Westpac doesn’t issue its own AMEX cards now. According to the new partnership between AMEX and Westpac, American Express now provides cards with the logo of Westpac. As a result of this partnership, spenders can still continue to earn frequent flyer points at a better, in fact, at a higher rate than Mastercard or Visa.
Westpac is Australia’s oldest bank and it runs a complex credit card loyalty scheme in order to provide its cardholders a chance to convert their points to Qantas Frequent Flyer. The cardholders also have an option to retain their points with the Altitude program so that they are able to redeem their points for personal or household products.
This new way of earning frequent flyer points allows you to make three choices when you go through the application process. First, you have to choose the loyalty program. You can choose Altitude Qantas or Altitude Rewards. Second, you have to choose between the types of cards. You can take Black Mastercard or Platinum Visa. Both of these cards are issued and serviced by Westpac. Third, you can choose between a Black and Platinum Amex. Both these cards are issued and serviced by American Express.
If you want to maximize your points and minimize your fees, then you should pair the Westpac Altitude Platinum Visa with the American Express Westpac Altitude Black Card.
Selecting the Rewards Program
If you choose Altitude Qantas, all your monthly points are transferred automatically to Qantas Frequent Flyer. Or you can go for Altitude Rewards from which you can convert your points to various programs, including KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, and Velocity. Altitude Rewards doesn’t charge any additional fee on annual basis.
If you select Altitude Qantas, it will earn you 0.75 Qantas points for every $1 spent on your Altitude Black Mastercard. Altitude Qantas will also earn you 0.5 Qantas points for every $1 spent on your Altitude Platinum Visa.
To manage your rewards points across multiple programs, we suggest using the online tool Pointsbank as a way to keep track of your points, buy more points as you need them and combine them for greater rewards.
Selecting Westpac Card
The most difficult choice to make is to select a loyalty program. When it comes to selecting a Westpac card, you have a choice between Altitude Platinum Visa and Altitude Black Mastercard. Altitude Platinum Visa doesn’t charge you with an annual fee if you apply for the card before October 23, 2018. From that point onwards, a fee of $150 will be charged.
Selecting Amex Westpac Card
You don’t have to choose this card in the same colour as your Platinum Visa or Black Mastercard. You can easily pair your Black Amex with Platinum Visa or your Platinum Amex with Black Mastercard. The one thing you need to remember is that your loyalty points will be combined with your other card.
The Combo Approach
With this partnership, the cardholders can also use the combo or mix and match approach. For instance, if you select Altitude Rewards in order to earn Velocity points, and you decide to pair your Westpac Altitude Platinum Visa with your American Express Westpac Altitude Black Card, you can reap plenty of benefits with this combo approach.
The mix and match approach is a very rewarding and cost-effective option, especially if you want to earn Velocity points!
