Home :: Uncapped Points Frequent Flyer Credit Cards :: Westpac Altitude Credit Card
Westpac Altitude Credit Card
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Key Features
- Earn Altitude points on purchases
- 2 Altitude points per $1 spent on your Altitude American Express ® Card
- 1 Altitude point per $1 spent on your Altitude Visa ® Card or Altitude MasterCard ®
- Two credit cards linked to one account - with one monthly statement and one credit limit
- Money magazine Award Winner - Altitude American Express ® Card
- No points capping or expiry
- Receive 5,000 bonus Altitude points when you first use either card for a purchase
- Paperless eStatements available
- Start your application here.
Review & Analysis
Westpac’s Altitude credit card is a fantastic rewards card. In fact, it’s so good that Money Magazine awarded it a prize for being the best bank rewards credit card. Read our full review of its features before applying.
Frequent Flyer Points
Before we delve any deeper, it’s worth pointing out that the Westpac Altitude credit card is not directly affiliated with any particular airline rewards program, e.g. Qantas Frequent Flyer, Virgin Velocity Rewards or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. However, that’s not to say that points earned cannot be redeemed for flights, as they can be. Points can be transferred from your Altitude account to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Air New Zealand Airpoints, Malaysian Airlines Enrich, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Velocity Rewards. This card may not be a direct earn account, but it makes up for it in flexibility and variety.
The earn rate is 2 Altitude points per $1 on the Amex version and 1 Altitude point per $1 spent on the Visa or MasterCard. This dual card setup only serves to increase the flexibility afforded by the account. Points are not capped and you don’t have to worry about using within a certain period of time as there is no expiry date.
Pros
One of this card’s biggest attractions is the flexibility of rewards. Of course, we’re most interested in the travel rewards, but you can also redeem your Altitude points for a variety of goods on the Altitude store.
At just $100 p.a., the annual fee is lower than many of the rewards cards available on the market. Purchase rates and cash advance rates at 19.99% p.a. and 21.59% p.a. respectively are in line with what you can expect from a frequent flyer card, so at the very least you know you aren’t being ripped off.
Cons
If you want to earn QFF points, which is probably Australia’s most popular airline rewards program, then this card is not for you. Points can be transferred to a range of other airline rewards programs, but Qantas Frequent Flyer is unfortunately not on the list.
Another drawback, although this point only really applies to anyone looking to switch cards and get a lower interest rate, is the balance transfer offer. 3.99% p.a. is probably less than what you’re paying on your current card, but there are cheaper offers around.
Eligibility
Want to apply for a Westpac Altitude credit card? Then make sure that you can tick these boxes. You’ll need to be an Australian permanent resident or citizen of 18 years of age, or more, and earn $15,000. Compared to other rewards cards, and frequent flyer cards in particular, this is a very low minimum criteria that most people can easily meet.
Is This Card Right For You?
If you have no airline in particular that you always want to fly with, then the Altitude credit card could be a very good fit, especially if you like the sound of redeeming points for more than just flights.
