Westpac Airpoints Mastercard

Roland Bleyer

Credit Card Expert with over 15 years card experience and the founder of Creditcard.co.nz. Ask Roland a Question about this card.

The Westpac Airpoints Mastercard

An excellent option for smaller spenders, the Westpac Airpoints Mastercard offers an easy way to earn Airpoints Dollars on everyday card spending, with a modest account fee. Cardholders can also benefit from up to 55 days interest free on purchases, a $50 Airpoints Dollars Advance, and 5.95% p.a. on balance transfers for the life of the balance(s) transferred.

What we love…

Before we get into the rewards on offer on this card, let’s get into its balance transfer offer. With the Westpac Airpoints Mastercard, you can take advantage of 5.95% p.a. on balance transfers for the life of the balance(s) transferred, allowing you to save on interest as you pay down balances transferred from hire purchases, store cards, another bank's credit card or a personal loan.

What do you need to know about this offer? Here are the highlights:

• Transfer up to 95% of your available credit card limit
• Balance transfers do not earn Airpoints Dollars
• Payments to your card are applied to the balance with the highest interest first, so if you use the card to make purchases or cash advances, each payment will pay off those first.
• This balance transfer rate is for the life of the balance(s) transferred

Now to those rewards. The Westpac Airpoints Mastercard is Westpac’s classic Airpoints-earning credit card, offering an earn rate of 1 Airpoints Dollar for every $120 spent on the card. While the card may not have the higher earning power of Westpac’s Platinum or World cards, it does have a lower account fee, making it easier for smaller spenders to see value on their rewards.

Keeping a strong focus on rewards, the card doesn’t offer much in the way of features, but it does provide access to a 50 Airpoints Dollars Advance. Acting like an overdraft, this Advance allows cardholders to get rewards they don’t quite have enough Airpoints to cover, to then pay back those borrowed points as they continue to earn on their card spending.

And the Airpoints programme itself? Airpoints is Air New Zealand’s loyalty programme, making it an incredibly popular option for frequent flyer Kiwis. As a flexible option, it allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars on Air New Zealand and partner flights, and on card spending if they also have an Airpoints-earning card such as this one from Westpac.

Members can go around the world, redeeming their points on anything from flights and upgrades, or alternatively, indulge in some retail therapy, spending their points at partner retailers or at the online Airpoints Store. Check out the Airpoints site for more details and great deals.

What’s not so great...

As is so often the case with rewards cards, the Westpac Airpoints Mastercard charges a relatively high rate of interest on both purchases and cash advances. While this will not matter much to cardholders who avoid cash advances and clear their balance each month, it may make it difficult to enjoy value on rewards for those who don’t.

Why should you choose this card?

Prestige rewards cards such as platinum or black cards are often geared towards bigger spenders, offering a higher earn rate, but also charging a higher account fee. However, as the Westpac Airpoints Mastercard has a much more modest account fee, it allows smaller spenders to join in on the rewards earning fun.

As long as you get more back in rewards value than you pay out in account fees – and you regularly pay off your balance each month – this card could be a great rewards option, even if you have a smaller monthly spend. Helping you to earn points faster, you could even add an additional cardholder for a small fee.

Aside from rewards, the card also offers up to 55 days interest free on purchases, and the option to take advantage of 5.95% p.a. on balance transfers for the life of the transfer (as in, until it is paid off). You will also pay no international transaction fee (saving you $2) when withdrawing money overseas from an ATM within the Global ATM Alliance.

Overall Rating

A classic rewards card, the Westpac Airpoints Mastercard offers Airpoints earning alongside a modest account fee, with features such as an Airpoints Dollars Advance, up to 55 days interest free on purchases.