Best Credit Card Companies in NZ
The first thing to remember about credit cards is that they are not debit cards; credit cards allow you to borrow money in advance to pay for goods and services, but you must pay this mon bey back to the card issuer (your bank).
Credit cards have a number of benefits apart from allowing you to borrow money in advance, you can earn rewards such as Airpoints and Cashback, and build good credit ratings. The main credit card companies in NZ are Mastercard and Visa, and their services are offered through a variety of financial providers such as Westpac, ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Kiwibank. However easy to apply, credit card companies look into one’s credit history before approving applications. For starters, you need to earn a good rating on your credit card, for bad credit in NZ is being checked prior to getting your own credit card. Glimp allows you to compare these credit cards so that you can find your best credit card option, and start earning rewards now!
Compare Credit Card Companies with glimp
Your credit card will most likely be either a Mastercard or Visa, but the special benefits that come with these cards will vary according to which banking provider you get it from. ASB credit cards, Westpac credit cards, ANZ credit cards, BNZ credit cards and Kiwibank credit cards are all NZ credit cards that bring a range of differing benefits to their customers. It can be difficult to research the many different types of benefits that these cards bring you- but luckily glimp has done the hard work for you- NZ credit card comparisons have never been easier with glimp!
Compare All Rates & Fees
Westpac Rates
Westpac have a range of Mastercard credit cards available with a range of rates to suit. Their low rate Mastercard has a low 13.45% per annum interest rate on purchases, with a half-yearly fee of $12.50; their Airpoints Mastercard has an interest rate of 20.95% per annum and a half-yearly fee of $27.50; their Airpoints Platinum Mastercard has the same interest rate of 20.95% per annum and a half yearly fee of $75.00; and their Airpoints Platinum World Mastercard has an interest rate of 16.95% per annum with a half year fee of $195. One thing to remember is that as these fees increase, the higher the minimum credit level goes and the more rewards the cards offer you. Westpac also offer a hotpoints reward scheme as an alternative to Airpoints; their hotpoints Mastercard has an annual interest rate of 20.95% and a half-yearly fee of $22; their hotpoints Platinum Mastercards interest rate is 20.95% p.a. with a half-yearly fee of $59.50; and their hotpoints World Mastercard has an interest rate of 16.95% p.a. with a half yearly fee of $195.
ANZ Rates
ANZ also offer a range of options. Their low rate Visa credit card has an interest rate of 13.90% p.a. with a $17.50 half-yearly account fee. Their ANZ cashback Visa, a rewards card, has an interest rate of 20.95% p.a. and a yearly account fee of $60 (charged in full once a year); their ANZ Airpoints Visa has the same interest rate but a yearly account fee of $65; their ANZ Cashback Visa Platinum has the same interest rate again, but a yearly fee of $125; whilst finally their ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum has a yearly account fee of $150 (paid in two installments of $75 every half-year) with the same interest rate of 20.95% per annum.
ASB Rates
ASB’s Visa Light is one of the few credit cards with no account fees; additionally, its interest rate of 13.50% p.a. is ASB’s lowest. Their ASB Visa Rewards card has a purchase interest rate of 20.95% with an individual account fee of $20 every six months (or $13 every six months if it is a joint account between two people), whilst their ASB Visa Platinum Rewards card has a purchase interest rate of 19.95% p.a. with an individual account fee of $40 every six months. ASB also offers an ASB Visa Business Rewards card, which can work well for small businesses- it allows up to four cardholders on one account, has a purchase interest rate of 19.95% p.a. and a six month account fee of $35 for up to three joint cardholders.
BNZ Rates
BNZ, the recipients of the 2019 Canstar bank of the year award for credit cards, offer three broad credit cards to cover your everyday wants and needs. Their BNZ lite Visa has a purchase interest rate of 13.90% per annum and a half yearly account fee of $15; their BNZ Advantage Classic credit card has a purchase interest rate of 20.95% p.a. with an account fee of $20 paid half yearly; and finally their BNZ Advantage Platinum credit card has a comparatively low purchase interest rate of 18.95% per annum and a $45 half yearly account fee.
Kiwibank Rates
Kiwibank has one of the largest arrays of credit card options in New Zealand, including two low cost credit cards. Their low rate Visa/Mastercard has an account fee of $15 every six months but a purchase interest rate of just 9.95%, whilst their Zero Visa Mastercard has no account fees with a purchase interest rate of 13.95%. Kiwibank also offer three different types of Airpoints credit cards; their Airpoints low fee Mastercard/Visa has an account fee of $12.50 for every six months with an interest rate of 16.90%; their Airpoints Standard Visa has a half-yearly account fee of $32.50 with a purchase interest rate of 20.95%; and their Airpoints Platinum Visa/Mastercard has a six monthly account fee of $75 with the same purchase interest rate. Kiwibank finally also offer their Platinum Visa/Mastercard Gold credit card, which has a half-yearly account fee of $40 and a low interest purchase rate of 13.95% per annum.
AMEX
The American Express Company or AMEX began as an express mail business in 1850 in New York City. Today, they’ve landed Forbes’ list as one of the most valuable brands in the world, having a net worth of US$24.5 billion. Much of this is because of credit card transactions that make the lives of Kiwis more convenient and enjoyable. You can get exclusive membership benefits with AMEX as well as the privilege of having more than one card. This means you can share the benefits with your friends and family! AMEX has four credit card deals for Kiwis from different walks of life: Airpoints™, Rewards, Platinum, and No annual fee cards.
TSB
Taranaki Savings Bank, makes banking simple and easy for Kiwis from different walks of life. They were founded in 1850 and are 100% Kiwi-owned, providing a range of financial services and products including home loans, mortgages, investments, and more. Because they want to make it simple, they offer only one type of credit card. TSB’s Visa Classic only has an annual fee of $30 per year which is relatively low compared to other offers. TSB’s credit card features an interest-free period of up to 55 days and an interest rate of only 18.5% on purchases and cash advances. Local cash advance fee is $2 and overseas cash advance is $5.
Air New Zealand Airpoints
Air New Zealand Airpoints lets you enjoy everyday shopping while earning points for your next flight! They’ll reward you with exclusive perks to make your life and travels more enjoyable, so if you’re already a member then you’re in luck. You can earn points from purchases that you make using your credit card. You can join anytime you want because signing up for an Air New Zealand Airpoints credit card is free!
The Warehouse Money
The Warehouse isn’t just “Here for Good” because of $3 billion in sales but also because of their credit card which gives discounts to Kiwis for every purchase made at any of their 0stores. The Warehouse credit card has no annual fees and an interest-free period of 55 days. Built with Visa PayWave, you can also make contactless transactions. No need to use your PIN or signature for each transaction; simply tap your credit card on the machine and you’re done.
Flight Centre
Flight Centre is a travel agency whose roots grew in the early 1980s. Today, they’re operating internationally with travel management networks in more than 90 destinations in 14 countries. A globe trotter would really find Flight Centre’s credit card options really advantageous. Flight Centre Mastercard lets you redeem rewards from any airline, hotel, tour, cruise, car hire or sightseeing deal at Flight Centre. It’ll be easy to earn points because you can do so while everyday shopping.
Farmers
The Farmers Trading Company Ltd opened in 1909 as a seller of agricultural-related products through mail order catalogues. They have over 59 stores in New Zealand today and have expanded to selling a variety of products for furniture, appliances, beauty, and many more. It’s easy to earn points using a Farmers credit card: every $10 spent is equivalent to 1 Farmers Club Point. You’re also entitled for an interest-free period up to 55 days!
Q Card
When you have a Q Card, you’ll get exclusive discounts on store partners such as Farmers, Mobil, and House of Travel, on top of a 3-month standard interest-free and payment holiday period. Q Card Mastercard is the latest version of a Q Card that also integrates the qualities of a credit card which means you can withdraw and do cashless payment whenever Mastercard is accepted. The best thing about Q Card Mastercard is that it spreads your payment over three months, reducing interest and giving you more time to breathe.
The Co-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank registered as a bank in 2011 but they first operated since 1928 as a “Public Service Investment Society’. The long years of providing financial services have given them much experience in helping Kiwis achieve their financial goals and local businesses to thrive. They’re currently offering a Fair Rate Credit Card with an interest rate of only 12.95% p.a. on purchases and cash advances. For 12 months, balances transferred from another credit card or store card will incur no interests as well. You’ll also be entitled to 55 days interest-free purchases when you pay your entire balance by the due date each month!
SBS
SBS has over 150 years of banking and finance experience and has helped Kiwis lead better lives through financial offers that put people and good relationships with customers first. SBS credit cards are best value credit cards because they don’t charge an annual fee or a rewards fee. You also won’t be charged any interest for 55 days when you pay off your full balance each month. For every $150 spent on eligible transactions, you can earn a cash back of $1. You don’t have to worry about incurring fees on the rewards you get either, as SBS doesn’t charge these.
Gem
Gem is a part of Latitude Financial Services, serving over 2.5 millions of Kiwis in their financial goals. Gem Visa gives you the comfort of everyday shopping locally and overseas with an interest rate of 25.99% p.a., establishment fee of $55, and annual account fee of $52. You can also get long-term interest-free deals with Gem’s partner stores such as Harvey Norman, Godfrey’s, and Harrison’s Carpet, among others. If you’re currently running or are planning to run a business, Gem Visa can also partner with you and help your business grow.
Countdown
Countdown has a great customer service reputation because of their experience as one of New Zealand’s best supermarkets, serving over 3 million Kiwis weekly. They’re one of the leading supermarket brands in NZ today with over 18,000 employees and more than 20,000 products in each of their stores nationwide. Countdown offers Onecard Visa that’s free from annual fees in your first year. Onecard Visa is also connected with AA Smartfuel to give the opportunity to Kiwis in earning fuel discounts at BP and Caltex service stations.
Best Credit Card companies in NZ
These banking institutions offer a variety of credit cards to suit just about any individual need, from low interest credit cards to those offering distinctive rewards. One of the important things to remember is that although it seems like Platinum card fees are expensive, these cards often come with extensive rewards programmes that allows you to quickly collect fly buys points, airpoints, or alternatives that allow you to claim cash back. Compare these credit card companies on glimp and you will quickly find a credit card that suits you, so that you can stop researching and start spending and saving!
