Altitude Rewards credit cards are linked to Westpac’s Altitude Rewards loyalty program, allowing cardholders to earn points on their eligible spending. Points can be exchanged for merchandise, entertainment, gift cards, travel, and frequent flyer points with five airlines. Alternatively, Altitude cardholders can choose to earn Qantas points, best exchanged for flights and upgrades with Qantas and its airline partners, although the usual merchandise, gift card and travel options are also available.
Types of Altitude Rewards credit card
There are two levels of card: Altitude Platinum and Altitude Black. The Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card has the higher annual fee, the highest points earning rate and the most extensive complimentary benefits.
- Annual fees, points earning rates, and other complimentary benefits vary between cards.
- Both card levels have the same interest rates applied to overdue payments for purchases, and the same interest rates for cash advances.
Earn Altitude Rewards points or Qantas Points
Both cards offer the option of earning either Qantas Points or Westpac Altitude Rewards points, with the added bonus that cardholders can change their minds, as regularly as they wish, about which kind of points they would like to earn.
The only caveats are that it may take a few days to process each change request, and points must remain in the program in which they were earned. That is, points cannot be transferred from Qantas Frequent Flyer to Altitude Reards, and vice versa.
Earn bonus points for signing up
Westpac regularly offers first-purchase bonus points to new cardholders, in return for reaching a specified spending target within a limited time. An example of a standard sign up bonus would be 60,000 Qantas or Altitude points in return for spending $3,000 in the first 90 days after card account approval.
Points caps on credit card spend
The Westpac Altitude Credit Card and Westpac Altitude Platinum Credit Card both currently have a monthly points cap (e.g. 7,500 Altitude points or 3,750 Qantas Points) beyond which no further points can be earned until the beginning of the next statement cycle. The Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card currently has no points cap.
Altitude Rewards points expiry
Altitude points do not expire as long as your card account is current, so you can take your time accumulating enough points for a significant redemption, such as a long-haul flight. However, if you cancel your card account, you have 90 days in which to use the points before they expire.
Qantas Points will not expire, provided you either use or earn Qantas Points at least once in each 18-month period.
Complimentary benefits
Your Altitude credit card will come with complimentary benefits, which may include travel insurance, rental vehicle insurance excess waiver, shopper’s insurance (purchase protection, extended warranty, price protection), airport lounge passes and a concierge service. The higher the card level, the more complimentary benefits you are likely to receive.
If you opt to earn Qantas Points and are not already a Qantas Frequent Flyer member, Westpac will pay your joining fee.
Transactions that don't earn Altitude Rewards points
Although most of your everyday spending (groceries, petrol, department store purchases, technology, utility bills, travel, etc.) will earn points, be aware that some spending types don’t qualify for points earning. These include payments to the ATO and other government bodies, BPAY payments, cash advances, card account fees and interest charges.
Also note that if you fail to make at least the minimum payment on your card account for two consecutive months, your account is considered to be in arrears, and you will not earn points until you bring your account back into order.
FAQs
What banks issue Altitude Rewards credit cards?
The Altitude Rewards program is exclusive to Westpac.
Do all Altitude credit cards charge the same annual fee?
No. Annual fees for Altitude cards vary depending on the card. The Signature card has the highest fee and benefits.
Does every credit card transaction earn Altitude Rewards points?
No. All regular purchases and bill payments earn points. But no points are earned on government charges (such as payments to the ATO or local government rates), interest charges, bank fees, cash advances, balance transfers, and any payments made by BPAY.
Do supplementary cardholders earn points?
Yes. All eligible purchases made using a supplementary card will earn points. However, the points are credited to the points account of the primary cardholder, who is the only person allowed to operate the account, choose redemptions or make points transfers.
Do balance transfers to an Altitude Rewards credit card earn points?
No. This is the case not only for any credit card in Australia.
Do cash advances earn Altitude Rewards points?
No. Any transaction classified as a cash advance or equivalent, such as withdrawing cash from an ATM, will not earn Altitude Rewards points.
