Best Credit Cards

Are you looking to find the best credit card* for your needs?

Let us do the work for you. Listed below are the best credit cards on offer based on consumers lifestyle and financial situation in a comparison table.

Best Value for Money Credit Card*

The Citibank Clear Platinum offers 0% p.a. for 6 months on balance transfers and purchases and is a truly amazing card offer.

If you are looking for a credit card that will give you the flexibility to spend without racking up credit card interest this Christmas holiday season, this is a great card to consider:

• 11.49% p.a. on purchases and 0.99% p.a. for 6 months on balance transfers
• Low $85 annual fee
• A standard purchase rate of 11.49% p.a
• Up to 55 interest free days on purchases
• Free International Travel Insurance
• Access to limited edition entertainment experiences through Visa Platinum Privileges and an exclusive Visa Concierge service.
• Get up to 25% off on retail shopping, travel and dining through Citibank World Privileges
• Minimum requirement of $50,000 earnings per annum for application approval.

Best Credit Card Offers Comparison Table*

Credit Card	Card Details	Interest Rate (p.a.)	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)	Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Interest free days (up to)
St George Vertigo	Best Credit Card* A combination of low interest rate and low annual fee from one of Australia’s most respected banks is the making for our prime choice of credit card.	2.99% for 6 months (reverts to 11.74%)	20.49%	2.99% for 6 months	$55	55
ANZ Low Rate MasterCard	Best Balance Transfer Credit Card* Save on your credit card repayments with 0% p.a. for 6 months on balance transfers. Get a response within 60 seconds after you apply. After the balance transfer offer expires, enjoy an ongoing low interest rate of 12.49% p.a.	12.49%	20.74%	0% for 6 months	$58	55
Citibank Emirates Platinum Card	Good credit history required for approval. The prime credit card offer to pay off a large debt over a long period of time.	20.49%	20.49%	3.9% for 9 months	$199	55
Citibank Clear Platinum Card	Best Value For Money Credit Card* The Citibank Clear Platinum offers a very low 11.49% p.a. on purchases and modest $42 annual fee. Includes 25% off discounts with ‘Citibank World Privileges‘. Good credit history required for application approval.	11.49%	20.99%	0.99% for 6 months	$42	55
HSBC Credit Card	Editor’s Choice: Best No Annual Fee Card $0 annual fee for the life of the credit card and a 5.99% for 6 months balance transfer offer.	16.99%	19.99%	5.99% for 6 months	$0	55
Commonwealth Bank Low Fee Card	Best No Annual Fee Credit Card Most no annual fee credit cards come with the drawback of no grace period i.e ‘0 interest free days’. The Low Fee card comes with 55 days interest free, and a $24 annual fee which is easily waiverable. All you need to do to waiver the annual fee is spend $1000 or more per year on your card.	19.24%	20.74%	4.99% for 9 months.	$0*	55
Citibank Silver Card Cannex 5 Star	Best Rewards Program Credit Card* The most competitive rewards credit card for an ‘everyday spender’ who spends between $12,000 – $24,000+ per annum on their card. 1 reward point for every $1 spent, with Citibank ‘Automatic Benefits’. No point expiry. Free purchase cover. FraudShield protection.	20.49%	20.99%	2.9% for up to 12 months.	$69	55
American Express Gold Ascent Card Cannex 5 Star	Best Rewards Program Credit Card – High Spender* The American Express Gold Ascent is a spectacular credit card. You have complimentary access to the Membership Rewards program at a $0 annual fee, as well as a 44 day grace period on new purchases. It’s highly flexible as well. If you wish to double your rate of reward point earning, you can opt in to pay an $80 annual fee. Good credit rating required for application approval.	19.99%	19.99%	N/A	$0	44
ANZ Balance Visa Credit Card	Best Unique Rewards Credit Card* 1 reward point for every $1 paid off your balance. High reward point costs, but easy to accumulate points and a low rate on purchases.	12.99%	20.24%	0% for 6 months	$79	55
Commonwealth Bank Gold Card	Best Cashback Rewards Credit Card* Earn 2 Awards points for every $1 spent with a Commonwealth Bank American Express® Card and enjoy acceptance at 29 million locations with MasterCard®	19.74%	20.74%	5.99% for 5 months.	$144 (or $114 for qualifying customers)	55
Woolworths Everyday Money Card	Best Shopping Rewards Credit Card* $0 annual fee 1st year, then $49. Great Woolworths Rewards Program. Promotional offer: Bonus $30 credit if you apply by 10 January 2010 and make a purchase on your new card by 28 February 2010.	18.49%	20.99%	5.99% for 6 months	$0*	55
Citibank BP MasterCard	Best Petrol Rewards Credit Card* 5% off petrol at BP, and 0.5% cashback for every other purchase made on the card.	20.39%	20.39%	2.90% for 12 months	$79	55
ANZ Gold Visa Card	Best International Travel Credit Card* Comprehensive Overseas Travel and Medical Insurance including coverage for medical expenses, cancellations and loss/damage of luggage. ANZ offer 2.50% on currency conversion and 1.50% on international cash advances, one of the most competitive rates on overseas credit charges.	17.74%	19.49%	7.99% for 6 months.	$87	55
American Express Business Accelerator Card	Best Business Credit Card* Comprehensive range of business benefits and services for business owners.	18.99%	18.99%	N/A	$160	55

What makes these credit cards the best?*

Our rating of ‘Best’ is subjective. For instance, we may not say the card in Australia with the lowest interest rate is the ‘Best Low Interest Card’ as it has a higher annual fee and other features to cancel out it’s lower rate.

Hypothetical scenario:

• Card A has an interest rate of 11.99% p.a and an annual fee of $55.
• Card B has an interest rate of 11.69% p.a, but an annual fee of $95.

Hence, while Card A is the lower interest rate of the two, it is not the Best credit card in the ‘low interest’ category as you can expect to pay more from the $40 annual fee than the 0.30% interest rate difference.

Best Credit Card – St George Vertigo MasterCard*

A standard interest rate of 11.49% p.a. on purchases at a competitive $55 annual fee. St George Bank is one of Australia’s most trusted and respected financial lenders.

Cardholders also gain complimentary access to St George ‘Instant Benefits‘ to instantly save up to 25% on popular retail among a host of benefits.

Best 0% p.a. Balance Transfer Card – ANZ Low Rate MasterCard*

In the current economic climate, banks are becoming more hesitant to offer 0% on balance transfers.

ANZ remain one of the remaning banks to offer an attractive 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 6 months, which reverts to a low standard rate of 12.49% on purchases.

Transfer your credit card, personal loan and car loan balances into one single balance you can repay off at 0% interest for 6 months.

Best Value for Money Card – Citibank Clear Platinum Card*

Everybody enjoys the luxury benefits and prestige associated with a platinum credit card, but not necessarily everybody is willing to pay $200 a year for it.

Citibank’s Clear Platinum card has the best of both worlds – a low interest rate credit card crossed with a platinum travel credit card.

You must earn a minimum of $50,000 per annum for application approval.

Best Long Term Balance Transfer Card – Citibank Emirates Card*

With 4.9% for LIFE on balance transfers, along with a highly appealing ‘Skyward Miles’ reward program, Citibank’s Emirates Card is one of the top competitive long term balance transfer credit cards available in Australia.

Take note that for long term balance transfer approval, you will need good credit and a large balance to transfer over.

Best Low Interest Credit Card – BankWest Lite MasterCard*

BankWest are constantly stepping up to the big banks with more competitive offers. The Lite MasterCard has an interest rate of 9.99% p.a making it the lowest interest rate of any MasterCard in Australia.

One of the drawbacks of smaller banks is the limited amount of ATM’s available to withdraw from without incurring fees. BankWest and Commonwealth Bank customers can withdraw from either ATM and incur no foreign ATM fees.

Best No Annual Fee Card – Commonwealth Bank Low Fee Card*

Hate annual fees? Simple. Spend $1000 or more on your card per year and Commbank will waiver your $24 annual fee. Couple this with 55 days interest free on purchases and you can essentially never pay interest or fees.

This credit card is also recommended for relatively easy and fast approval in comparison to other credit cards.

Best Rewards Program Credit Card – Citibank Silver Credit Card*

Citibank Silver offers a wide range of rewards to choose from which you can earn at a standard rate of 1 reward point per $1 spent on your card.

You also have access to Citibank’s ‘Automatic Benefits’ which gives you discounts to certain entertainment and retail outlets, secure fraud protection and free purchase cover.

Awarded the valuable and reputable 5 star award by Cannex.

Best Rewards Program Credit Card – High Spend – American Express Gold Ascent Credit Card*

The Gold Ascent credit card is a real head turner. It is recommended for high spenders ($24,000 or more spent on credit card purchases for year) as the Membership Rewards program from American Express has no point capping or point limits.

Earn a huge range of rewards from electronics, retail, flight and entertainment among a host of prestige Amex card holder benefits.

Best Unique Reward’s Program – ANZ Balance Visa*

It doesn’t get much more simpler than earning rewards for every dollar you repay off your balance.

No points expiry and capping means no fine print will limit the benefits of your rewards program, like many other cards.

A wide variety of redeemable offers available also. And a competitive low interest rate among all reward program cards.

Best Shopping Reward’s Program – Woolworths Everyday Money*

HSBC coupled with Woolworths have created a new offer on the market, with some standout features such as no annual fee for the first year.

Earn Woolworths and other grocery/shopping rewards and reduce the costs of goods, leisure and ultimately food on the table.

Best Cashback Card – Commonwealth Bank Gold Credit Card*

If you do the math, The CBA Gold has a yearly earnings potential of $500 on cashback.

If you take the annual fee into account, this card can potentially reward you $386 of money-back profit per year.

Best Petrol Card – Citibank BP MasterCard*

5% off petrol and purchases from BP, along with 0.5% off everywhere else (to an extent) creates the best petrol rewards card in Australia, with more than just fuel discounts.

Best International Travel Provider/Card – ANZ Gold Visa Card*

Prior the the February 27th takeover of Wizard by Aussie, the Wizard Advantage card was the leader in cheap international charges – 0%.

While current cardholders accounts are still active, unfortunately it is not no longer available for new applicants.

ANZ offers a flat 2.50% on foreign currency exchange and 1.50% on cash advances.

While costly on the surface, in relation to competing banks it’s much lower.

Best Student and Easy Approval Card – ANZ First Visa Card*

General student credit cards often have high interest rates and other disadvantages.

It is recommended you apply for a cheaper credit card first, and if your financial situation as student is not sufficient for approval, then an easier-approval student credit card is the next alternative.

Note that as a student you’ll need to be earning approximately $15,000+ before tax a year to be considered for approval.

Best Business Card – American Express Business Accelerator*

A tax deductable $160 annual fee, an ABN requirement for application, 55 days interest free and other various business schemes and rewards create a prestigious card which can help excel your business and lower your expenses.

* The credit card offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of credit cards CreditCardFinder.com.au has access to track details from. ‘Best and ‘Top’ are ratings which are subject to our consideration and is not rated against all Australian credit cards. Credit card categories have been created simply as a guideline and suggestion, we are not financial advisors. We recommend you take this information into account when comparing credit cards. Find out more about factors and influences are taken into account when rating credit cards here.