Westpac’s Earth Gold credit card gives it’s platinum counterpart a real run for its money , with nearly all the benefits of the platinum card at just half the price.

With an annual fee, this airline rewards credit card gives you all the benefits that seem to be missing from the standard Earth credit card. These include complimentary international travel insurance, extended warranty insurance and of course, purchase protection insurance.

The overseas travel insurance is a great addition to the Earth Gold credit card. When flights are purchased using this card it covers both the cardholder and their immediate family on international trips of up to three months.

Points are earned at the same rate on this card as the standard card, with 1 point for every dollar using the American Express and 0.5 points with the MasterCard. Interest rates are also the same p.a. for purchases and p.a. for cash advances, and p.a. on balance transfers for the first 6 months with up to 45 days interest free on purchases.

This is the main downfall of this card in comparison to the Westpac Earth platinum credit card, as the spend amount required is much higher due to the lower frequent flyer points earning rate.

Other similarities include p.a. interest on balance transfers and an extra frequent flyer point for every dollar spent on selected Qantas products purchased using either of the Earth Gold Cards. Obviously you would need to be travelling to get any benefits from this card, however if you are then this would be one of the best frequent flyer credit card options on offer from Westpac.

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As a member of the Big Four banks Westpac seems to be lagging behind in terms of low interest credit cards. Both NAB and ANZ offer similar cards to the Westpac Low Rate credit card, but with better features.

While it is affordable, it’s also pretty stock standard, so is a lot like the rest of the cards in the low interest rate category. Its purchase rate p.a. and the cash advance rate p.a.

Balance transfers are for the first 6 months, after which it reverts to the cash advance rate p.a. With up to 55 days interest free there’s plenty of opportunity to take advantage of purchases without extra charges, and this is all available with an annual fee.

One thing that we can say about this card though, is that while it doesn’t quite make it into the low annual fee category, it’s still pretty low in terms of the savings you’ll get with the low interest rates.

Not to mention that it is one of the cheapest of the Big Four banks credit cards that made into the low interest rate category.

With no rewards program on this low interest credit card, there is no doubt that this card was created for those in need of a cheap credit card that doesn’t bother with extras at the expense of long term affordability. It’s available as a Visa or a MasterCard so if you have a preference for one of the two companies or maybe for their benefits, then you have freedom of choice.

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

The GM Holden MasterCard is quite obviously an extremely targeted credit card, with its focus being on those who intend on buying a new Holden, Hummer or Saab.

Looking at the interest rate of this card you might be put off relatively quickly, but if you are one of these people that Westpac are aiming at, then it might pay to check it out. When you use your Westpac GM Holden MasterCard to make purchases, 10% of every dollar you spend will go towards a brand new Holden Hummer or Saab.

So for every $10 you spend, $1 will go towards a rebate for your car (or better yet, $10 out of every $100 spent. That sounds a bit better doesn’t it?). There are limits to the amount of money you can accumulate for a rebate and this is dependent on which model you choose to buy. For example, the maximum rebate amount for a Holden Barina is $500, as opposed to the maximum amount for a Hummer is $3000 (which is all relative to the overall price).

As a little bit of extra rebate goodness, if you’re buying a Holden you can also earn a 2% bonus rebate when you use your card at selected GM Holden Dealers. And yes, this is on top of the best price you can swindle out of the car dealer.

The annual fee for this credit card is at the lower end of the scale, and is pretty well priced considering the rebates available. It has up to 55 days interest free and balance transfers are offered at the standard Westpac rate p.a. for the first 6 months. After this period the rate increases p.a.

The bottom line on this card is that yes, it is good option if you are looking to buy one of the cars available for rebates, however is most valuable if you are buying a bigger, more expensive car as the savings are more significant in relation to your car’s overall price and the potential interest that can accumulate on the purchases you make. Just make sure you pay your monthly balance in full otherwise your rebates will just go towards paying off your accumulating interest.

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