The Earth Platinum credit card is at the top end of Westpac’s range of Earth credit cards. It packs some serious privileges, which is just what you’d expect from a platinum level credit card. This card comes loaded with complimentary insurance, a concierge service and additional fraud protection. All this is available for a low annual fee!

Frequent Flyer Points

As with the other Earth credit cards, Westpac’s Earth Platinum card is linked with the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Don’t worry if you haven’t got an account with them already, because membership is free when you sign up for the card. This is what’s called a companion card, which basically means the account has two cards with one annual fee and credit limit. The idea here is to make it easier to rack up the QFF points as the Amex version has a higher earn rate. Speaking of earn rates, the Amex Westpac Earth Platinum credit card rewards purchases at the rate of 1.5 QFF points per dollar. The MasterCard version has a lower earn rate, currently 0.5 QFF points per dollar. Points are not capped.

If you use the card to purchase products or services direct from Qantas, e.g. a flight, then you’ll earn a bonus point per dollar.

Other Rewards

If you live a busy life, you’re going to love the personal concierge service. Need a flight booked or hotel room reserved? Your concierge is just a phone call away, so you can give them the task and focus on what’s really important.

As we’ve briefly touched on, the Westpac Earth Platinum also comes with a range of complimentary insurances, namely international travel insurance, purchase protection insurance and extended warranty insurance. You may not use them all, but that’s no problem – they’re free anyway!

Pros

Earning Qantas Frequent Flyer points is a great reward, and one that you can, and probably will want to use. The fact that points are not capped means you don’t have to worry about spending a lot on your card and not being fully rewarded. And having two cards means you can really begin to spend strategically to maximise your rewards.

The $250 p.a. is reasonable, especially in comparison with other platinum level Qantas credit cards like this one. Its interest rates, 19.99% p.a. on purchases and 21.49% p.a. on cash advances, are about average for a card of this kind. It also has a useful cheap balance transfer offer of 0.99% p.a. for 6 months. Want to move a balance and save some money? This may not be the cheapest or longest balance transfer available, but compared to other Qantas credit cards it’s very good.

Another bonus is that the travel insurance policy covers overseas trips lasting up to 6 months, which is longer than many competing cards. Likewise, both the purchase protection and extended warranty insurances provide cover for longer than usual.

Lastly, the Earth Platinum card has the ability for contactless payment. You’ll literally just have to swipe the card at checkouts with compatible hardware installed to pay for items costing no more than $100. It’s going to save you a lot of time, especially as contactless technology becomes more widely adopted.

Cons

The interest free period (Up to 45 days) on purchases is shorter than that of other cards, but still long enough to get your payment in at the end of the month to avoid being charged interest.

Eligibility

First of all, platinum cards are usually more difficult to get approved for with high minimum criteria. The Westpac Earth Platinum is just the same. You’ll need to earn $65,000 and have good credit if you want to be approved. If you can’t answer yes to these, then don’t apply.

Is This Card Right For You?

This is a great way to live the platinum lifestyle, but not have to pay through the nose for it. With QFF rewards, travel insurance and a personal concierge service available 24/7, the Westpac Earth Platinum card is rewarding in more ways than one. Submit your application now!