Platinum Credit Cards

What is a platinum credit card?

A platinum credit card is a step up from standard and gold cards, and typically offers you more premium perks including rewards, complimentary insurance, concierge services and higher credit limits.

Platinum cards also tend to have higher minimum income requirements and annual fees compared to less premium cards. This makes them suited to people who can use the rewards or perks to justify the annual fee, and who typically pay their balance off each month to avoid interest charges.

Pros and cons of a platinum credit card

Who is eligible for a platinum credit card?

Platinum cards used to be very exclusive but with so many credit cards on the market now, the eligibility criteria varies. Key details to look at include:

• Minimum income. Platinum card income requirements in Australia start from around $35,000 and can go up to $100,000 for more exclusive cards. Even if a card doesn't list a minimum income requirement, it will be considered as part of the application.
• Employment. You typically need to have regular income and ongoing employment to get a platinum card.
• Credit history. Platinum cards typically require a higher credit score than more basic credit cards. Ideally, you shouldn't have any late payments, defaults or other black marks on your credit report.
• Other requirements. To get any credit card, you'll need to be at least 18 years of age. Each credit card also has details of Australian residency requirements, which can affect your eligibility if you're a temporary resident or hold a visa.

How can I choose the best platinum credit card?

With so many different credit cards available, there is not a single "best" platinum card on the market. But asking these 4 questions can help you find one you want.

Do you travel frequently?

If you want to use your credit card for travel bookings and rewards, a platinum card that offers frequent flyer points and perks like airline lounge passes, travel credits and complimentary international travel insurance gives you a way to get more value from the account.

Do you want to buy big-ticket items with your credit card?

Finder research shows 21% of Australians got their most recent credit card to make big purchases. When that's the case, a platinum card could offer you a higher credit limit than a regular card, as well as complimentary purchase protection insurance, extended warranty cover, best price guarantees or even smartphone cover to give you extra peace of mind.

Do you have existing credit card debts?

If you're already paying interest on a credit card balance, a platinum credit card with a balance transfer offer gives you a way to transfer it and get a low or 0% interest rate for a promotional period.

Just keep in mind that you'll usually get more value if you focus on repaying the balance before using any other platinum perks. But if you want to switch to a platinum card anyway, one with a balance transfer could give you a way to save as you pay off what you owe – then make the most of the ongoing perks.

Are you a business owner?

A platinum business credit card gives you a way to manage cash flow with higher credit limit options, earn more rewards points and get access to complimentary business insurance policies

These cards also offer expenses-tracking tools and additional cards for employees, just like other business and corporate credit cards.

Finder Awards winner and finalists for 2024

Still looking for a platinum credit card? Check out these ones recognised in the Finder Credit Card Awards 2024, based on 12 months of data for every personal and business credit card in Finder's database.

The Bankwest Zero Platinum won the 2024 Finder Award for Travel Credit Cards, with no foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, comprehensive overseas travel insurance and a competitive interest rate. It has been the top rated card every year Finder has included this category in our awards program.

The American Express Platinum Business Card won the 2024 Finder Award for Business Charge Cards, scoring highly for its bonus point offers and earn rate. This high-end card also offers international and domestic travel insurance and unlimited airport lounge passes.

The Qantas Premier Platinum was highly commended in our award for Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards. It scored highly for bonus Qantas Points offers and points per $1 spent. Other perks include Qantas Club lounge invitations, travel insurance and a Qantas companion flight offer.

The American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card has the highest Velocity Points earn rate in Australia (1.25 points per $1 spent). It scored highly for its bonus point offers, complimentary annual domestic flight and up to 4 airport lounge passes per year.

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Frequently asked questions

• Are there platinum credit cards with no annual fee?

  There are only a few platinum credit cards in Australia that have an ongoing $0 annual fee, including the Bankwest Zero Platinum Mastercard and Latitude 28° Global Platinum Mastercard. You can also get platinum credit cards that offer a waived annual fee in the first year.

• Which is higher: a black card or a platinum card?

  Black cards are typically seen as more premium accounts than platinum cards but there are some exceptions. For example, the American Express Platinum Card offers a huge range of benefits that are on par with many black cards – including a yearly $450 Platinum Travel Credit, airport lounge access, premium hotel perks, dining credit and insurance covers.

  If you're looking for a particular perk, you can compare gold, platinum and black cards side-by-side to find one that offers the features you want.

• Is a platinum credit card right for me?

  If you regularly spend with a credit card and pay it off as you go (or by the due date on each statement), you could get extra value from platinum features. And if you travel regularly and will make use of extras such as complimentary insurance, frequent flyer points and airport lounge access, these perks could help offset the cost of the card.

  But if you don't usually pay off your card's balance each month or rarely use it, paying a higher annual fee and interest charges for platinum features may not be worth it. Instead, you could compare cards with low interest rates or no annual fee to find one that's affordable for you.