St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card

Pauline Hatch

Pauline is a personal finance expert at CreditCard.com.au, with 9 years in money, budgeting and property reporting under her belt. Ask Pauline a Question about this card.

The Big Review: St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card (Amplify Program)

Rewarding new cardholders with up to 180,000 bonus Amplify Points and an uncapped earn rate of 1.5 Amplify Points per $1, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card is a rewards card that offers flexibility and value, delivering appealing extras and benefits including a discounted first year annual fee, complimentary travel insurance, membership to Visa’s Luxury Hotel Collection, and two Priority Pass lounge visits per year.

• Receive up to 180,000 Bonus Amplify Rewards - 130,000 Rewards Points in year 1 if you spend $12k+ on eligible purchases† and an extra 50,000 points after your first eligible purchase in year 2.
• Discounted first year annual fee of $199 ($295 annual fee thereafter)
• Earn rewards on the Amplify Program
• Earn 1.5 Amplify Points per $1, uncapped
• 2 Priority Pass lounge visits per year
• Membership to Visa’s Luxury Hotel Collection
• Complimentary insurance cover on travel and retail purchases
• Purchase Rate: 20.99% p.a. (variable)
• Cash Advance Rate: 21.99% p.a. (variable)

This Card: The Lowdown

Earning points on Amplify Rewards, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card could be the perfect option for anyone looking for a non-American Express card that provides a decent earn rate and a flexible rewards program.

Amplify Rewards partners with Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer programs, so cardholders have the option of transferring their points onto either of those frequent flyer programs to enjoy flights, upgrades and merchandise.

Alternatively, cardholders may choose to redeem their points within the Amplify Rewards program, choosing from a wide range of homewares, appliances, tech and gift cards. With a bonus 180,000 Amplify Points on offer, there is certainly a lot to tempt you.

As a prestige card, the Amplify Signature card also provides a number of prestige perks. These are particularly suited to the frequent traveller, with Priority Pass lounge access, Visa’s Luxury Hotels Collection membership, and complimentary travel insurance on offer.

Digging Deeper

With the basics covered, it’s time to dig a little deeper into what’s on offer with the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card, so you can decide whether this card is right for you.

This Card: As a Rewards Card

Giving one hell of a boost to your Amplify Rewards account, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card is currently offering 180,000 bonus Amplify Points to new cardholders - 130,000 Rewards Points in year 1 if you spend $12k+ on eligible purchases† and an extra 50,000 points after your first eligible purchase in year 2. To qualify, you need to apply and be approved , and make the required spend.

As is generally the case with these types of offers, eligible purchases do not include BPAY transactions, fees, cash transactions, refunds, balance transfers and a purchase from or payment to a government or government related agency.

Also, just note that you won't be eligible for the bonus points offer if you currently hold or have held an Amplify, Amplify Platinum or Amplify Signature card issued by St.George, Bank of Melbourne, or BankSA in the last 12 months.

So, what can you do with 180,000 Amplify Points?

• If some retail therapy is in order, you could head over to the Amplify Rewards Store to enjoy better value, where you could redeem up to $675 in eGift cards. For example, you could redeem 11,100 Amplify Points for $50 e-gift card from various retailers including David Jones, Myer, Harvey Norman, and more.

Earning Points

Looking now to everyday earning, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card keeps it simple, with one earn rate across the board. You will earn 1.5 Amplify Points per $1 on purchases made at home and overseas. It’s worth mentioning that purchases made within Australia offer more value on points-earn, as they’re not affected by the card’s 3% overseas transaction fee.

If you have an additional cardholder you’d like to add to the account, you can do so at no extra cost. The card allows for one free additional cardholder, which may allow you to earn points faster day-to-day. Of course, as the primary cardholder, you are still responsible for all spending made on that additional card.

Redeeming Points

As one of the most flexible rewards programs on the market, Amplify Rewards makes it easy to transfer points to any of the program’s airline partners, which include Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer programs.

For every 1 Amplify Point you transfer, you will receive 0.5 points/miles within your frequent flyer program of choice. This provides an effective earn rate of :

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles: 0.75 miles per $1
• Malaysia Airlines Enrich Miles: 0.75 miles per $1

Amplify Travel provides an alternative way to use your points for travel, allowing you to book flights, hotels, car hire and activities, or create your own travel packages. Working in a similar way to the American Express Travel service, Amplify Travel is designed to make travel bookings easier, with 24/7 service available, offering special rates and deals to users.

While travel options tend to offer the most value when using rewards programs such as Amplify, cardholders can also choose to redeem their points within the Amplify Store. Similar to other rewards program online stores, the Amplify Store provides access to gift cards, homewares, sports equipment and more.

Shopping around is highly recommended.

This Card: As a Travel Rewards Card

With a nice selection of travel perks available, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card is a great choice for cardholders who travel frequently, or for those who simply like to travel in style.

Lounge Access

The St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card provides cardholders with two Priority Pass lounge visits each year. All you need to do to get your hands on these passes is enrol via the Amplify Signature portal.

As the largest independent airport lounge access plan, Priority Pass not only offers access to a huge selection of airport lounges around the world, it can also help you save money on restaurant bills, by providing discounts on certain airport eateries.

But, how you use your lounge passes is up to you. You could find value in a discounted restaurant bill, or you may benefit more from lounge access. As lounge facilities vary, you should check reviews online before using up your yearly passes, to make sure you get the most out of them.

Depending on the lounge you choose, you may enjoy access to free Wi-Fi, power and charging stations, comfortable seating and TVs, and a selection of snacks, soft drinks and complimentary alcoholic beverages. Showers and spa facilities may be available, often with an additional fee.

Visa Luxury Hotels

Providing you with automatic membership to Visa’s Luxury Hotel Collection, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card offers some very appealing benefits when staying at any of the collection’s 900 luxury hotels. While these benefits vary depending on the hotel, they can include:

• Best available rate guarantee (temporary unavailable)
• Automatic room upgrade upon arrival (when available)
• 3pm check-out (when available)
• Complimentary in-room Internet (when available)
• Complimentary continental breakfast each day
• VIP Guest status
• US$25 food or beverage credit

Travel Insurance

Providing extensive cover on overseas travel, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card offers complimentary overseas travel insurance on trips up to six months, for you, your spouse, and your dependent children (as long as you use your card to pay for travel).

Cover offered includes unlimited medical cover (except emergency dental and bed care patient allowance), travel cancellation, transit accident insurance, and excess cover for loss or damage of a rental vehicle.

As the cover on this policy is extensive, with certain limits and exclusions applied, it’s best to read the PDS in full before you travel. However, as long as you know what’s on offer, this feature could save you a substantial amount in standalone insurance, especially if you travel frequently.

This Card: Extras on Offer

As a prestige card, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card has even more to offer in the way of extras, including purchase security insurance cover.

Purchase Insurance Cover

Extending its insurance cover to retail purchases, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card provides complimentary extended warranty insurance on items purchased on the card, for up to 12 months past the standard manufacturer's warranty.

In addition, a price guarantee offers cover on eligible purchases made on the card in Australia. So, if you find the item cheaper within 21 days, you can claim the difference. Of course, t&c’s apply.

This Card: The Essentials

When it comes to rewards cards such as the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card, you need to work out the value of the rewards and features on offer.

In terms of rewards value, think about much will you spend on the card, to then figure out how many points you will receive. Knowing what you will redeem those points for will allow you to work out the monetary value of the rewards program as a whole.

As for the value of any features on offer, this is also personal to you. Any features offered will only provide value if you actually use them.

While the card’s standard annual fee is relatively high, new cardholders can enjoy a discounted annual fee of $199 the first year. If you happen to get more value from the card’s features and rewards than you pay out in annual fees, then this card is likely a good choice.

One thing that we should point out, however, is the card’s purchase rate. Like most prestige rewards cards, this card has a fairly high purchase rate. If you want to retain the value of the features and rewards on offer, you should clear the balance by the due date to avoid interest.

Decision Time

Allowing cardholders to earn points on a flexible rewards program, the St.George Amplify Signature Credit Card has a good earn rate, bumped up by a sign-up bonus of 180,000 Amplify Points. Great for travellers, the card provides travel insurance, two Priority Pass lounge visits each year, and access to Visa’s Luxury Hotels Collection.