How to find a great credit card that will earn you some serious points

Yet again I am very slow to the party on this one but I finally switched credit cards to one that earns me some serious Frequent Flyer points.

For years I have been spending money on my old MasterCard circa 2001 (linked to my bank account) and earning zero points.  Think of all that waste.  I probably could have flown around the world 3 times by now  (possibly 10) with the points I have missed out on.  But, as I keep saying… better late than never.

So yes, I have a new credit card.  Well actually I have had it for a few months and already I have quite a few points racked up.  You see it came with bonus Frequent Flyer points.  60,000 to be exact.  Yes … SIXTY THOUSAND… BAM!!!  Thank you very much, why yes I would love 60,000 extra Frequent Flyer Points, so kind of you to ask.

60,000 points will get me 2.5 return trips from Mount Isa to Brisbane with Qantas (if I travel on the right days).  With Tom at boarding school now I thought it was time to get my act together.

The credit card I chose is a HSBC Platinum Qantas Visa.

It’s a good looking card too, which is obviously very important when considering a credit card.

I earn 1 point for every dollar spent up to $2,500 per statement period and then 0.5 points for every dollar spent thereafter (no cap).  Oh and to get the 60,000 all I had to do was spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of receiving my card.  Not hard when it is Christmas time and there are school fees to pay.

I wanted a card that the school accepted so I could put all the fees on this card and earn points on all the money I was about to dish out.  There has to be some bonus doesn’t there.  A lot of the cards out there, with great point earning abilities, are American Express and not a lot of businesses accept AMEX, so just be careful.  I checked with the school before selecting my credit card, they don’t accept AMEX but do take MasterCard or Visa.  Perfect.

A lot of cards only offer 0.5 points per dollar spent so I thought the HSBC Visa stacked up really well against all the others.  Do I have a HSBC account?  You bet your arse I don’t.  It doesn’t matter, you don’t need an account with the bank you are getting your credit card through.

Things you should know about this VISA Card

Yearly Fee: $199.00 pa
55 Days Interest Free if you pay your account in full each month

Pro’s

• Receive 60,000 bonus points on eligible spend within 3 months of receiving your card.
• Complimentary membership to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program saving you $89.50.
• This card offers a range of benefits including complimentary insurance covers for your piece of mind while abroad.
• Qantas points earn rate – 1 point for every $1 spent up to $2,500 and then 0.5 points per $1 spent thereafter with no cap.
• Fraud protection.  You are not liable to pay for any fraudulent transactions detected on the account.
• Additional cardholder for $0

Con’s

• The 19.99% p.a. interest rate charged on purchases is expensive compared to other cards on the market.

Complimentary Insurance

No matter what credit card you have it is worthwhile finding out what extras are covered for anything purchased using your particular card.  One example is the excess you pay on hire cars.  You know, where Avis might tell you it is $145.00 to hire a car for 6 days but them when you click “yes” to the excess it has all of a sudden risen to $352.00.  You know the one.  Anyway, turns out lots of credit cards cover you for this so there is actually no need to pay for it with your hire company.  Just call your credit card facility and ask them.

I just called Allianz, who covers the HSBC card for their Complimentary Insurance Cover to find out if this was definitely included and yes is the answer, yes it is.  Thank you very much!

HSBC Cardholders are eligible for the following benefits:

• International Travel Insurance
• Purchase Protection Insurance
• Extended Warranty Insurance
• Guaranteed Pricing Scheme (see something in another store cheaper and HSBC will match it)
• Transit Accident Insurance

Is it hard having a credit card that is not linked to your bank account?

No.  I have found it very easy to manage.  I can log onto HSBC to check my balance and then I just log into my own bank account and pay the Visa using BPay.  Easy!

Finder.com.au

You know that add you see on TV with the catchy (or annoying) little jingle… Finder dot com dot au?  No, just me?

Well anyway, I suggest heading to www.finder.com.au to find the perfect credit card for you.  I just googled “frequent flyer credit cards” so what ever it is you are after, just google it.  Perhaps you want to earn some serious Velocity points, don’t worry, there is a card for you.  At finder.com.au you see all the cards at a glance which compares them to all the other cards… annual fee, points earned & bonus points.

How do I apply?

It is so easy I was actually quite shocked.  I just clicked through from Finder to HSBC, clicked on this “Get Started” button and off I went.  Did it all online.  At the end I just had to print out a form, take it to my local post office (only 5 hours away, no biggie) to prove my identity.  The post office then takes care of the rest and within a couple of days I was approved, had that card in my hand in no time.  Too easy!  If you want to fast track your application, just click on the image below.

Why it pays to pay using a credit card

I pay for almost everything using my credit card.  Always!  Why?  Let me tell you…

• It is simple, especially for sales under $100, just tap and go using the payWave system.   Almost too easy actually.
• So many things are covered under the “Insurance” clause.   Don’t pay for all of those “extra insurances” again.
• Safety… it is a safe way to pay.  If you lose the item, it is stolen or damaged then chances are you will receive some compensation.  Or if your account is hacked you are also protected.
• There are no fees

Now, this isn’t actually the first card I have had that has earned me some serious Frequent Flyers.  A few years ago, when I bought my MacBook Air from David Jones, they asked if I would like to apply for a store card, instant approval.  I actually thought they just meant for a David Jones card, what I didn’t realise is that it was an American Express Store Card.  All I heard was 30,000 bonus points and I was in.  So I joined up, I got my 30,000 points but soon realised AMEX wasn’t that great.  I have since cancelled that card but I was very happy with the bonus points I earned, so it was probably worthwhile.

Well thank you for letting me babble on about credit cards, I have learnt so much from writing this post that I wouldn’t usually have bothered to find out about.  So just know that it is worth checking out exactly what your credit card does cover, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  If not – switch cards, it is that simple.

Do you have any hot tips when it comes to credit cards or earning some serious Frequent Flyer points?  I would love to know.

Is it time you switched so you can start earning?
Need to know anything else? 
How can I earn more points?

** Note, this is not a paid or sponsored post.  I just wanted to spread the credit card love, I thought if I was slow to the party on this one then surely there must be others out there like me and I wanted to share this information with you all.