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 balance transter rate
• Interest-free days: Up to 55

• Extras:
  • Fraud protection
  • MasterCard Applause service

The Aussie MasterCard is one of only two non-bank credit cards that made the cut on The Credit Card Guide, and it more than holds its own among the big wigs.

This no-frills card has a solid investment in keeping things on the down low for its customers, with a low interest rate on purchases for the first 12 months, after which it creeps up to just a small amount.

Balance transfers are also low  for the first 12 months after which they rise just a small amount, however, it does have up to 55 days interest free and a mid-range annual fee.

This combination of features has allowed this card to take the top spot in The Credit Card Guide’s picks for the Editors Choice – Interest Free credit cards category as well as #2 in the Low Interest category. Unsurprisingly, it also takes out the prestigious title of 1st place overall in the Editor’s Choice’s category.

The only downside that we found with this interest free credit card was that if you happened to lose your card, getting a replacement will set you back a whopping $50. However, if your card gets stolen and you report it to the police, Aussie will give you $200 just to tide you over. Now isn’t that nice?

With not much else to fault it with, the Aussie MasterCard offers great deals in pretty much all relevant areas, proving that you don’t have to be a bank to be a trusted and reliable credit card provider.

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

FEATURES SUMMARY

• Annual Fee: Low annual fee
• Interest rate (purchases): Low p.a. purchase rate
• Interest rate (cash advances): Low p.a cash advance  rate
• Balance transfer rate: Low balance transfer rate
• Interest-free days: Up to 40

• Extras:
  • Phone/internet banking
  • Rewards – Donations made to the RSPCA based on your spending

This card tugs at the heart strings of anybody that has got, has had or ever wanted a pet. Bendigo’s RSPCA Rescue credit card offers a charity-based rewards program where the bank makes payments to the RSPCA based on a percentage of the payments made on your credit card.

Overall this is without a doubt, a very very affordable reward credit card. Yes, there are other charity-based rewards programs out there, but they don’t make the grade like this card does when it comes to overall affordability. While rate is a rock bottom for cash advances it isn’t the lowest interest rate for purchases, but still, it measures up quite nicely.

It has an even lower introductory rate on purchases for the first 6 months* which will cut your interest payments significantly during that time, so it is really a very cheap credit card. It also requires you to pay just annual fees and a much lower potential interest payment on balances, it’s no surprise that this credit card takes out 2nd place in the Editors Choice – Low Annual Fee credit card category.

Only one other bank’s rewards cards have an interest rate to rival this, but this is at the expense of the annual fee, which on the RSPCA Rescue card is really low. Not only is it nipping at the heels of those at the top of the low interest and low balance transfer credit card tables, but it is also the cheapest rewards credit card by far.

The balance transfer offer on this credit card is low.* This might seem quite high compared to other cards that fit into the low balance transfer rate category, however this is a flat rate which is actually lower than most balance transfer rates after introductory periods are over.

The only downside to this card is that the interest free period offered on this credit card is lower than most low interest credit cards at just 40 days*; however this is still quite a high number when you realise that some cards actually have none.

The more you spend using the Bendigo RSPCA Rescue credit card, the more donations are made. And with four card designs to choose from – each with a different picture of a furry friend from the RSPCA, it’s bound to put a smile on your face every time you make a purchase. It’s a win-win situation, who could say no to that!

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

The main feature of this card is quite obviously the fact that it has up to 55 days interest free.

These interest free days only apply if you pay your monthly balance in full. If not you will be charged full interest on your purchases, calculated from the day of purchase.

It’s quite strange that Westpac would bring out a card especially created for this feature, as the majority of credit cards out there offer interest free days in conjunction with lower ongoing purchase and balance transfer rates.

The introductory interest rate on purchases is very low p.a., however this will only last for the first 5 months. After this time the purchase rate jumps p.a. There are no outstanding extra features that you can’t find on other cards, which makes this purchase interest rate seem unnecessarily high. However, it can be avoided by using up to 55 interest free days to your advantage.

The same goes for balance transfers – p.a. for the first 6 months, it will be cheap for a short period of time, but it will increase to almost 20%. So if you’re looking to transfer a credit card balance then this is not the best credit card choice.

The one good thing that can be said about this interest free period credit card is that it has a low annual fee.

So if you need to make a few large credit card purchases and your current credit card doesn’t have interest free days, or you’re just looking for a credit card to make the odd purchase on that charges a low annual fee then the Westpac 55 Day credit card is possible option for you.

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