Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card Review

Altitude Black Mastercard is a credit card offered by Westpac. This card is popular for its rewards point structure and various travel and lifestyle perks it provides to cardholders.

Here’s a quick review of the card to help you decide if this is the right pick for you:

Westpac Black Altitude Credit Card is a type of rewards credit card issued by Westpac, an Australian banking company.

It is considered a premium credit card offering as you enjoy the highest earn rate offered by any Altitude Rewards Credit Card by Westpac. Your Altitude Black Westpac Card can fetch you anywhere between 1.25 and 6 points for every dollar spent. This card is different from the other low interest credit cards issued by Westpac, as the key motivation for cardholders to sign up is to earn reward points and not save on interest.

Westpac also offers various other cards as part of its rewards programs, such as Altitude Rewards Platinum, Altitude Qantas Black, and Altitude Qantas Platinum. Westpac Earth Black, a specific rewards card offering, has been discontinued by the company. The bank has also suspended the issue of the Altitude Black World Mastercard.

Here are some key features of this credit card:

• For every dollar spent (capped at $10,000 every month), you can earn 6 points for flight tickets purchased directly from airlines such as Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines. Once you hit the cap, you earn 1.25 points for every dollar spent
• Every dollar spent at outlets such as David Jones, Myer, THE ICONIC, Spotify Premium, Uber, Uber Eats, and Airbnb fetches you 2 points
• All points earned can be redeemed for gift cards, retail purchases, cash back, or frequent flyer points by way of the Altitude Rewards program
• Westpac advance payment facility allows you to withdraw cash against your credit limit through an ATM or at a bank
• When compared to other Altitude Rewards credit cards, this card offers the highest earn rate
• The maximum credit limit available on the card is $75,000 though the entire limit may not be available to you as soon as you apply
• There is no rewards fee for the perks offered and enough flexibility for how you redeem the points

Westpac credit card rewards are one of the major draws for the card.

Westpac Altitude Black Card is affiliated with the Altitude Rewards program. The in-house reward program credits 140,000 bonus Altitude points provided you spend at least $6,000 within 120 days of card approval. These points do not expire. Additionally, Black Altitude rewards include various complimentary insurance packages.

Here’s a breakdown of Westpac Black Altitude rewards you can enjoy:

Priority Pass airport lounge access

Westpac Altitude Black Card provides lounge access through a complimentary Priority Pass membership. You can claim two lounge visits for free and then pay a subsidised amount for the rest of your visits. You can check into any of the 1,200 participating airport lounges across the globe regardless of the airline or the class of travel.

However, the facility is only for primary cardholders, and guests need to pay additional fees.

Complimentary travel insurance

As part of Westpac Altitude Black rewards, cardholders receive complimentary overseas travel insurance if they swipe the card to pay for at least $500 of the travel costs before they embark on the trip. Travel insurance with a Westpac Altitude Black Card is available only if you are an Australian resident, hold a return ticket to Australia, and are below 80 years old.

Altitude Black Rewards Card includes complimentary interstate flight inconvenience insurance and covers any excess car rental paid for trips within Australia.

Complimentary insurance for shopping

Altitude Black Card offers insurance protection for purchasing eligible items. There is also a price guarantee cover for specific items you buy using your Westpac Altitude Black Card.

Westpac Concierge

A complimentary 24/7 concierge service is available for Altitude Black cardholders. The Westpac concierge can help you secure restaurant reservations, plan events, and assist you with other requests.

Mobile technology

You can link your card to a mobile payment network of your choice for seamless checkouts. The card currently supports Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay. You can also link the card with fitness trackers such as Garmin or Fitbit to avail of their payment network facilities.

You can also sign up for other Westpac premier card offerings to enjoy the highest earn rate for specific frequent flyer programs. For instance, Altitude Velocity Black Card fetches you the highest Velocity Points earn rate. Similarly, the Altitude Qantas Black card helps you get the highest Qantas Points earn rate. While there is no specific Westpac Virgin Card offered at present, the Velocity Black card provides you access to Virgin Australia airport lounges as part of the rewards program.

Here’s a breakup of Westpac Black Card fees every cardholder is liable to pay:

Annual fee

A standard fee of $250 annually is payable unless you apply for the card as part of any special promotions.

In some instances, existing Westpac customers may be required to pay a reduced annual fee of only $99 for the first year.

Purchase interest rate

A variable interest of 19.99 percent every year is payable on various purchases.

The interest-free period is for 45 days, provided you repay the dues in full by the payment due date.

Cash advance rate

The variable interest rate of 21.49 percent per annum is also payable on cash advances made on the card and cash-equivalent transactions.

Credit limit

$15,000 is Westpac's minimum credit card limit for this card.

Limits vary depending on the financial profile of the cardholder.

Foreign transaction fee

If the credit card is swiped at the point of sale of an international retailer, Westpac charges a foreign conversion fee of 3 percent of the transaction value.

Late payment fee

Any delay in repayment of credit card dues attracts a late fine of $15

Minimum monthly repayment

Cardholders must repay 2 percent of the closing balance or $10, whichever is higher

Balance transfer fee

Westpac Black Card charges zero percent interest for 24 months for balance transfers even though a 1 percent balance transfer fee is payable.

After that, the interest charged is 21.49 percent. You can transfer up to 80 percent of the available limit on your card.

Other fees

Westpac Black Mastercard doesn’t charge any fees for issuing duplicate statements, verification of transactions, or providing the benefits of its rewards program.

While rewards are undoubtedly attractive, evaluating other pros and cons of credit cards is vital to decide whether the card suits your needs.

Here’s a breakdown of the benefits and disadvantages of the Westpac Altitude Black MasterCard:

Pros

• The first year annual fee is discounted for existing customers
• You are charged no interest for the balance transfer for the first 24 months
• You receive 140,000 bonus Altitude Points when you get approved, provided you hit the minimum spending requirement within the specified time
• You can enjoy an extended warranty on various purchases
• Since there is no cap on the maximum number of points you can earn, the Westpac Rewards card can work in favour of those who spend a substantial amount every month

Cons

• Westpac Altitude Rewards Black Card charges a 1 percent fee for balance transfers. Even though this is a one-time payment, it can increase the overall cost of your balance transfer
• You only get 45 days interest-free, whereas competitor cards provide 55 days
• The annual fee of $250 is higher compared to similar credit cards issued by competitors
• Customers have reported unsavoury experiences when credit card frauds are flagged to the customer service team

Here are the minimum eligibility requirements you must fulfil when you apply for a Westpac Altitude Black Credit Card:

• You should be an Australian citizen or have a permanent resident status
• You should be 18 years or above
• Your income should be at least $75,000 per year
• You should have a good credit score. The exact number varies on a case-to-case basis.

To know your check credit score, sign up with ClearScore and get access to your free credit reports.

You can complete the application for the Westpac Black Credit Card online. Usually, it takes around 10 minutes to fill in the details, and you can expect to get a response within 60 seconds of applying.

You must provide the following information in support of your application for Altitude Black Mastercard:

Personal information

To issue a Westpac Altitude Black Card, the issuer needs your identification details, such as your name, email address, residential address, driver’s licence number, date of birth, contact number, and marital status.

Employment details

Since a credit card involves repayment, the issuer must also know your employment status. That’s why you need to furnish details of your employer, your designation, and your salary when you fill up the application form for the Westpac Altitude Credit Card.

Attaching your payslips and bank statements are recommended to help the issuer verify the information.

You must provide recent tax assessment notices for proof of income if you are self-employed.

Financial details

If you are on any type of government-sponsored benefits or pension, you need to provide the relevant information to be considered for the Altitude Black Credit Card.

You must also provide details of your other financial assets, such as your savings account. This is useful for the issuer to understand your ability to repay in case of loss of income.

Balance transfer information

If you plan to get Westpac Black Card for balance transfer purposes, you must provide details of the debt you want to transfer. It includes the name of the current creditor and the account numbers of the existing credit cards.

Remember that each credit card application is reviewed on a case-to-case basis. Westpac also contacts credit reporting agencies to pull out your credit information when evaluating your application. Ideally, you shouldn’t apply for multiple credit cards simultaneously, as such inquiries show up on your credit report and bring down your score.

As a rule of thumb, the higher your credit score, the better the chances of getting approved for any financial product, including Westpac credit cards.

Westpac Altitude Qantas Black Credit Card is a special credit card issued by Westpac that is directly linked to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account. Instead of transferring or converting your Westpac credit card points into airline miles, this card allows you to directly earn Qantas points when you swipe your card. For every dollar spent on the card, you earn 0.75 Qantas Points, up to a maximum of $250,000 spent per year.

Additionally, as Westpac credit cards rewards, you receive 120,000 Qantas Points the moment you apply for the card and swipe your card for $6,000 within the first four months from approval to make eligible purchases. The card also offers two complimentary airport lounge passes and a variety of insurance covers, making it a preferred option for frequent travellers and big-ticket spenders.

Similar to the tie-up with the Qantas flyer program, Westpac also has a tie-up with Velocity. Westpac Velocity Black Card provides the cardholders the highest Velocity Points earn rate. They are eligible to earn 90,000 Velocity Points during the first year if they spend $6,000 within 120 days of getting approved for the card and an extra 30,000 points in the second year for eligible purchases. Reward points are in addition to complimentary airport lounge access, travel insurance covers, and concierge services.

How to choose a credit card depends a lot on identifying what you need from a credit card which can make it easier to pick one designed to support your requirements.

So make sure to assess what you need vs. what Altitude Black Mastercard offers before you sign the dotted line.