Finally Leaving Commbank! Help Me Create a Reward Strategy and Choose Credit Cards Please

BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 13:48

Hi Everyone,

I am finally decided to leave Commbank. Have been with the bank forever (home loan, dd, cc, insurance etc). Refinanced my home loan two years back to another bank but I have been still using the credit card. In the past I have moved my platinum cc to gold rate Mastercard. I no longer had the wealth package so paying $350 plus fees for the card didn't seem right.

Lately, I have doing some research on how to maximise reward points and would like to your help/advice.

More about me and -

In my mid 30s.
Salary is $90k+
Married and have a 5 year old kid.
Wife has always had a separate cc card but looking at adding her as an additional card holder on my account to earn rewards.
Can pay cc bills in full at the end of every month easily.
Monthly spend from CC will be easily $3000+ if I can put everything on the card.

what I am looking at-
Cancel current gold rate master card with Commbank.
Apply for 1 or 2 credit card and pay all bills and buy everything using the card including my son's monthly school and other activities fee.
Travel at least once a year. Really want my son to experience travel.
Travel mostly interstate at least once a year and to Mumbai once every two year as I have family there.
Prefer Singapore or Thai airways (Singapore more!).
Would love to get travel insurance as part of the CC.
Lounge access would be cool, though I have never never used this option

Strategy -
American Express Platinum Edge card - The only issue is every time I have looked at international flights, they are expensive than normal. Also the use of Amex will be limited to Coles, maybe Petrol and a couple of restaurants. So not 100% is this is worth it even though there is $200/year travel credit that can be used.

I have never used Amex before so I may not have the knowledge or understand the benefits completely.

Citibank Platinum Visa -
will need a Visa card if I get the Amex and I found the current bonus offer pretty good and the fee is reasonable.

What do you think of the strategy? Should I look at another cards? I have tried looking at the cc compare websites and found the info overwhelming and at times not updated. Also found that most of the websites were promoting cards and bonuses.

Any advice/tips will be appreciated.

Thanks

Financial Credit Card

Comments

  • JacobHarvey on 25/05/2019 - 14:18

    Best to get the signup bonuses for cards (many of these deals are posted here with no first year fee and 60,000 to 120,000 bonus points per card) rather than focus on earn rates of the cards initially.

    It will take ages to accumulate the same amount of points from just regular spending on credit cards so bonuses are usually the way to go when starting off.

    • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 14:31

      Signing up for cards with bonus makes sense but if I keep churning, wouldn’t that affect the overall credit rating?

      Or maybe just sign up with a bonus card and then stick to it for sometime… maybe that way I can continue to earn points..

      • JacobHarvey on 25/05/2019 - 14:33
        +1

        Yes either strategy is valid. Depends on whether you want to churn or not. However, you should at least try to get one decent bonus if you are looking for a new card to sign up to anyway

        • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 14:37

          Alright. Makes sense. Thank you.

  • chumlee on 25/05/2019 - 14:29

    Just get a coles no annual fee card and live life instead of chasing points and getting credit enquiries

    • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 14:33

      Point noted.

      Currently with my CommBank I ain’t getting any rewards so getting a Coles card will not be an issue.

      May I ask why you suggested Coles cc? Is it because I shop with Coles and that would work well?

      Thanks.

      • chumlee on 25/05/2019 - 15:24

        No annual fee and points go towards dollars off shopping

        • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 17:58

          Cool. sounds like a no brainer. Will look into it. Thanks.

  • loropy9 on 25/05/2019 - 15:19

    Make sure you download your statements for at least 5 years before you close the account, you never know when you might need them.

    • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 17:58

      Thanks for the tip. Shall do.

      Getting away from CommBank so gotta do that.

  • Diji1 on 25/05/2019 - 16:34

    What do you think of the strategy?

    I think you will lose money as your behavior is changed by the spending incentives and cashless payment but you will keep deluding yourself that you are actually gaining money.

    • BuddhaBoy on 25/05/2019 - 18:00

      This is a very good point and I have thought about that… but I think if I have a clear goal, spend plan (and offer pay plan) there has to be some gain/benefit.

      Though I must say of the cc fees are atrocious and may look like with cool offers but no gain in the end.

  • tgpraveen on 25/05/2019 - 18:54

    Go for St George Black card - no annual fee for first year - 90k qantas points - can be transferred to partner airlines, 02 lounge passes, has travel insurance.

    Also, you didn’t say which bank you moved to, but consider switching to ING, just to get zero cost foreign transaction and international atm fees refunded as well as rad savings rate if you do meet monthly conditions.

    • sssbp on 25/05/2019 - 21:17

      What's the exact Black card name? can't find any with $0 for 90 points.

    • BuddhaBoy on 26/05/2019 - 00:16

      Hi, I do have the ING account. The best decision I made.

      Thanks, I'll check out the Black card.

    • BuddhaBoy on 26/05/2019 - 00:19
      +1

      Just checked and the first year fee is $179 and then $279 for St George Amplify Signature

      • tgpraveen on 26/05/2019 - 14:31
        +1

        It was fee free for first year a couple of weeks back, they keep changing up the promos.

  • kipps on 26/05/2019 - 08:26

    If your salary is $100k+ and you want to do a lot of travel and have something which includes lounge membership I would do a lot of research into the Amex Platinum Charge card. The amount of credit on the card plus the reserve credit card travel credit, lounge access & Accor Plus really can make up for the ridiculously large annual fee if you know how to get value out of it.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join