 12 months under Bankwest’s extended warranty insurance.

It also allows up to $15,000 in claims per year. Price guarantee insurance on the platinum card means you can be refunded up to $500 on any one item that is reported within 21 days of purchase. You’ll also get a 24/7 personal concierge service as part of the rewards credit card’s benefits.

So judging by the lower interest rates, the annual fee and the additions to the many travel and insurance benefits available, we think it would be fair to say that the More Platinum Rewards credit card from Bankwest really does step up to the mark, with benefits that are most definitely proportionate to its price.

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Thanks to its name, it’s fairly obvious that the main feature of the Bankwest Zero MasterCard is the $0 annual credit card fee. But wait, just like Transformers, there’s more to this ‘no annual fee’ credit card than meets the eye.

When you first look at the Bankwest Zero Mastercard as a whole it would be fair to say it sits in the middle of the range, but looking at individual features makes this card is very enticing.

With a $0 annual fee and the fact that even with a higher balance (at least a few thousand dollars) after the introductory interest rate has expired, you’ll pay less interest than a lot of other credit cards in the low annual fee category.

For the first 12 months, all balance transfers are subject to a very low interest rate, after which they increase. This is also the interest rate for purchases and cash advances which is probably one of the lowest cash advance rates around. Team this with an interest free period of up to 55 days and you’ve got yourself a bargain.

When you look at the bigger picture it’s not an exceptionally low ongoing interest rate (as there are others that are lower), but it is the lowest interest rate around on a card with no annual fee and it actually works out being one of the cheapest over a 12 month period.

But as usual it depends on your needs and spending habits. The low introductory interest rate means that you will end up spending less in interest than a lot of other cards on the market, and it includes a double-whammy of no annual fee.

So if you’re looking for a card that is cheap and doesn’t muck around with extra benefits and features then this is the best credit card for you. We think it’s a great low annual fee credit card, only just missing out on a top 3 placing.

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FEATURES SUMMARY

• Monthly Fee: $0
• Free account access:
  • Eftpos
  • Phone/Internet banking
  • ANZ / Bankwest / Commonwealth / NAB / Westpac ATMs

• Extras:
  • Choice of six card colours
  • MasterCard Applause
  • Australia Post Bank@Post service

Want a debit card with no fees? Well then you’ve come to the right place.

With no fees attached the Bankwest MasterCard debit card, it is one of a select few front-runners in the Australian debit card market, and is the 3rd place holder of all the cards vying for the title of Editor’s Choice in the Debit card category..

To get a Bankwest MasterCard you must first open a Bankwest account. Your debit card can be linked to any Bankwest transaction account, so you’ve got the freedom of choice teamed up with the freedom to purchase, without the monthly bill!

This card is perfect for students when teamed up with Bankwest’s Student account. All your electronic banking transactions are free and your account is so easy to manage with 24/7 online banking.

In addition to $0 in fees, another massive draw card for this debit card is that its provider, Bankwest, is now part of Australia’s biggest ATM network. This means that it can be used at a number of Australian bank’s ATM’s free of charge. These banks include Bankwest, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, NAB, Westpac and St George.

Being part of the MasterCard network, all Bankwest debit card holders have access to MasterCard’s applause service which gives exclusive entertainment benefits including one off events created especially for MasterCard debit card holders.

Unfortunately for fans of Bankwest, you can’t apply for this card online so you’ll have to make a trip to the bank to get yourself one.

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