CC for qantas points

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howie_oz

howie_oz

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Jun 9, 2013
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Hey guys I've been researching getting my first cc and I like the idea of American Express discovery card for its simplicity...

I'm a pretty simple person so the less confusion the better, I earn approx 100k and would like to use the card for travel, shopping, bills, restaurants and web purchasing...

I'm sure no card will be fit perfectly but could I be getting a better deal??

Cheers.
 
It's not a bad card because it's free, but just be aware that not all places take Amex and those that do often charge a higher surcharge for it. You can get a Bankwest Mastercard for $99/year that gives the same points as the Discovery and is accepted a lot more widely.
 
What's the points earn per $ spent on the AMEX Discovery Card? Annual fee? Interest rate if you don't clear the card every month?

Remember that many establishments don't accept AMEX of any kind, as their fees to the merchants are higher than Visa or MasterCard (which is what allows them to give somewhat higher benefits to card holders :) ). So if its your only card it may not be accepted in all places you want to spend.

There are many cards which offer QFF points and associated benefits, if that's a criteria for you. HSBC has a Visa card offer at the moment (must be approved by 30 June) which gives 20K QFF points as a bonus and 2 points per $ spent. HSBC Qantas Platinum Credit Card Offer | HSBC Australia. Need to hop to it if you want it approved -they'll require proof of income (last year's tax assessment notice). But these types of offers come up periodically, so no need to rush in particularly.

CBA has a range of cards which ar QFF linked. comparison table personal liability Some of these, and others similar are good in that you get BOTH an AMEX card and a Visa or MasterCard off the same credit pool (the latter 2 earn fewer points) - so when the merchant doesn't accept AMEX, you have the other card as back-up and it still earns a bit.
 
If I was you I would get American Express discovery card and the 28 degrees CC. Both have no annual fee. The AMEX you can link to a paypal account so you can get around bills that don't accept AMEX but accept payments via postbillpay and paypal. The 28 degrees CC you can use for Overseas purchases and when overseas. There will be no foreign transaction fees on Overseas purchases but you will not earn QFF points.

Plus I be on the lookout for Cards that give you bonus points.
 
https://www.americanexpress.com/au/content/frequent-flyer-cards/qantas-ultimate/

Hefty $450 annual fee but you get 50k bonus points, complimentary return domestic flight in economy, 2.5 (soon to be 3) points per dollar spent on Qantas website for hotels, flights, accom, etc, 2 points every dollar spent on all other travel-related expenses such as hotels, accomodation, etc, 2 points for every dollar spent overseas or online on foreign currency transactions, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

Not too shabby. I'm in it mainly for the bonus but might keep it for a dedicated travel card. 2-3 points per dollar spent is hard to beat.
 
RooFlyer said:
Remember that many establishments don't accept AMEX of any kind, as their fees to the merchants are higher than Visa or MasterCard (which is what allows them to give somewhat higher benefits to card holders :) ). So if its your only card it may not be accepted in all places you want to spend.

There are many cards which offer QFF points and associated benefits, if that's a criteria for you. HSBC has a Visa card offer at the moment (must be approved by 30 June) which gives 20K QFF points as a bonus and 2 points per $ spent. HSBC Qantas Platinum Credit Card Offer | HSBC Australia.
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Have noticed less and less places accepting AMEX over the years, and more putting on surcharges. For what it's worth the HSBC card only earns 2 points per $ on overseas transactions (including online), 1 pp$ in Aus and this "limited time offer" has been running for well over a year so I wouldn't rush in. Having said that I find it a good card as the Lounge passes combined with the insurance (IMO) more than make up for the $199 pa fee. I didn't need to provide proof of income, just ID. Got mine last year (October from memory).
 
Woolworths everyday rewards qantas card. $1 = 1 qff point (2 pts per $ on some QF services). Annual fee: $89. It is a Mastercard so acceptance is good. 16000 qff point signup bonus. Might be an annual cap on number of points earned (80K????)
 
opusman said:
It's not a bad card because it's free, but just be aware that not all places take Amex and those that do often charge a higher surcharge for it. You can get a Bankwest Mastercard for $99/year that gives the same points as the Discovery and is accepted a lot more widely.
Click to expand...

Which card is $99? The Platinum is currently $140 for new sign-ups, although does have an advantage of no forex fees.
 
I was given an amex free with my CBA mastercard. Have been a bit scared to use amex because of surcharge. However there is a great sticky/or wiki? somewhere on this site which lists all shops that take amex with no surcharge. I am using it like mad now. Only one of my regularly used shops has a surcharge, and I just pull out the M/C for that.
 
Going Qantas, I agree with the free Discovery together with the $89 WWEDR card, giving you 1FF/$ for both Amex and MC. Use the Amex wherever possible over the MC without incurring fees and review in 12 months to determine whether your points earn justifies an annual fee for a higher earning Amex.
 
kobrien said:
I was given an amex free with my CBA mastercard. Have been a bit scared to use amex because of surcharge. However there is a great sticky/or wiki? somewhere on this site which lists all shops that take amex with no surcharge. I am using it like mad now. Only one of my regularly used shops has a surcharge, and I just pull out the M/C for that.
Click to expand...
Everywhere I've ever been has told me if there's an (additional) surcharge for AMEX.

I assume (and hope) they are legally obliged to do so.
 
My Visa does - the one attached to my paypal account. Fairly certain they all do mate.
 
Sorry mate, that was an early in the morning moment (I have a few) - thought it said Ebay... what legroom says is correct..
 
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