Westpac Singapore KrisFlyer Credit Card

[Logan^]

Indeed. The Tax Dept is one where I did pay the surchage as the extra 0.5 point to me is worth more than the additional surchage.

In using cards you often have to doa quick mental calculation to decide what is best.

ie I use my Citibank (free for life) VISA at JB Hifi despite it transferring at less than one because you currently gain 4 points per dollar there. Amex has a surcharge and no bonus. KF VISA no surcharge , but no extra points eiher.

And just to keep you on your toes for example does one go for:

a/ Fuel at Caltex with 4 cent/l discount voucher
or b/ Fuel at BP with bonus 1.5 points if paid with Amex issued Amex?
(ie what is a MR point worth to you?)

Unfortunatly this is where I lose out a little as I have a fully maintained lease for my car and fuel is included.

 

[kamchatsky]

Thanks, not that hard a choice really, get 1/4 of the way to a QF flight with ANZ Visa (10K/36K required) or 1 1/2 Air NZ flights (or 1 Business) with points to spare. Hmm, which way to go.

On top of this, AirNZ Business Class is excellent, even if not on their long haul product. You can go as far as Tahiti on this redemption. I had a TR on it for last year's trip, if you want to read it, PM me.

 

[penegal]

This card has been quite lucrative for me given regular SQ MEL-SIN runs. During the promo period these yielded 4.5 points per dollar, which was quite good IMHO.

I rung up today, and was informed that I can't get 20K points without cancelling and re-applying for the card. However the full amount of the annual fee was waived for the next 12 months, and I will get the 50%/25K voucher in the mail. The phone operator indicated that this could be used for upgrades as well as redemptions (but I suspect only i/from Y).

 

[Techie]

Called Westpac today asking to close the card. Was transfered to the credit department where a nice lady asked what would make me keep it. After I joked that "free for life" would be enough, she actually put me on hold and came back with fee free for 5 years. Not bad at all, I'll take that!

 

[ZeroPoint]

Called Westpac today asking to close the card. Was transfered to the credit department where a nice lady asked what would make me keep it. After I joked that "free for life" would be enough, she actually put me on hold and came back with fee free for 5 years. Not bad at all, I'll take that!

Wow! How long have you been a member and roughly how much did you put through? Do you have other products with Westpac?

 

[Logan^]

Nice, might try that once I come to that point.

Picked up my cards on Friday, they are nice cards, like the look of them.

 

[Techie]

Wow! How long have you been a member and roughly how much did you put through? Do you have other products with Westpac?

I've put around 40K through this card in my first year (ending this May). Before KF I used to have Westpac Earth but that's about it, no other business with them.

 

[Sarge1]

I've put around 40K through this card in my first year (ending this May). Before KF I used to have Westpac Earth but that's about it, no other business with them.

Westpac should start preparing themselves for the avalanche of cancellations now.

 

[cove]

Basically I am buying the cheapest first and business class tickets through this card and I am very happy with how this card works in both Visa and Amex version.
Just looked at Perth to London in August......you guessed it....totally available at points plus fees for business.

 

[Foreigner]

Other than keeping tally of transactions is it possible to check online with Westpac what points have been accrued for a month?
I anxiously wait until 19th or 20th of the month to check my points transferred to SQ account. Even then the email SQ sends me is not up to date. The Krisflyer balance shown on my account is most accurate.
Westpac's statement confirms points earned for the month but perhaps there is sone way of keeping tab on points earned intra month.

 

[cove]

Look up your Westpac Kris on the internet and you can see your expenditure.
If you are not yet doing this you can register quickly.

 

[albatross710]

Westpac's statement confirms points earned for the month but perhaps there is sone way of keeping tab on points earned intra month.

To get a feel for the accrual I log onto Westpac Internet banking, select the Krisflyer account and then export it as a csv file. The csv file can then be opened in Excel or Google docs.

Depending upon the level of accuracy you want, you can separate the transactions Amex v Visa v Visa Overseas. Apply a formula to give the points earned per transaction ie 1.5,1 & 1.5 respectively. SUM those values.

The one time that I did check the Westpac calculation for the month it was accurate. I haven't checked up on them again.

 

[Foreigner]

To get a feel for the accrual I log onto Westpac Internet banking, select the Krisflyer account and then export it as a csv file. The csv file can then be opened in Excel or Google docs.

Depending upon the level of accuracy you want, you can separate the transactions Amex v Visa v Visa Overseas. Apply a formula to give the points earned per transaction ie 1.5,1 & 1.5 respectively. SUM those values.

The one time that I did check the Westpac calculation for the month it was accurate. I haven't checked up on them again.

Thank you for this. I shall try.
I will also attempt to get fee rebated, having made lots of transactions, all local, to earn 450k points since last July.
Now, it's decision time how to best spend those points.

 

[Alanslegal]

Thank you for this. I shall try.
I will also attempt to get fee rebated, having made lots of transactions, all local, to earn 450k points since last July.
Now, it's decision time how to best spend those points.

So extrapolating your figures you will earn 500K points in a 12 month period and you are prepared to cancel your card because they won't waive the $250 annual fee? Sure it would be great if they did but if they didn't, what's $250 when you push through over $300K?

And besides I'll take 500K points for $250 anyday - too bad I'm not given that chance at this stage.

 

[cove]

For several years business folks suffered in silence collecting GST for our State Governments in silence by 21st of each month despite collecting it by about the 21st of the following month from the average customer. The Tax Office brings in a trial of paying all taxes on a credit card so for a small fee the playing field seems much more level now.
I would not mess with cancelling a credit card to negotiate a fee.You would lose your smile if they dropped you.

 

[Foreigner]

So extrapolating your figures you will earn 500K points in a 12 month period and you are prepared to cancel your card because they won't waive the $250 annual fee? Sure it would be great if they did but if they didn't, what's $250 when you push through over $300K?

And besides I'll take 500K points for $250 anyday - too bad I'm not given that chance at this stage.

No, I don't intend to jeopardise my points or risk cancelling my cards. I only suggested an attempt at rebating the fees, not by threat. The first year's fee is discounted at $125 and I feel confident of cutting out the fee in full for the second year, having spoken to my relationship manager at the bank. My interest is in talking to the credit card department and just see if indeed they will consider cutting fees for five years, as suggested by another poster. I will post feedback, if any.

 

[Foreigner]

Have spoken to card services. The waiver of fee for five years appears to be far fetched. No dice. At best, I am confident of fee-free card 12 months at a time.
f

 

[Dr Ev]

5 year fee waiver sounds like BS to me.
The way it works is as follows:

You first need to wait untill the annual fee is charged before you ring.

Ring Westpac and complain that the annual fee is too high and you are thinking of moving your business elsewhere. They will then refund the fee.
It is very important to be polite and not aggressive.

Your chances of success are proportionate to your annual spend.

I have racked up over 500K points and the woman was falling over herself to refund the fee. If you are polite about it, I am sure you can still get the fee waived at a lower spend rate.

 

[Foreigner]

5 year fee waiver sounds like BS to me.
The way it works is as follows:

You first need to wait untill the annual fee is charged before you ring.

Ring Westpac and complain that the annual fee is too high and you are thinking of moving your business elsewhere. They will then refund the fee.
It is very important to be polite and not aggressive.

Your chances of success are proportionate to your annual spend.

I have racked up over 500K points and the woman was falling over herself to refund the fee. If you are polite about it, I am sure you can still get the fee waived at a lower spend rate.

I agree. And this may be repeated year on year. What is unlikely to work, in my opinion, is approach like "but I read on internet that many customers have had fees refunded" et cetera.

 

[Logan^]

To get a feel for the accrual I log onto Westpac Internet banking, select the Krisflyer account and then export it as a csv file. The csv file can then be opened in Excel or Google docs.

Depending upon the level of accuracy you want, you can separate the transactions Amex v Visa v Visa Overseas. Apply a formula to give the points earned per transaction ie 1.5,1 & 1.5 respectively. SUM those values.

The one time that I did check the Westpac calculation for the month it was accurate. I haven't checked up on them again.

Is there anyway of working out what was AMEX and Visa etc, or do you have to wait for your statement to come through, which well tell you and then export it and do the calculations?

I just exported into excel and its gives me the files but it doesnt differientiate between Visa and AMEX on the csv file from what I can see...