The top 10 of credit card perks
We are a nation of weka. Our flightless bird loves to collect small, shiny trinkets and so
do we.
Almost 50 per cent of us have a credit card that offers rewards. We shop, then nest on our treasures until we decide what to do with them.
These days our tastes have become a bit more sophisticated than a bush hen’s tinfoil collection.
A glistening gold card (not the Winston-goes-to-Waiheke variety) was always a status symbol of the highfalutin. Now that’s old-hat and we get excited over platinum, titanium, black and diamond cards.
It’s all got so glittery most of us have lost track of the point – Airpoints, Hotpoints, bonus points, flybys or cashback?
Annual fees can be eye watering with American Express Platinum cardholders paying $1250 a year. Don’t mix that up with the American Express Airpoints Platinum card.That’s only $195 a year and sits firmly in the midmarket for pricing. The range tends to be an annual fee of between $80 and $390.
You have to wonder about the sanity of American Express customers, given the number of retailers with bold bog-off notices on their payment machines.
Yet it seems they are the happiest amongst us. They were the only company to get a five-star rating in Canstar’s 2019 Most Satisfied Customers award.
We can each decide if a reward card is right for us and if the wekawithin gets excited by flights or merchandise. Whether they are worth the annual fee is a personal choice.
While umming and ahhing, don’t overlook the lesser-known and quirky features of a credit card. It’s these that might make the fee more worthwhile.
Price protection. Some cards refund the difference in price if goods go on sale. BNZ refer to this as PriceGuard. There must be an advert published within 30 days and you can’t muck around. There’s only two weeks to lodge a claim. The goods must be worth at least $150 and each claim can’t exceed $1000 with a $5000 annual cap. There’s a multitude of exclusions like mobiles, cars, boats, planes and live animals or plants. Internet purchases don’t qualify, either. Theft, loss or damage protection. This is offered by American Express, BNZ and Westpac. It’s a shortterm insurance policy for items purchased with your card. Westpac will protect your goods for the first 90 days of owning them. There’s no excess and you are covered anywhere in the world. You can make claims up to $125,000 a year, but watches and jewellery are only covered for $3000. The exclusions range from losses caused by floods, earthquakes and war to fungus, insects and rodent damage. Washing clothes and shrinking them will get declined as will damage to sports goods while using them.
Extended warranty. Another little-known benefit with BNZ and Westpac cards. If the warranty on your appliance has run out, your credit card gives a free one-year extension, if you paid on your card. They’ll only pay out for things the original warranty would cover and it’s restricted to warranties up to four years. There is a $10,000 claim limit.
Chargeback. Money paid to a retailer can be reversed out of their account and repaid to you in certain circumstances. Examples include not receiving goods and the retailer failing to respond. You return goods, but they won’t refund you. The goods weren’t ‘‘as described’’ and the retailer won’t refund. Or perhaps a money-back guarantee isn’t honoured. Success depends on your record-keeping. You can’t just show a Post Office receipt for returns. You need a signature to prove the goods arrived. Travel insurance. This is included with most premium credit cards. Read the policy online then ring and pay an additional premium for your medical conditions, valuable items, check your trip isn’t too expensive or too long and you’re not too old. All these factors can be navigated, if you declare them. These are very good policies but you need to be awake.
Transport accident insurance. Buy a ticket on licensed public transport and if you die in an accident, ANZ will pay out a remarkable $1 million. It also applies if you die from your injuries up to a year later. Terrorism isn’t covered. If 20 ANZ customers are on the same doomed flight and all paid using their credit card, it reduces to $500,000 as they share in the $10m single event limit. With Westpac it’s a $100,000 payout with a $4m limit for mass deaths. Die on different planes, trains and ferries and the full amounts will be paid.
Loss of income. If you qualify for travel insurance and have an accident overseas and can’t return to work, look up the loss of income clause. Westpac will pay up to $1100 a week, with a limit of $14,300 per person and $22,000 per family. Foreign exchange fee discounts. Some cards will waive cash withdrawal fees at overseas ATM machines if they are part of a Global ATM Alliance Bank network.
Mobile phone screen insurance. American Express Platinum customers will find they have $500 mobile phone screen insurance.
Airport lounge access and valet parking. ANZ Airpoints Platinum customers can get Koru membership discounts and two lounge vouchers for every $30,000 they spend on their card. Westpac will provide valet parking vouchers.
Janine Starks is a financial commentator with expertise in banking, personal finance and funds management. Opinions in this column represent her personal views. They are general in nature and are not a recommendation, opinion or guidance to any individuals in relation to acquiring or disposing of a financial product. Readers should not rely on these opinions and should always seek specific independent financial advice appropriate to their own individual circumstances.