Bankwest Credit Cards

The right card will depend on your financial situation, eligibility and financial goals. Consider the eligibility requirements of the card as well as the features and fees to determine which type of card is suitable for your situation. 

This depends on how you plan to use the card. If you won't regularly use the perks and are paying a higher annual fee for them, then you may want to consider a different option. When comparing Bankwest credit cards, think about your spending habits and needs, then weigh up the value of the perks against potential costs such as the annual fee and interest charges to decide if it's the right option for you.

If you can pay back your balance in full each month, you will be able to take advantage of the interest-free days available for eligible purchases. Note that interest-free days are not available with all Bankwest credit cards (particularly business options), so make sure you check the features of individual products before choosing a card.

If you're carrying an existing high-interest debt with a non-Bankwest credit card, you can move your balance to a Bankwest card that offers a low promotional interest rate. At the end of the introductory period, the balance transfer interest rate will revert to a higher standard rate for any remaining debt. See our how to conduct a balance transfer with Bankwest guide for further information.

Bankwest Qantas Mastercard accounts allow you to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points for your everyday spending. You'll need to have an existing account with Qantas and link it with your Bankwest credit card to earn these points. Please note that you can only earn reward points on eligible purchases (excluding balance transfers, cash advances and gambling transactions).

Read our Bankwest credit card review pages to find out whether you’re eligible to apply for a Bankwest credit card. There are some common application requirements for all credit cards, these include:

Have a good credit rating. You can find out whether you have any default listings on your credit file by ordering a copy of your credit report.

• Be over the age of 18.
• Be a permanent Australian resident.

There is also a minimum income requirement. This is different for each card. You can find further information on our Bankwest credit card review pages.

Documentation requirements differ depending on your employment status.

• Employed. If you’re a new Bankwest customer, you must provide two most recent payslips showing your account details and transaction history. If you’re an existing Bankwest customer, you must provide your Bankwest account statement showing your salary payments for the past three months.
• Self-employed. If you’re self-employed, you must provide your last two Notices of Assessment from the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
• Retired. If you get income from a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) or managed fund, you must provide tax returns from the last financial year and your most recent superannuation statement showing regular payments from the fund. If you get a pension, you must show your most recent pension statement.
• Rental income. You must provide a rental tenancy agreement and a monthly rental income statement.

These documents can be faxed or emailed to Bankwest and in most cases, the documents must have been issued within 18 months of your Bankwest credit card application.

Once you submit your online application for a Bankwest credit card, you will be contacted by email confirming the status of your credit card application.

You may be conditionally approved, approved in full or declined for a Bankwest credit card. If you’re conditionally approved for the card, you may need to provide Bankwest with additional information like financial statements.

The email with the application confirmation also has your application reference number. You can quote this number to a Bankwest representative if you need to check up on the status of your credit card application.

Although there are balance transfer offers available to existing Bankwest credit cardholders, the balance transfer introductory rates you see advertised are for new customers only. If you’re an existing Bankwest customer and you’re eligible for a balance transfer, Bankwest will contact you directly with details of the offer.

When you apply for a Bankwest credit card, you will be assigned a credit limit. This is how much money Bankwest is willing to give you on your credit card. You can change your credit limit at any time after you get your credit card from Bankwest.

• Credit limit increase. If you would like to request a credit limit increase on your Bankwest credit card, for whatever reason, give Bankwest a call, download a credit limit increase application form or visit a Bankwest branch to apply. Bankwest looks at your income and your expenses when they assign your credit limit. If you accepted the maximum credit limit when you first applied for the credit card and your circumstances have not changed, it’s unlikely that you will be given more credit if you apply for a limit increase. When you apply for a credit limit increase, a credit enquiry mark is recorded on your credit file.

• Credit limit decrease. The same way you can request a credit limit increase, you can also request a credit limit decrease. This will reduce the amount of available credit you have on your credit card.

See our guide on how to request a credit limit increase for further information.

You can add up to three additional cardholders to your Bankwest credit card account. Each cardholder must be over the age of 16. You can add an additional cardholder to your account when you apply for the credit card or you can complete and send in a Bankwest additional cardholder request form.

If the additional cardholder is not already a Bankwest customer, they will need to verify their identity before a supplementary card can be issued. Please note that, as the primary cardholder, you'll be responsible for all transactions made on your additional cards.

The minimum payment is $20 or 2% of the closing balance, whichever is greater. If you don't meet this minimum repayment, you'll be charged a late payment fee.

Please note that if you only pay the minimum repayment amount each month, your remaining balances will start collecting interest. If you want to avoid interest and take advantage of interest-free days on future purchases, you'll need to pay your balance in full.

You have a few options when making repayments with Bankwest:

• BPAY: You can make payments to your Bankwest credit card from another financial institution’s internet banking facility using BPAY. Enter the Bankwest BPAY Biller Code: 9100 and use your credit card number as the reference number. It may take between three and five business days for the BPAY payment to be processed by the bank, so make sure you allow for the time it takes for the transaction to be processed when you’re making a payment to your Bankwest credit card.
• Direct Debit. Set up a direct debit from a transaction or savings account to automatically transfer money to your Bankwest credit card. You can choose to pay just the minimum amount, the statement balance, account balance or a fixed amount. To set up direct debit for your Bankwest credit card, fill in a direct debit request form. The form is available from on the Bankwest website.
• At a branch. You can pay your Bankwest credit card in person at a Bankwest branch.
• Cheque. You can post a cheque to Bankwest for your payment. If you receive paper statements, your statement will be sent in a reusable reply paid envelope to allow you to send a cheque. Just make sure you leave enough time for the cheque to be posted and processed before the due date on your statement.
• Online banking. If you have a Bankwest transaction account, you can make a payment via the Bankwest Online Banking service. This is available for both computers and mobile devices.

To avoid any potential embarrassment on your part if your transaction is refused, Bankwest will sometimes approve transactions that are over your agreed limit. The decision is based on how you manage your credit card account and any risks that Bankwest identifies.

If you don't want to use this option, you can opt out of exceeding your credit limit by contacting Bankwest directly. If you regularly go over your credit limit, you may want to consider requesting a credit limit increase.

Bankwest credit cards can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted, including tens of millions of stores, online merchants and ATMs around the world. When you use your credit card overseas, there’s usually an international transaction fee. This fee is waived on Bankwest Platinum and World credit cards.

You may also be charged a cash advance fee and local ATM operator fee if you make a cash withdrawal using your Bankwest credit card.

If you have paid your account in full you can cancel your Bankwest credit card at any time. Call a Bankwest customer service representative on 13 17 19 and they will be able to guide you through the process. See our guide on how to cancel a credit card for tips on closing your account successfully without hurting your credit score. 

Bankwest began as an agricultural bank in Western Australia in 1895, and has since grown to become a leader in Australian banking. It now serves more than 1.1 million personal and business customers around the country. Bankwest is also a division of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.