As outlined briefly in the Altitude Rewards guide, the Altitude Business card range has a relatively unique benefit – the opportunity to earn points into Altitude Rewards, and then transfer them to a range of frequent flyer programs, including Qantas Frequent Flyer.
On top of that, there are respectable points earn rates from spend, and a current offer of no annual fee in the first year – but no bonus points.
The only other cards on the market that let you accrue points to transfer to Qantas later are the $1450 p.a. American Express Platinum Charge card and some older (now not available) Citibank and Commonwealth cards.
Westpac’s site isn’t too clear about how exactly Qantas points can be transferred, so I gave them a couple of calls to verify – points are definitely earned into Altitude Rewards and are transferrable, not swept monthly, over to Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Altitude Business Rewards overview
Have a read of the full Altitude Rewards Guide to get the lowdown on Altitude Rewards here.
In brief, the key benefit is the ability to earn Altitude Rewards points which can be transferred to
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
- Air New Zealand Airpoints
Earning flexible points like this is really valuable, allowing you to mix and match frequent flyer programs for the best redemption for your needs.
The Altitude Business Credit Card range
Altitude Business credit cards are available to any ABN/ACN holder that meets the approval criteria. The cards need to be used for Business or Investment purposes.
Altitude Business Platinum
Card Details
| Card | Altitude Business Platinum Mastercard |
| Loyalty program | Altitude Rewards |
| Points earned from spend | 1 Altitude Points per $ on domestic spend 2 points per $ on overseas transactions 0.5 points per $ on Government transactions |
| Points cap | No |
| Earns points at ATO | Yes - as a Government transaction |
| Included insurances | Travel insurance, purchase insurances and some business related insurances (PDS) |
| Overseas transaction fee | 3.0% of the converted amount |
| Mobile wallet | Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
| Annual fee | $200 |
Effective Frequent Flyer Program Point Earn Rates
| Frequent Flyer Program | Domestic Spend | Overseas Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas Points | 0.5 point / $ | 1 point / $ |
| Velocity Points | 0.33 point / $ | 0.66 point / $ |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles | 0.33 Mile / $ | 0.66 Mile / $ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 0.33 Mile / $ | 0.66 Mile / $ |
The Altitude Business Platinum card is the highest points earner in the Altitude Business range, with:
- 1 points per dollar for domestic transactions
- 2 points per dollar for overseas transactions
- 0.5 points per dollar on Government transactions
The effective earn rate over to Altitude Rewards airline partners is now as follows:
Velocity, KrisFlyer and Asia Miles
- 0.33 points per dollar for domestic transactions
- 0.66 points per dollar for overseas transactions
- 0.16 points per dollar on Government transactions
There’s a $200 standard annual fee, and uncapped rewards points with this card, meaning it’s ideal for bigger spenders.
You’ll also get access to Westpac’s Personal Concierge Service, travel insurance, purchase insurances and some business related insurances too, such as business inconvenience insurance which covers you for business premise break-ins and some recruitment expense cover. You’ll need to assess these for your needs if you want to rely on them. Read the full PDS here.
This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.
Altitude Business Gold
Card Details
| Card | Altitude Business Gold Mastercard |
| Loyalty program | Altitude Rewards |
| Points earned from spend | 1 Altitude points per $ spend 0.5 Altitude points per $ on government transactions |
| Points cap | 20,000 points per statement period |
| Earns points at ATO | Yes - as a Government transaction |
| Included insurances | Travel insurance, purchase insurances and some business related insurances (PDS) |
| Overseas transaction fee | 3.0% of the converted amount |
| Mobile wallet | Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
| Annual fee | $150 |
Effective Frequent Flyer Program Point Earn Rates
| Frequent Flyer Program | Domestic Spend | Overseas Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas Points | 0.5 point / $ | 0.5 point / $ |
| Velocity Points | 0.33 point / $ | 0.33 point / $ |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles | 0.33 Mile / $ | 0.33 Mile / $ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 0.33 Mile / $ | 0.33 Mile / $ |
The Altitude Business Gold account is very similar to the Platinum account, but with the following key differences:
- Points cap of 20,000 points per statement period
- Standard annual fee of $150
- Only earns 1 point per dollar spend on overseas transactions
The Altitude Business Platinum card is a higher points earner than the Altitude Gold which comes in at 1 points per dollar on all eligible spend except government payments, which earn 0.5 points per dollar.
The effective earn rate over to Altitude Rewards airline partners then is as follows:
Velocity, KrisFlyer and Asia Miles
- 0.33 point per dollar on eligible spend
- 0.16 point per dollar on Government transactions
Westpac Altitude Business Google Pay & Samsung Pay support
Westpac Altitude Business cards support Google Pay & Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments. Find out more in our guides for each of the compatible services.
Summing up – Altitude Business Platinum & Altitude Business Gold
The Altitude Platinum is a card for the savvy points redeemer who knows they will use the flexibility of the range of programs that Altitude partners with – including Qantas Frequent Flyer.
The earn rates were slashed with the removal of the American Express variant as well as the reduction of redemption rates but these cards still earn points on government spend and may be worth considering if you have an ABN/ACN and are in need of a business card.
Since the AMEX-branded Platinum cc changed to the variable point scheme, I find that I’m earning a whole lot less these days so looking for something new and shiny for the wallet!!
While a corporate card is probably not an option for most, those who already have one on hand could find value in this. It’s not a great earn rate, but it’s also only $89/year!