The Westpac Altitude Velocity Black Card has up to 120,000 Velocity Points for new cardholders until 31 July 2024. The card is aimed at those who want a decent earning rate on spending. The card comes with a larger card fee, but also with added benefits.

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The bonus is split into two parts. You will receive the first 90,000 bonus Velocity Points after spending a minimum of $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first 120 days of approval. Plus an additional 30,000 bonus Velocity Points after making your first eligible purchase in your second year.


Points earn rates from the Westpac Altitude Velocity Black Credit Card

The Velocity Black Credit Card lets you earn Velocity Points on spending at a rate of 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 on eligible purchases uncapped.

The card has an ongoing card fee of $250 p.a. plus a $50 annual Altitude Velocity program fee.

Card Details

CardWestpac Altitude Velocity Black
Loyalty programVelocity Frequent Flyer
Points earned from spendEarn 0.75 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases, uncapped
Travel benefits2 x Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge invitations per year
Included insurancesExtended Warranty & International Travel Insurance (PDS)
Overseas transaction fee3.0% of the converted amount
Mobile walletApple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
Minimum income requirement$75,000 p.a.
Card Fee$250 p.a. + ($50 annual Velocity Rewards fee)

Airport Lounge Access Benefits

The Westpac Altitude Velocity Black comes with two digital single-entry Virgin Australia lounge passes which can be used at any Virgin Australia domestic lounges.

Note: You must provide them with your Velocity Frequent Flyer number and then make the applicable spend with Virgin each year to receive the lounge passes.

It is a useful lounge access benefit for those who don’t travel in Business often.

Included insurance and other benefits

The Card comes with travel and extended warranty insurance coverage. As we say with every credit card guide, the value of each card’s insurance can only really be assessed by you looking at the PDS. Subsequently, you must then decide whether it is a fit for your needs. Read the full PDS here for the Westpac Velocity Black 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.

You’ll also gain access to Westpac Concierge which are on-call 24/7 to fulfil your requests and give some useful restaurant or ticket reservation shortcuts, amongst other potential uses.

Altitude Velocity vs Altitude Qantas vs Altitude Rewards

The Altitude Card range offers a choice of program partners. These include Velocity Frequent Flyer, Qantas Frequent Flyer, or Westpac’s own loyalty program Altitude Rewards.

Note that there is an annual $50 Rewards fee if you select Altitude Qantas or Altitude Velocity. There is no fee for Altitude Rewards.

When choosing the Altitude Velocity or Altitude Qantas over Altitude Rewards, you’ll need to consider the different earning rates of each currency. You should also consider transfer rates to partner programs. Our full guide to Altitude Rewards offers more detail about the program’s benefits.

In short, points can be transferred into Virgin Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. The transfer rate for all three programs is 3 Altitude Rewards points to 1 frequent flyer program point/mile.

The choice between Altitude Qantas Black, Altitude Velocity Black or Altitude Rewards Black is dependent on your personal points-earning preference.

You might find the sign-up bonus from the Card to be more valuable with the Altitude Qantas variant. However, the Altitude Rewards variant offers greater flexibility in terms of transfer partners.

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 Velocity Black Credit Card

Westpac is one of the few financial institutions that offer all three types of variants for a card. A direct-earn Velocity, direct-earn Qantas and a flexible rewards program.

The hardest choice to make is which variant is best suited to you. Obviously, if you mostly concentrate on earning Qantas Points, Altitude Qantas is likely to be your best bet. The same goes for Velocity, Altitude Velocity would likely be your best bet. Conversely, if you are looking for flexibility in reward partners, Altitude Rewards may be more your style.

This Velocity variant has a fairly competitive earn rate (although not the best in the market) and comes with perks like lounges passes, which can be great for infrequent travellers that don’t hold Velocity status.

Overall, if you are after a Velocity earning credit card, this is definitely one to consider.

Up to 120,000 Velocity Points plus 2 Virgin Australia Domestic Lounge passes with the Westpac Altitude Velocity Black Credit Card was last modified: July 8th, 2024 by Daniel Sciberras