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Compare credit cards with sign-up offers

All about those sign-up offers? The table below displays some of the rewards credit cards from our online partners with large sign-up offers. Conditions, costs and eligibility criteria apply. The results shown are sorted by biggest sign-up bonus.

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Finance Journalist
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What is a credit card offer?

Credit card offers are when the credit card provider gives you a bonus amount of rewards points, frequent flyer points, cash back, or other reward, when you apply for and are approved for a certain credit card. There may be conditions attached to the credit card offer. For example, to get bonus points or cashback, the provider may require you to spend a certain amount on the credit card within a specified time period.

Providers may also only offer credit card deals for limited time. For example, you may get a 0% interest rate for the first 12 months or pay no annual fee for the first year only.

While many of these credit card deals may seem tempting, bear in mind that the costs of owning and using a credit card can quickly cancel out the benefits of some of these offers. You should always consider whether the credit card suits your spending habits and whether you are likely to pay off the card each month. This is particularly important for rewards credit cards and frequent flyer credit cards as they often come with a high interest rate.

Are credit card offers worth it?

If you’re considering getting a credit card with a sign-up offer, it’s important to make sure the card is right for your circumstances overall. Make sure you look at factors like the interest rate, fees, interest-free period and any rewards or other perks on offer.

Also ask yourself the following questions before you apply:

  • Do you pay your closing credit card balance in full each month? Rewards credit cards often have a higher interest rate and can be about 20% p.a., based on average stats from Canstar’s database.
  • Are the potential rewards worth the annual fee for the card? Rewards credit cards also typically have higher annual fees than non-rewards cards.
  • If you will receive rewards or frequent flyer points, are the points going towards a reward you would actually value? Consider what you would redeem the points on.
  • What conditions apply? Check whether you have to spend a certain amount to get the sign-up offer. Be careful of overspending just to get a reward. If the offer is only available for a limited time, check what applies when this ends (e.g. what is the revert interest rate or annual fee?)

Be sure to read the full terms and conditions of each offer before you apply for a credit card. It’s also important to remember that a credit card without a sign-up bonus could still offer better value for you overall. Canstar compares credit cards based on both price and features. As part of the price score, Canstar considers factors such as the rewards earned and the fees.

Canstar Star Ratings and Awards 

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Looking for an award-winning product or to switch providers or brands? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which credit card products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

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About our finance experts

Josh Sale, Credit Card Ratings Manager

Headshot of Josh Sale, CanstarAs Canstar’s Ratings Manager, Josh Sale is responsible for the methodology and delivery of Canstar’s Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, Josh has worked behind the scenes for the last five years to develop Star Ratings and Awards that help connect consumers with the right credit card for them.

Josh is passionate about helping consumers get hands-on with their finances. Josh has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Australian Financial Reviewnews.com.au and Money Magazine.

You can follow Josh on LinkedIn, and Canstar on Twitter and Facebook.


Tamika Seeto, Finance Journalist

Tamika Seeto

Tamika Seeto is a Finance Journalist at Canstar, specialising in banking and general insurance. She covers topics including budgeting, savings accounts, term deposits, credit cards, as well as car, home and travel insurance.

Tamika joined Canstar after completing a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Queensland University of Technology. She has written well over 500 finance articles since joining Canstar and her work is regularly referenced by other publishers, such as The GuardianABCYahoo FinanceThe Motley FoolThe Age and The Conversation.

You can follow Tamika on LinkedIn, and Canstar on Twitter and Facebook.


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Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings or Awards.

The Credit Cards Star Ratings are updated daily based on product features at that date, except for the Overseas Travel profile which is updated annually. Current rates, product features and fees are displayed and may be different to what was rated. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. Depending on which card feature/use you are looking at, the results will be sorted as follows:

  • Low fee is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest Annual Fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Rewards is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest Annual Fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Frequent Flyer is sorted by Star Ratings, then highest airline points per dollar, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Balance Transfer is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest balance transfer rate, then lowest rate for the longest period, then lowest revert rate, then lowest upfront fee, and then alphabetically by brand. Please note that Balance Transfer Star Ratings are not for balance transfer suitability but are instead based on the Low Rate profile. 
  • All card types is sorted by highest Points per dollar spent, then lowest Annual fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Overseas Travel is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest currency conversion on purchases, then lowest annual fee.

 

You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Credit Cards Star Rating Methodology and our Travel Credit Card and Travel Debit Card Star Ratings Methodology. The Occasional Overseas Traveller rating is shown in the table. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products. 

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. Canstar provides information about credit products. We’re not suggesting or recommending a particular credit product for you. If you decide to apply for a Credit Card, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar. It’s important you check rates and product information directly with the provider. Consider the Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

Before you elect to terminate or modify existing lending arrangements, it is recommended that you consider all associated fees and application costs, as well as the timing and impact these changes could have on your wider financial arrangements and personal circumstances.