Westpac Airpoints Credit Card Signup Bonuses - 30APD for No-Fee Debit Card, 122-175 APD for Credit Card (After Fees)

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SpiltMilk on 16/12/2019 - 17:26 westpac.co.nz (277 clicks)
Last edited 17/12/2019 - 00:19 by 1 other user

If you have a reasonable credit history, these deals are a good way to pick up a few Airpoints Dollars.

Even if you don't fly much, APD can be used at face value (dollar-for-dollar) at Mitre 10.

Debit Mastercard is essentially a freebie with no annual fee for the first year. You'll need to deposit $500 into the account each month (which you can promptly spend) and make 5 transactions each month for three months.

Warning: don't be a sucker. Pay your bill in full and on time. Unless you want the card for some reason, cancel the card before the second six-month installment is due. Put it in your calendar.

card	APD bonus	Annual fee	APD bonus less first fee instalment	APD earn on qualifying $1,000 spend
Westpac Airpoints World Mastercard	350	390 (195 /6 mo)	155	15.3
Westpac Airpoints Platinum Mastercard	250	150 (75 / 6 mo)	175	13.3
Westpac Airpoints Mastercard	150	55 (27.5 / 6 mo)	122.5	8.3
Airpoints Debit Mastercard	30	0	30	N/A

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• 

  dealhunter on 17/12/2019 - 08:44

  Try amex airports platinum for better earning rate.

  • 

    SpiltMilk on 17/12/2019 - 12:00

    +3

    ¿Por qué no los dos?

    If you don't really care about short term fluctuations in your credit score, I don't see the harm in taking out a card, getting the bonus and cancelling. I already have a mortgage, so it's not like I really need to impress a bank now…

    In the space of a year, there's no reason you couldn't get a signup bonus from all of the following issuers:
    - Amex
    - The big banks: ANZ, Kiwibank, Westpac, BNZ (I don't think ASB tends to do them, but possibly?)
    - Flight Centre Mastercard, if a bonus is on offer
    - Farmers Mastercard, if a bonus is on offer
    - Q Mastercard, if a bonus is on offer

    If you're a very high spender (and, in particular, a very high spender at places that accept Amex and don't impose an additional charge), then that Amex card might be a good option. But the fee is $195 and the APD sign-up bonus is only APD200. So you'll need to spend a fair bit for it to check out.

    In terms of Amex cards, I'd personally go for a different product depending on my situation:
    Low spender: Amex Airpoints Card (not the plat one) for $0 fee, 50APD bonus and 6 months interest free (provided I was setting the money to clear the balance aside in an offset account or term deposit or something)
    Some travel planned: the Platinum Edge, but probably only if there was a 50,000 MRP sign-up bonus offered through a partner, and not the usual 20,000. Free return flight on Air NZ domestically (direct flights only, and only the cheapest price buckets qualify), plus you can immediately redeem 20k MRP for ~$150 of travel to offset the $149 fee. 50k MRP works out to $375 of travel.
    Lots of travel planned and particularly if I already had flights booked on Singapore Air: the Platinum Charge Card. I got this card prior to a 6 week trip around Europe. Fee is enormous ($1,250) but immediately you get a $200 travel credit, 80k MRP (=~ $600 of travel) and a free night hotel stay through Accor Plus (if still offered). So we're down to about $450 for a year of lounge access and some other miscellaneous benefits - that might represent value for some people. If you will travel on Singapore Air (even if it's just on the WLG-MEL leg), then you can also jump through a few hoops and get SQ Krisflyer Gold after 3 segments on SQ metal). I'm coming to the end of my year with SQ gold, which I got near the end of my time with the Platinum card - so about a year of lounge through the Plat card, and then another year (with only a few months overlapping) of free lounge access on Air NZ and SQ flights. Plus, I asked for a retention offer when my year was almost up - I was offered another 10k MRP without any obligation to stay. I spent the points and then cancelled the card. I'm coming to the end of the benefits from that card, and have kept a spreadsheet of benefits - well over $2,500 of value (in terms of money actually saved that I would have spent under a counterfactual; the 'aspirational' or 'face' value of the benefits I got is presumably higher.)

    I'm planning to travel a whole lot less over the next year or so, because we're trying to save even more and blast the mortgage a bit. So now, my strategy (having regard to my own individual circumstances) is to 'stooze' first, 'churn' second and 'earn' rewards only as a last priority. This means:

    • maintain primary lines of credit on cards with 0% balance transfer facilities as a way of accessing cheap money ('stoozing'); these tend to be low-rate, low-fee cards with no real rewards scheme
    • then, cycle through additional cards ('churning') for sign-up bonuses
    • as part of that cycling, spend on whatever rewards card I'm churning at the time - happily taking the rewards
    • then, once the balance comes down on the stoozing cards, do a balance transfer when a 0% promotion is running to clear that month's closing balance, and put the money that I would have spent to clear the closing balance into an offset account for my mortgage (this account will be then used to make the minimum 2, 3 or 5% repayment on the 0% stoozing card each month)
    • finally, I regularly close 'churning' cards. That sets the clock ticking for being eligible for a sign-up bonus again (Amex's exclusion period is 12 months, Westpac seems to be 18 months, ANZ 12 from memory)
    • 

      burnt toast on 18/12/2019 - 08:45

      This is amazing! Thanks for the write up.

  • 

    Seighart on 17/12/2019 - 13:28

    Amex charges $200 upfront so lost my bonus $200 when I signed up previously :(

• 

  mattk1 on 17/12/2019 - 08:49

  +3

  ANZ also have a bonus Airpoints offer at the moment:

  Airpoints Visa Platinum - 300 APD, $75 6-month fee
  Airpoints Visa - 150 APD - $32.50 6-month fee

  Both require $1,000 spend in first 3 months.

  • 

    SpiltMilk on 17/12/2019 - 12:02

    Even better. Nice.

• 

  PicMe on 17/12/2019 - 17:14

  Does anyone know if you cancel your card/account within 6 months, do you lose your airpoints dollar? Or do you still get to retain them.

  • 

    SpiltMilk on 20/12/2019 - 12:36

    You keep them.

• 

  GoneWithTheWind on 17/12/2019 - 19:08

  Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe BONUS Airpoints and Airpoints Advance is the same, which means bonus airpoints are actually just like an 'OVERDRAFT'

  https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/airpoints-dollars-advance

  What if I want to close my Airpoints Credit Card?
  If you choose to close your Airpoints Credit Card, you can do so directly with your bank or American Express. If you have used your Airpoints Dollars Advance and you have a negative balance, you can earn back the outstanding balance over time by earning Airpoints Dollars through flights or by spending with Airpoints Partners. Any Airpoints Dollars that you earn will go towards paying back the balance. If you decide to close your Airpoints account, you will be asked to repay the full amount before your account can be closed.

  so if you close your Credit Card, then the BONUS APD will also be removed.

  The fee waiver promos would be much better as that is a PERMANENT reduction in cost. This is just an OVERDRAFT facility, not quite the BONUS as everyone seems to think.

  • 

    F0rtitude on 18/12/2019 - 07:02

    +2

    They are different. For the platinum or better cards, it reads up to 200 APD in advance, which is less than the bonus so what you said wouldn't make sense.

  • 

    SpiltMilk on 20/12/2019 - 12:37

    +1

    They are different.

• 

  LeraNZ on 24/01/2020 - 14:19

  Westpac declined my applications for Platinum and normal Airpoints card with a $1000 limit, so i went to ANZ and got approced for their Platinum card LOL
  Has anyone else experienced this with Westpac? I ve never defaulted on any payments, have got a home loan pre-approval and they wouldnt give me a $1000 limit credit card. That just makes me laugh.

  • 

    SpiltMilk on 24/01/2020 - 14:44

    Yes.

    I had a $11,000 limit with Westpac in 2016. Good payment history, now own a house, higher income than in 2016, but Westpac wouldn't approve me for $5k in August 2019.

    Tried again this year, and got an email saying all student lending needed to be done in branch (I am not a student). Haven't bothered to make an appointment.

    • 

      LeraNZ on 24/01/2020 - 14:51

      so odd!haha "student lending", they must have had a robot handling your enquiry!same here, own a house with a good equity in it. they wouldnt even explain why they are declining it, just said " we promote responsible lending". what does that mean exactly?Do you only lend to millionaires with no mortgage or something lol?

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  AndyNBP on 30/01/2020 - 12:24

  How about minimum income?
  Thanks.