FEATURES SUMMARY

• Annual fee: $79
• Purchase rate: 14.24% p.a.
• Cash Advance rate: 21.49% p.a.
• Balance Transfer rate: 0% p.a. for first 6 months
• Interest-free days: Up to 55 days

• Extras:
  • Apply online
  • Rewards
  • Design your own card
  • Visa Entertainment
  • Phone/Internet banking

There are two features of the ANZ Balance Visa which make it an affordable and worthwhile card – the rewards program and the low interest rate.

Purchases made on your ANZ Balance Visa will incur an interest rate of just 14.24% p.a.*, and when it comes time to make your repayment, you’ll be rewarded with one rewards point for every dollar you repay. This includes both fees and interest paid on your account. It receives the title of #3 in the Editor’s Choice – Balance Transfer category with just 0% p.a. for the first 6 months on all balances transferred.

Points can be redeemed for a number of rewards, such as gift vouchers, shopping vouchers and even cash back. All rewards are available in values of $100, $50 and $20, with cash back rewards credited straight back into your account and the total reward amount being deducted from your credit card’s balance.

There is, however, one downside to this rewards system which is that you need to spend quite a significant amount of money in order to be able to redeem your points. For example, the lowest redemption amount is 4,000 points (which gets you a $20 voucher) and the highest being 22,000 points, which gets you a $100 Caltex voucher. This can be counteracted by the fact that points earned on repayments includes purchases, fees, interest, cash advances and repayments on balances transferred*.

When divided weekly this just over $420 a week, but this would have to be a regular expenditure which, if you are not careful, could result in some huge bills. So spending $22,000 just to get a $100 voucher? Not really the greatest rewards deal out there, but is more realistic with the points earn rate that’s on offer.

With an annual fee of $79 you are paying a bit more than most low interest credit cards but if you are looking for an affordable monthly interest rate with rewards then it is relatively cheap.

Especially seeing as these two features work in tandem as the main draw cards of the Balance Visa; rewards points for repayments act as an incentive to pay back the lower interest on your credit card bill, faster.

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

FEATURES SUMMARY

• Annual fee: $55
• Purchase rate: 12.49% p.a.
• Cash Advance rate: 21.24% p.a.
• Balance Transfer rate: 2.99% p.a.first 6 months
• Interest-free days: Up to 55

• Extras:
  • Apply online
  • Fraud Protection
  • Phone/internet banking
  • St George Instant Benefits

The St George Vertigo MasterCard is one of The Credit Card Guide’s most highly recommended credit cards as it takes out top 3 spots in five different categories, including 2nd place in the Editor’s Choice category – Overall.

Another card with a low 12.49% p.a.* on purchases, the St George Vertigo MasterCard is cracking the whip on some of the other big name banks. It does however have a cash advance rate of 21.24% p.a.*, but that can be avoided if it’s a real issue.

It comes with up to 55 days interest free* on purchases and a balance transfer rate of just 2.99%* p.a. for the first 6 months. The annual fee of $55 is fairly average for this kind of card so is not really a deciding factor.

While this low interest credit card would be beneficial for pretty much everyone, it would be most beneficial for those in NSW and South Australia as there are more branches and ATM’s (including Bank SA’s which are owned by St George), so you’d be less likely to be stuck using another bank’s ATM.

This card also has a bucket load of rewards benefits available for cardholders thanks to the St George Instant Benefits program. Unlike other banks’ rewards programs, you don’t have to accumulate points in order to reap the benefits of using your card. Instead you are rewarded instantly with instant discounts and other benefits from a huge range of retail, lifestyle, entertainment and travel partners.

For a limited time, new St.George Vertigo MasterCard applications come with a low purchase rate of 12.49% p.a. The current cash advance rate is 21.24% p.a. variable. The balance transfer rate remains at 2.99% p.a. for the first 6 months.

The current cash advance rate is 21.24% p.a. variable

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

FEATURES SUMMARY

• Annual fee: $250/$280
• Purchase rate:
• Cash Advance rate:
• Balance Transfer rate: 5.99% p.a. first 5 months (21.49% p.a.)
• Interest-free days: Up to 55 days
• Extras:
  • Apply online
  • Cash back

• Airfare Deals
• Extended Warranty
• Purchase Security
• MasterCard Moments
• MasterCard Applause
• Transit Accident Insurance
• Platinum 24/7 Concierge Service

For a platinum credit card this one from Commonwealth is pretty standard in most areas, but it does have a wide range of features in order to cater well for a wider range of people.

It comes with all the same benefits as the gold card but with longer time periods and greater values (International travel insurance for trips up to 12 months, extended warranty for up to a year longer than the manufacturer’s warranty, purchase security for up to 90 days and transit accident insurance), plus a few other features just to set it apart.

The card’s annual fee is $280, but if you happen to be applying for (or already have) a Commonwealth Bank home loan or bank account then the annual fee of your credit card will be waived. Or, if you are an existing Commonwealth credit card customer then (depending on which credit card you have) your annual fee will be either waived or reduced (to $250).

Bank account or home loan – Annual fee is waived
Awards Card – Annual fee is reduced
Gold Card – Annual fee is reduced
Platinum Card – Annual fee is reduced
Low Rate – Annual fee is reduced
Low Rate Gold – Annual fee is reduced
Low Fee – Waived when you spend $1000 or more per year on your credit card
Low Fee Gold – Waived when you spend $10,000 or more per year on your credit card

This includes a 24/7 platinum concierge service*, a comprehensive annual summary* (which will help at tax time) and a guaranteed pricing scheme*, so if you a find a product you’ve bought for a cheaper price (in print) than what you paid, Commonwealth will pay you the difference.

And now for the Awards program – with every dollar you spend on your Commonwealth platinum card you’ll get one Awards point. You can also get extra points by using the Commonwealth Travel Plus service, or by shopping at selected Bonus Partners.

These points can be redeemed for all sorts of goodies including cash back (which is credited back to your account), entertainment, shopping, merchandise and also travel. You can choose to have your awards points converted to frequent flyer points for your choice of Virgin Blue or Qantas airlines (you must be a member of your airline of choice’s frequent flyer program). Also, if you happen to be flying business or first class on a flight you’ve bought with your platinum credit card with Air Tahiti Nui, Japan Airlines or Air Pacific you’ll be eligible for companion airfare deals.

While this is probably a good deal, we thought there might be some kind of other benefit to really set it apart from the Gold and standard credit cards (not to mention other platinum rewards credit cards). But for an annual fee of $200 we still think it’s a really good deal, which is why it takes out the #3 spot in the Platinum credit card category and #2 in the Frequent Flyer credit card category. Adding to this cards prestige (in our eyes) is the fact that we also named it the #3 place getter in the Editor’s Choice – Rewards Credit Cards category.

The interest rate offered is more reasonable on the platinum credit card than on its lower value counterparts with the same rate, at * on purchases and p.a.* on cash advances, along with up to 55 days interest free*. If you have a credit card balance that you need to transfer to a lower interest rate then you can transfer it onto this card for just 5.99% p.a.* for the first 5 months. After this time any balance remaining from your transfer will be charged * interest.

But to sum up, the Commonwealth Platinum credit card definitely holds its own in the platinum credit card market with its variety of features and it’s standard pricing. It would be ideal for those who fly regularly with Virgin or Qantas and plan on using their rewards credit card regularly for retail payments each month.

See all our top picks in the Editors Choice category