Westpac is offering up to 120,000 Altitude Rewards Points plus a reduced card fee of $49 (reverts to $175 p.a.) in the first year for new cardholders of the Westpac Altitude Rewards Platinum Card until 31 July 2024.
The Altitude Platinum is the mid-range card within the Altitude range with an ongoing card fee of $175 p.a. and is available in both the Altitude Rewards and Qantas variants. This guide specifically looks at the Altitude Rewards variant.
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The bonus is split into two parts, with the first 90,000 bonus Altitude Rewards Points to be received after spending a minimum of $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days from approval and an additional 30,000 bonus Altitude Rewards Points after your first eligible purchase in y ear 2.
It is worth knowing that Altitude Rewards points are transferable to Velocity, KrisFlyer and Asia Miles on a 3:1 basis. This means that the current total bonus of 120,000 Altitude Rewards Points are equivalent to ~40,000 points when transferred to the aforementioned programs.
Details of the Westpac Altitude Rewards Platinum Credit Card
Card Details
| Card | Westpac Altitude Platinum |
| Loyalty program | Altitude Rewards |
| Points earned from spend | 1 Altitude Points per $ of eligible spend 2 Altitude Points per $ on eligible overseas spend |
| Minimum income requirement | $30,000 p.a. |
| Included insurances | Extended Warranty & International Travel Insurance (PDS) |
| Points Cap | uncapped |
| Overseas transaction fee | 3.0% of the converted amount |
| Card fee | $175 p.a. ongoing |
| Mobile wallet | Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay |
Effective Frequent Flyer Program Point Earn Rates
| Frequent Flyer Program | Mastercard |
|---|---|
| Qantas Points* | 0.5 point / $ |
| Velocity Points (transferred from Altitude Rewards) | 0.33 point / $ |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles | 0.33 Mile / $ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 0.33 Mile / $ |
| *Points earn rate only if opting for the Altitude Platinum Qantas card | |
Altitude Qantas vs Altitude Rewards
The Altitude Card range offers a choice of which points program you want to direct your points into: either Qantas Frequent Flyer or Westpac’s own loyalty program Altitude Rewards.
Note that there is an annual $50 Qantas Rewards fee on top of the card fee on the Westpac Altitude Platinum Qantas Mastercard to allow you to earn Qantas Points (rather than Altitude Rewards).
When choosing the Platinum Qantas variant over the Altitude Rewards Platinum, you’ll also need to factor in the different earn rates of each currency and transfer rates to partner programs. Our full guide to Altitude Rewards offers more detail about the program’s benefits.
To sum up, Altitude points can be transferred into Virgin Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a rate of 3 Altitude Rewards points to 1 frequent flyer program point/mile.
The choice between Altitude Qantas or Altitude Rewards will depend on your personal points-earning preference.
Included insurances and other benefits
The Altitude Rewards Platinum Card comes with a range of insurances, including overseas travel insurance for trips of up to three months, transit accident insurance and extended warranty. You should check the descriptions for each policy if you plan to rely on them. Read the PDS for the Westpac Altitude Platinum here.
This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.
Westpac Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay support
Westpac cards support Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments. Find out more in our guides for each of the compatible services.
Summing up: the Westpac Altitude Platinum Card
The Westpac Altitude Platinum is a viable mid-range card for the savvy points collector who wants to have options about which points programs they can earn in or transfer points to. For those looking to earn Qantas Points on spend, then you instead may wish to consider the Qantas variant of this card.
The card has a competitive earn rate compared to similar cards in the market and there is no cap on the number of points that can be earned, which is definitely a perk not seen on most competitor cards.
https://www.westpac.com.au/personal-banking/credit-cards/reward/
So ATO payments on the Mastercard don’t earn points but the American Express does.
It is this sites Credit Card table which needs updating. Its very clear from the terms and conditions that the Credit card table is wrong. I rang Westpac last night, and the guy said, Car Registrations definitely does not earn points as an example, but he thought that local government utilities might be ok. He did clarify that he has no definitive list and just up to me to try it out.
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