Bankwest Zero Platinum Mastercard No Annual Fee Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance and No Foreign Transactions Fee
Haven't see anyone post here, must be good if people keep this card for 15 years or so, maybe useful for others they don't know about this card.
why would you want to deal with the hassle of HSBC bureaucracy, just get the Bankwest debit card on their easy account or qantas account. https://www.bankwest.com.au/personal/bank-and-save/bank-acco…
HSBC has worse exchange rates than other no forex fee Visa/Mastercard cards
Just moved away from HSBC because their CC are shocking.
First,we couldn't pay for a hotel overseas and had to do a bank transfer which then failed and cost us 12% of the hotel costs AND we still hadn't paid for the hotel.
Our cards had an expiry date of June and in the process of issuing the new cards, Their system activated the new cards and cancelled our old cards - they weren't even sent from HSBC and they had been activated. Imagine if someone intercepted the cards in the post.
In the process of raising these issues with AFCA as they are so bad.
Ymmv
Can confirm that HSBC has hidden fees. Bought the same item from Wallmart last month using HSBC BankWest and Ubank cards. BankWest and Ubank was the same whereas HSBC was significantly higher
They're also offering 50k points with the QF co-branded card & same perks as above, for $160/year.
earn ratio is not good and you need to keep it open for like 15mo to get the full 50k points, not a good deal
You need to keep account open for 15 months to get bonus points.
This one might be better: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/612955
Did not know this still existed! ta
Anyone have any experience with this card? I used to have the 28 Degrees one which I've cancelled, but looking to get a new credit card for travelling soon because I'm overseas later this year.
Not this particular card but been with the bank for ages. I've been happy with them. No issues and good exchange rates and perks (I have the MC world that comes with lounge passes)
Do they work ok? Looking at changing up to get these passes too.
Yeh worked fine. There's a lounge in Perth but none in Bali (on the international side). It used to be unlimited but now only 10 passes. So for a family of 4 you use them up in one trip! that's the only downside.
If you don't mind me asking - in your experience, are the benefits of the World Mastercard compelling enough for the $270 annual fee?
The LoungeKey feature seems to be the main tangible benefit to me, unless I missed something else.
Definitely not if you're paying the annual fee. Ours is packaged into the home loan so the benefits stack up. I'd be doing further research if you really want lounge passes and travel often. All other benefits are mostly same with other mastercard products. If your home loan is with them then yeh i'd go for it (at $0 annual fee).
@paaj: You’re more help than the bank. Rang them and went into a branch. Either of them had any clue what I was on about and just directed me back to the gobblydegook on the website.
@furiousgeorge: I think you got a dud employee. Try a different branch. I've had good experience NOR.
I have this card just for travelling and online purchasing. I've never paid an annual fee and the perks are excellent, so why wouldn't you?
How would you rate your experience with 28 degrees? Was planning get one. Not sure if it is worth it. Currently worth ing, which is fine.
i use the 28deg for overseas travel / international purchases. No annual fee. Does the job as a credit card should.
I used the 28 Degrees for years without any issues. It worked out to be the better option for me at the time because there were no annual fees and it had the better exchange rates for overseas purchases (granted these change around, so just compare with similar cards when you're ready to apply). I ended up cancelling mine sometime in 2020 because I wasn't using it and didn't see myself travelling any time soon. And then the Latitude breach happened.
I bet this one doesn't have price protection insurance ;)
Yes, it's fantastic, and the phone app is pretty decent too.
I cancelled my 28degrees card (which i had for 15yrs) 2yrs ago because they didn't offer complimentary travel insurance and replacedit with this Bankwest one. I don't see any issues with it.
Not a CC but I've found travelling with an ING debit card to be great. If you meet the requirements each month, no FX fees etc. It's just like using the card in Aus and the exchange rate is very close to what Google shows you.
Except that it's a debit card.
When it inevitably gets compromised, it's much more hassle to fix when your own money has been spent.
When your credit card gets compromised, it's the bank's money, and you can just carry on with life.
I note that somebody has downvoted the above without explaining why they disagree.
Weird 🤷🏼♂️
When your credit card gets compromised (you notice strange transactions on your bill) then you call the bank and tell them. They remove the suspect transactions whilst they investigate, and you get a new card. There ends the hassle.
When your debit card gets compromised (your bank account is now empty) then you call the bank and tell them. They investigate - and while they do, your account remains empty, your bill payments and direct debits start to bounce, and it's a massive pain in the ass.
Good point. Luckily I've not had an issue yet but I see how it could be a hassle.
What's the monthly requirements? My holiday is 6 weeks away.
Simply deposit $1,000+ from an external source to any personal ING account in your name (excluding Living Super, Personal Loan and Orange One) each month and make 5+ eligible ING card purchases that are settled (not pending) each month, to get the benefits in the following month
i got a this card specifically to take travelling overseas (got sick of additional transaction fees) and it has been fine. we have a CBA card that we use day to day (as it accrues points). I think BW is a CBA subsidiary
Arent these just the regular benefits of this card?
Description is abit misleading. The 34 month balance transfer offer is a limited time. This card has always been no annual fee, complimentary insurance and zero foreign transaction fees therefore you are not really posting a deal. The 34 months @ 0% with a 2% balance transfer fee itself I think sounds quite attractive, if I was younger and still credit card hopping I would probably take that up.
I've had this card many years and use it for all my foreign currency purchases online and when travelling. No complaints, gets the job done.
What is the best credit card for travelling oversea?
Why the negs?
Recommendations on best travel debut cards please.
Citibank plus card for travelling is no more since NAB bought them over.
What did they change?
No longer available to new applicants as of 23 May.
It still works fine for existing users, but I suspect they will kill it off within the next year or so.
not a deal ——-No Annual Fee Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance and No Foreign Transactions Fee are regular benefits of this card - I have held this card for many years
Agreed
Yes, should be marked " LONG RUNNING" , as OP said " maybe useful for others they don't know about this card"
Does Bankwest have an app to link the credit card so I can do mobile NFC payments via the app to the credit card?
If you mean can you use it with Google pay, yes. No idea if it works with others
Works with Google pay, Apple pay and Samsung pay.
yes you just put it on your phone/watch as you would any other card
Not a deal, this is the regular card that I have held for 15 years or so
Not a deal, this is a feature of this card.
Limited time offer is just "'0% p.a. for 34 months on balance transfers\nLimited time offer'". Everything else is standard.
Not a deal.
2% balance transfer "fee" though.
for some people still better paying 2% fee rather 20+% interest on CC
Which one is better this or 28degree for foreign transaction?
Bankwest hasn't lost everyone's drivers licence/passport/identification detiails yet.
clarification, it's latitude financial which has few other CC not only 28degree. but true Bankwest hasn't lost their customer information yet.
Same question here! I do a lot of online international transactions (mainly in USD to pay for software subscriptions); and I need a card that gives a descent exchange rate.
Wise
Wise is not covered by the Australian Financial Claims Scheme, so don't keep too much money in there! Refer https://www.apra.gov.au/financial-claims-scheme-0
I have held up to 6 figures in my Wise account in the past, love the service/ease of use/reliability - it cant be beaten by anything in Australia
If mc is interested in an AFCS supported account, then expect a lower rate
I have held up to 6 figures in my Wise account in the past
Don't do this.
As the other poster already pointed out, it's not covered by the Government insurance.
@AircraftFreight: @AircraftFreight
Another reason not to do this is Wise charges a monthly 0.033% holding fee for amount above 23k AUD (in AUD, other currencies have different limits).
The rationale for this is kind of insane given current interest rates, but point is - this is an account for transfers / international spending.
@RedSky: I dont hold it long term, I only use it as a transit point for international bound accounts.
Interestingly I wonder when this fee was included, had that amount 2 years ago and I had no fees.
ING debit card. If you meet the monthly requirements for benefits.
Quick q re the Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance, I was reading through the PDS and I can't find anywhere that it says that the trip itself must have been booked using this card?
Is that right or have I just missed it buried somewhere?
In the past, any cards that I have had that offered this, usually stipulated that you had to pay for the flights via the relevant card.
Thats the beauty of getting Travel Insurance with this and CBA CC. You dont have to buy airline ticket or prepaid spend like most banks.
I have this card and i believe there is no need to book flights with the card to be insured.
Better to read the terms and conditions than to just 'believe' something into existence.
They used to make you spend $500 to get the insurance. But not any more.
Id be wary of the insurance policy though, have had this card for a decade but have noticed a gradual decrease in benefit and more restricted clauses. For example, they dont cover any covid related claims. I have however had to use and claim 3 times with Allianz (underwriters for ANZ cards) and they have paid out 3 times within a reasonable period of time.
That is true, Bankwest cover used to be more comprehensive when they had $500 pre-spend requirement.
I also claimed (2 x for travel cancellations and 1 x for Medical expenses) using my ANZ Black (Allianz) and had great experience. Other than small excess, got paid quickly every time and process was simple. Each time I had an option to claim through Bankwest, but ANZ cover was better.
But for free card, Bankwest is my go to overseas travel CC.
How long is the bankwest cover for? And do you need a return flight booked?
I'm sure I used to be allowed 12myhs with my ANZ card, but it's 180days now.
@JamesLucas: 31 days only!
It's all here:
https://www.bankwest.com.au/help/cards/complimentary-insuran…
| Cover | Gold and Platinum Mastercard® | World Mastercard |
|---|---|---|
| Length of cover | 31 days | 6 months |
| Overseas emergency medical assistance | Y | Y |
| Overseas emergency medical/hospital expenses (if you’re under 80) | Y | Y |
| Baggage and personal goods | Y | Y |
| Personal liability | Y | Y |
| Accidental death | Y | Y |
| Cancellation costs | Upgrade only | Y |
| Additional expenses | Upgrade only | Y |
@Hasbulla: Depending where you flying too, for example flying for a around a week or so in New Zealand about $111 with $250 excess, if your doing something similar to Asia about $177 with $250 excess so it depends where your travelling too.
they dont cover any covid related claims
https://www.bankwest.com.au/help/cards/complimentary-insuran…
COVID-19 cover under the Overseas Emergency Medical and Hospital Expenses benefit is now included for travellers whose journey commenced on or after 24 August 2022. If you have purchased any upgraded cover before 24 August, regardless of the date travel commences, COVID-19 cover is not included under Overseas Emergency Medical and Hospital Expenses benefit. There is no COVID-19 cover for cruise travel or cancellation claims related to COVID-19. Terms and conditions apply.
I've had this card for 9 years. You used to have to have spent $500 of pre-purchased travel expenses (eg. pre-booked accommodation, car rental or flights) to activate the cover.
However, now days (since 2019 PDS), this requirement no longer exists - cover is automatic when you travel overseas.
Can someone confirmed please? Sounds like a good benefit :) I wonder how it compares with others
It's clearly stated in the PDS.
https://www.bankwest.com.au/content/dam/bankwest/documents/l…
Page 10
I am the same. Could not find it.
It is a one click to find the travel insurance eligibility info
"Are you eligible?
You, your spouse and dependent children may get complimentary cover – as long as you’re travelling overseas together and have an open and activated eligible credit card.
The best bit? There's no minimum spend – the cover applies automatically if you're eligible.
You’ll have the basic benefits, with the option to upgrade for extra protection. There are some limitations and exclusions – like if you’re 80 or over, or have pre-existing medical conditions."
https://www.bankwest.com.au/help/cards/complimentary-insuran…
not a deal… No Annual Fee Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance and No Foreign Transactions Fee are regular benefits of this card - I have held this card for many years
It's not a special limited-time deal, but it's something people may not know. Its a deal to me. I just went on a 3-week overseas trip using points and didn't have to pay for travel insurance. The taxes cost was low (about $150) and not nearly enough to surpass the minimum on another card I have. So instead of conjuring up some extra ways to pay for things before going, I got free insurance through this card. I was visiting family, so I didn't have any hotels to book or anything else to go towards minimum spend on other cards with travel insurance.
This card is really good. My suggestion is to keep your credit limit at a reasonable level so that you can apply and get other rewards cards (churn) if you want. I actually asked Bankwest to reduce my credit limit a few years ago.
Agreed that this is an usual deal, nothing new and some cards over the same benefits (travel insurance). I used this card in Japan, SK, Indonesia and got decent exchange rate (Mastercard), along with my citibank and ING.
No 1 benefit for me is, you can "BNPL" any (up to 5) trx above $100 for 4 months. Super useful for cashflow when you pay $3-4k flight tickets or hotels. Yes i might not get flyer points etc but hey it may work for some people
Thanks - but how do BNPL for the 5 transactions?
Go to the bankwest banking app, select your credit card, Manage, Special Offers, view all offers and you'd find Easy Installment. Please read how it works and the FAQ to get yourself understand. Then choose the trx that you want. The eligible trx would only shows the last 30 days
Geez, all the negs are so misleading - made me think there was something wrong with the card.
However, reading their actual reasons for negging seems like it's actually a good deal…
Maybe the negs should be invalidated, because what they are complaining about is that it should be a long-running deal, which the post has since been updated to include the tag.
Like Amazon product reviews complaining about the shipping from one specific seller.
Like Amazon product reviews complaining about the shipping, period !
Some people just don't understand the use case for a product review 😂😂
I wouldn't recommend them. They were good a few years ago, but after their sale to CBA, Bankwest (in my experience) has become more of a low cost online-only operator.
Besides, they have been having heaps of issues with card frauds and I have had trouble getting my BankWest Zero Platinum card to work on so many overseas websites. When I called them up (oh boy, the wait time) they told me they have blocked heaps of sites because of fraud and there's nothing they can do about it. The workaround suggested was for me to call them every time I wanted to make a transaction so they could allow the transaction to go through.
(When my issues started - back in Feb/Mar'23 - I even came across a couple of posts on Whirlpool regarding this very same issue)
The wait time, the trouble! Not worth it in my opinion. YMMV
This isn't too bad, but if I was going for a no-fee card with travel insurance and no international fees, I'd opt for Bendigo Bank's https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/742184.
Pros:
- 90 days travel insurance (vs. 31)
- $3000 minimum limit (vs. $6000)
- Extended Warranty on purchases
- Purchase Protection on purchases
Cons:
- Minimum $500 spend on travel expenses to activate travel insurance
Apparently, Bendigo is also a more 'ethical' bank if that's something that's likely to sway you.
I have had this card for years - does what it says on the box.
Nice to use a card with local branches. Their app is quite good and card numbers are listed in there too
Do note that ~6mo ago their exchange rates became slightly worse and not straight off the Mastercard schedule. I forget the details. And I haven’t stopped using the card
I used and compared with ING and Citibank in Japan, south korea and indonesia a couple months back, all similar. And ING is Visa gave similar to MC
So just to clarify, you get this insurance automaticaly without having to use the card to pay for your trip?
Uncle Roger, see https://www.bankwest.com.au/help/cards/complimentary-insuran…, fuiyoh
Are you eligible?
You, your spouse and dependent children may get complimentary cover – as long as you’re travelling overseas together and have an open and activated eligible credit card.
The best bit? There's no minimum spend – the cover applies automatically if you're eligible.
You’ll have the basic benefits, with the option to upgrade for extra protection. There are some limitations and exclusions – like if you’re 80 or over, or have pre-existing medical conditions. For more information, refer to the Credit Card Insurance Product Disclosure Statement (PDF).
Thanks for this!
Pretty cool that I can use this after having already paid for my trip…
if you don't want the credit check and just need the fx transactions just get the hsbc bank card