| Provider | Application length | Time to get credit card once approved |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | 10 minutes | 5-7 working days |
| ANZ | 20 minutes (approx.) | 2-7 business days |
| Bank Australia | Not provided | 5-7 business days |
| Bank of Melbourne | 10 minutes | 5-7 business days |
| Bank of Queensland | 20 minutes | 7-10 working days |
| Bankwest | 15 minutes | Within 10 working days |
| Bendigo Bank | 15 minutes | Within 10 working days |
| Commonwealth Bank | 20 minutes | Within 10 working days |
| ING | 20 minutes | 5-7 working days |
| Latitude Financial Services | 10 minutes | 5-10 working days |
| MONEYME | 5 minutes | Instant (virtual card) |
| NAB | 15 minutes | Within 5 business days |
| St.George | 20 minutes | 5-7 business days |
| Virgin Money | 10 minutes | Within 10 working days |
| Westpac | 15 minutes | 4-6 working days |
After you submit your credit card application, the credit card issuer assesses your credit history, income, debts and recent spending to determine if you can get a card and how much you can spend (your credit limit).
If you're lucky, you'll get approved within minutes. If your situation is more complicated it take hours or a couple of days.
The real waiting time comes for the card itself. In Australia banks and card companies send out credit cards by post. Between 5 and 7 business days is the common delivery time, but you could wait up to 10.
The welcome pack may arrive before the card and contains information about the bank, the credit card and its terms and conditions of use.
Depending on the issuer, you may be able to activate your credit card online, via app, over the phone or in person at a bank branch.
Information about card activation will also be included in your welcome pack and usually takes just a few minutes to complete.
The signature panel on your credit card gives you the legal authority to use it and protects you against unauthorised transactions if it’s lost, stolen or compromised. Make sure you sign it when you first activate the card.
Luckily, you don't have to wait 2 weeks for Australia Post to give you your card.
You can add a virtual version of most credit cards to your phone by:
It's very easy to set your card. Once you've logged into the app you can either take a photo of your card or enter the card details manually. Then you just need to confirm your identity via text.
"Before I got rejected for a credit card I knew I was in trouble. I got a text message within hours saying the it would take a few more days. Then I got rejected. When I re-applied as a joint applicant with my wife we got approved in under an hour. The cards took a week to arrive but we had them on our phones as soon as we got approved."
We currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
How we picked these
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