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 44
  • Extras:
    • Price guarantee

• Extended Warranty
• Visa Entertainment
• VIP Lost Card Cover
• Purchase Protection
• Phone/Internet banking
• One free additional cardholder
• Platinum 24/7 Concierge Service
• Platinum International Travel Insurance

On the surface NAB’s Qantas Platinum credit card is a lot like its lesser alternative the NAB Qantas Gold card, however for pretty much double the cost ($290) in annual fees there must be something special about this card to give it that edge.

The basic features of this card are exactly the same as the Gold card, with p.a. being charged on both cash and purchases, and up to 44 days interest free on purchases if you pay your balance in full each month. While the interest free period is kind of low, the interest rate is impressive for a platinum credit card. Balance transfers are also offered at the same rate p.a. for six months (after which the interest rises to p.a.).

NAB Qantas Platinum card holders are still given two credit cards, but unlike the Gold, you don’t get the choice between a Visa or a MasterCard for your second credit card. Instead Platinum cardholders are just given an American Express and a Visa.

Next on the list are the travel and insurance benefits. The platinum card also offers all the same benefits as the Gold card, such as VIP lost card cover, international travel insurance (for six months as opposed to three on the Gold card), extended warranty and purchase protection insurance.

But that’s pretty much where the similarities end, with NAB stepping up to the plate with other additional insurance and travel benefits that make the overall benefits proportionate to the huge increase in annual fee.

NAB’s platinum concierge service means you’ll have your own on-call personal assistant for all your travel and entertainment booking needs. If you’re staying in an Australian hotel and you get burgled, you’ll be covered for up to $2,500 worth of damages or loss. Transport accident insurance also kicks in if you or your family are seriously injured or even killed while travelling.

You’ll also be covered if you have a domestic flight cancellation/change or your luggage is delayed or lost (which is more common than you may think!), and if you find a better price on items bought with your platinum credit card, NAB will pay you the difference so you can still get the best deal around.

The rewards system on the NAB Qantas Platinum credit card is another difference between the Gold and Platinum credit cards with a MUCH better earn rate on the latter. On the Platinum American Express you’ll get 1.5 points for every dollar spent, and on the Platinum Visa you’ll earn two points for every $3 spent.

The simplicity of this system (by comparison) means that you won’t have to think so much about how much of your credit limit you’ve spent and how many points you’ll be getting for your dollar.

On the whole, the NAB Qantas Platinum credit card is one that comes highly recommended from us. It is quite expensive but is in no way pretending to be something it isn’t. The benefits and features are all valuable additions, and if used to their full potential, could end up being really valuable platinum and frequent flyer credit card.

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

When comparing the Westpac Earth Platinum credit card to the other Earth cards available from Westpac, it looks as if it’s targeted purely at those who travel with Qantas a LOT.

Why, you ask?

Well for starters all interest rates are exactly the same as Westpac’s other two Earth credit cards (including balance transfers), as well as up to 45 days interest free on purchases, bonus points and special interest rates when purchasing selected Qantas products using the Earth Platinum card.

All travel insurance benefits are also included on this travel credit card, including one that is exclusive – the 24/7 personal concierge service. Available from anywhere throughout the globe, this service gives you all the help you need with all those tedious little organization jobs like making sure you don’t miss out on tickets to a concert or making bookings at your favourite restaurant or hotel. But it’s not just limited to entertainment, you can get them to organize anything from organizing holidays to getting a dog wash service for your family pet (now that’s handy)!

Time periods for the travel insurance benefits on this card are quite a bit longer than those on the Earth Gold credit card, with 24 months extended warranty (rather than 12) and 4 months travel and purchase protection insurance instead of just 3.

The only other difference between the Platinum and the Gold Earth cards is that while the annual fee might seem a tad over priced (double the price of the Earth Gold credit card) you see the benefits of paying extra when it comes to your frequent flyer points. The platinum card gives the cardholder 1.5 points (as opposed to just 1) for every dollar spent using the American Express card.

It may not seem that much better than the gold card, but this rate results in a spend amount that is significantly less (almost half that of the Earth gold credit card from Westpac) when amassing points for both domestic and international flights.

As a result the Westpac Earth Platinum credit card was only just pipped at the post for a top 3 placing in the Editor’s Choice for platinum and frequent flyer credit cards. The Westpac Earth credit card provides a truckload of benefits for anyone planning on traveling, and would virtually pay for itself if you are a very frequent flyer.

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