Westpac hotpoints Mastercard

The basics

• Additional cardholders. It's $15 p.a. per additional cardholder, paid in two instalments of $7.50.
• Digital wallets. Westpac credit cards in New Zealand support Google Pay and Apple Pay. Other digital wallets are not supported.
• Gambling transactions. Westpac allows gambling transactions and treats them like cash advances, meaning they can be quite expensive.

Rewards and benefits

• Complimentary travel insurance. The Westpac hotpoints Mastercard does not come with complimentary travel insurance. That's unsurprising, considering this is their entry-level hotpoints card.
• Concierge services. This card does not come with a concierge service.
• Insurances. This card has no complimentary insurance coverage.
• Rewards points. Earn 1 hotpoint per $1 spent up to $3,500. Spending over this threshold earns 0.5 hotpoints per $1 spent. You can redeem your hotpoints with hotpoints Pay anywhere where Mastercard is accepted. Cash advances, cash equivalent transactions, and balance transfers do not earn points.
• Sign up bonus. There is no sign up bonus offer on this card right now.

Rates and fees

• Annual fee. Westpac charges an annual fee of $40 p.a. for this card. This is reasonable compared to competing rewards-earning cards.
• Balance transfers. Consolidate debt from non-Westpac store and credit cards at 5.95% p.a. for life with no balance transfer fee. This differs from how most banks treat balance transfers with an introductory period and a higher interest rate after it ends. If you have expensive credit card debt you want to pay down, this offer is worth considering.
• Cash advances. It's 22.95% p.a. for a cash advance, with interest beginning to accrue immediately. Westpac doesn't charge a cash advance fee.
• Foreign exchange fee. This card charges a 1.95% fee for purchases and advances made in a foreign currency, either overseas in person or online. This is fairly typical of the market in general.
• Interest-free period. You can take advantage of up to 55 days interest-free on purchases (excluding cash advances) when you have paid your previous balance in full or made the minimum required payment.
• Purchases. The ongoing rate of 20.95% p.a. will be applied to purchases carried over.