Earn up to 90k bonus points and save with a reduced annual fee with Amex Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle
Score enough bonus Qantas Points to fly from Sydney to LA in business class.
Calling all points chasers! You can reward yourself with an exclusive bonus points offer when you sign up for the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle through finder.
When you apply through finder by 31 July 2018, you’ll enjoy an exclusive deal of up to 90,000 bonus Qantas or Altitude Points and can save with $0 annual fees for the first year. Considering you can only get 75,000 points and combined annual fees of either $199 (to earn Altitude Points) or $249 p.a. (for the Qantas option) anywhere else, this is an easy way to give your points balance a massive boost without forking out any extra cash.
This bundle comes with a Visa (issued by Westpac) and an American Express (issued and serviced by American Express), giving you the convenience, acceptance and prestige of spending with both cards.
Whether you want to know where you can fly and what you can get with 90,000 bonus points, or how much this bundle will set you back, we’ve broken down the details of the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card bundle to help you decide if this is the right rewards card for you.
Finder’s 5 fave features
- Up to 90,000 bonus Qantas or Altitude points (exclusive to applications via finder)
- Reduced annual fee in the first year (exclusive to applications via finder)
- Competitive points earn rates
- Flexibility of Visa (issued by Westpac) with prestige of Amex (issued and serviced by Amex)
- Complimentary travel insurance
Please note that the rates, fees and features mentioned here were correct at the time of publication.
How many points can I earn?
Earn rates
When you’re applying for the card, you can choose to earn either Qantas Points or Westpac Altitude Points. Note that if you choose the Qantas rewards program, there is a $50 annual Qantas Rewards fee.
The American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle offers uncapped rewards, but the number of points you’ll earn per $1 will depend on the card you’re using and what eligible spend you’re making. The earn rate will also vary depending on whether you collect points through Qantas or Altitude:
- Qantas Points. When you spend with the Visa, you’ll earn 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent. On the American Express, you’ll earn 1.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent on purchases in a foreign currency, 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent in Australia as well as 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent on government transactions (such as ATO bills). When you make eligible purchases with Qantas Australia, you will earn 1 additional point per $1 spent.
- Altitude points. On the Visa, you’ll earn 1 Altitude Point per $1 spent. With the American Express, you’ll earn 3 Altitude Points per $1 spent on purchases in a foreign currency, 2 Altitude Points per $1 spent in Australia as well as 1 Altitude Point per $1 spent on government transactions.
Bonus points
The 90,000 bonus points offer makes the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle one of the most competitive offers on the market.
Regardless of which rewards program you choose, you’ll receive 75,000 points when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your Visa within 90 days of card approval. You’ll also collect 15,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within 90 days of card approval on your Amex. That brings your total bonus points bounty to 90,000 points!
If you apply anywhere other than through finder, you’ll only earn 75,000 bonus points for meeting the same spend requirement.
Where could I fly with the bonus points?
Now that you know how many points you can earn, let’s look at where you can fly with your Qantas or Altitude Points.
Qantas Points
Combining both the bonus points offer and standard earn rates, you could earn a total of 100,500 Qantas Points just for meeting the total $6,000 spend requirement.
Whether you want to fly in business class to LA or first class to Hong Kong, here are some of flights you could take using your bonus points.
| Departure | Destination | Fare class | Flight type | Number of points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Los Angeles | Business class | One way | 96,000 |
| Sydney | Denpasar (Bali) | Business class | Return | 100,000 |
| Melbourne | Las Vegas | Business class | One way | 96,000 |
| Melbourne | Phuket | Business class | Return | 96,000 |
| Brisbane | London | Economy class | One way | 60,000 |
| Brisbane | Hong Kong | First class | One way | 90,000 |
| Perth | Malta | Business class | One way | 96,000 |
| Perth | Helsinki | Economy class | Return | 90,000 |
| Darwin | Shanghai | First class | One way | 90,000 |
| Darwin | Rome | Economy class | Return | 90,000 |
| Hobart | Penang | Business class | One way | 72,000 |
| Hobart | New York | Economy class | One way | 60,000 |
These are just some of the many Classic Flight Rewards you could redeem with your Qantas Points at the time of writing, but keep in mind that this doesn’t include any additional taxes, fees and carrier charges.
Altitude points
Based on the bonus points and regular earn rates, you could earn 102,000 Altitude Points once you’ve met the $6,000 spend requirement.
If you’ve opted to earn Westpac Altitude points, you can redeem them for gift cards and merchandise from the Altitude Rewards store, or choose to pay for purchases with points. To give you an idea, that’s almost enough to redeem a $500 David Jones voucher with this many points (105,000 Altitude Points).
If you prefer frequent flyer points, you can also exchange them for Virgin Australia Velocity Points, Asia Miles, Air New Zealand Airpoints, Malaysia Airlines Enrich and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer. You can get 1 Velocity Point per 2 Altitude Points, so you could exchange your 102,000 Altitude Points from the bonus points and earn rate from the eligible spend to get 51,000 Velocity Points. That’s more than enough to fly from Sydney to Denpasar, Bali in Business Class (roughly 49,500 Velocity Points) or almost enough to redeem a flight from Melbourne to Shanghai in Premium Economy (roughly 53,700 Velocity Points).
Are there any extra features?
As platinum cards, they also come with a bunch of extra perks:
Complimentary insurances
You can shop and travel overseas with peace of mind thanks to complimentary travel insurance covers. As long as you meet the eligibility requirements and use the card to cover at least AUD$500 on your travel costs before you leave, you can take advantage of complimentary overseas travel insurance.
Make sure to check the insurance policy for a full list of the inclusions, exclusions and eligibility requirements.
Access to Amex Invites
Your American Express gives you access to Amex Invites. This means you can take advantage of exclusive discounts, dining perks at participating restaurants, pre-sale tickets to concerts and events as well as passes to American Express Entertainment Lounges at specific entertainment venues in Sydney and Brisbane.
24/7 personal concierge service
You’ll have access to a dedicated Westpac Concierge service, which you can use for everything from booking a restaurant and organising a business trip to picking out a gift for a loved one. You can contact your concierge over the phone 24/7 from anywhere around the world.
How much will it cost?
When you apply for this bundle through finder by 31 July 2018, you’ll save with $0 annual fee for the first year for the Amex and the Visa. Considering there’s usually a combined $199 p.a. annual fee, this is an easy way to save a couple of hundred dollars. If you choose the Qantas rewards program, you'll still have to pay the $50 annual Qantas Rewards fee.
Both cards have a purchase interest rate of 20.24% p.a., so it’s best suited to cardholders who can pay their balance in full each month to avoid collecting interest. Plus, when you clear your balance by the end of the statement period, you can take advantage of up to 45 interest-free days on purchases.
How does the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle compare?
| Product Name |  St.George Amplify Signature - Qantas |  NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card |
|---|---|---|
| call to action | More info | More info |
| Rewards | ||
| Bonus Points | 80,000 bonus points | 120,000 bonus points |
| Rewards Points per $ spent | 0.75 | 1 |
| Rewards Program | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Qantas Frequent Flyer |
| Offer end date | 12 February 2020 | |
| Fees & charges | ||
| Annual fee | $139 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($279 p.a. thereafter) | $295 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($395 p.a. thereafter) |
| Purchase rate (p.a.) | 19.74% p.a. | 19.99% p.a. |
| Balance transfer rate | 0% p.a. for 6 months | 0% p.a. for 6 months with 2% balance transfer fee |
| Balance transfer revert rate The interest rate that will apply to any remaining balance after the balance transfer term ends. | Cash Advance Rate (21.49% p.a.) | Cash Advance Rate (21.74% p.a.) |
| Cash advance rate (p.a.) | 21.49% p.a. | 21.74% p.a. |
| Foreign Currency Conversion Fee Charged when you make a transaction that is converted by a credit card network, such as Mastercard, Visa or American Express, from Australian dollars to a foreign currency. You'll also incur a currency conversion fee if you make a purchase or obtain a cash advance in Australian dollars while overseas or shopping online with a foreign merchant or financial institution. | 3% | 3% |
| Other information | ||
| Interest Free Period The interest-free period is the maximum number of days during which interest is not charged on new purchases. This only applies if you pay the amount required by the provider by the specified due date. | Up to 55 days on purchases | Up to 44 days on purchases |
| Card Type | Visa | Visa |
Among frequent flyer credit cards with reduced annual fees, this card bundle offers one of the highest bonus points offers on the market.
For example, the St.George Amplify Signature - Qantas credit card also boasts 90,000 bonus points but it charges a $279 p.a. annual fee. Similarly, the NAB Qantas Rewards Signature card comes with 100,000 bonus points, but charges a $395 p.a. annual fee.
Following the closure of a bunch of dual credit cards in 2017, the American Express Westpac Platinum bundle is also one of the few products on the market that offers cardholders the flexibility of both a Visa and an American Express.
Although this Platinum product does come with some extra features, you may want to consider the American Express Westpac Altitude Black Qantas or American Express Westpac Altitude Black bundle if you’re after a card that offers airport lounge passes and a higher earn rate.
How can I apply?
If you want to boost your points balance with up to 90,000 bonus points and save with a reduced annual fee, you'll need to apply through finder by 31 July 2018. These cards are available to both existing Westpac Altitude cardholders and new customers, but you'll need to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements before you apply. The American Express Westpac Altitude credit card and Westpac Altitude Visa or Mastercard cards are technically separate products, but new cardholders can’t apply for the Amex card without the accompanying Westpac Visa or Mastercard.
And while you apply for the American Express card through Westpac, the card is still issued and handled by Amex.
Will applying for these card leave two marks on my credit file?
When you apply for this bundle, your application must be approved by both Westpac and American Express. As stipulated in the terms and conditions during the application process, Westpac performs an assessment and credit check for the Westpac Altitude card. If Westpac refers your application to American Express, Amex performs its own assessment and credit check for the American Express Westpac Altitude Card.
Can I take advantage of this bonus points offer if I already have an American Express credit card?
Yes. Although the American Express card is issued by Amex, you can still apply for this card and take advantage of the bonus points offer if you currently have an Amex or have owned one in the previous 18 months and beyond. If you’ve held a Westpac Altitude Black or Platinum card in the last 12 months, you’ll only be eligible for the bonus points from the Amex-issued card.
Please note that terms and conditions apply. For a more comprehensive overview of the card’s rates and fees, check out our review of the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum bundle - Qantas and the American Express Westpac Altitude Platinum credit card bundle.
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