Woolworths Credit Cards

Woolworths and Credit Cards

Just like its major supermarket competitor Coles, Woolworths is everywhere. It’s even in your wallet. Aside from its incredibly successful loyalty cards, Woolworths Rewards, Woolies also offers another type of plastic. Credit Cards.

Woolworths branched into financial services some years ago. So that now, Woolies not only has a bushel of insurance products to its name, it also has a couple of very enticing credit cards. If you happen to like rewards – and you tend to shop in Woolies stores – these cards are definitely worth a closer look.

Rewards Cards

Designed to reward you for using your card, rewards cards come in all shapes and sizes to suit all types of spending. As you would imagine, Woolies rewards cards are designed to reward spending in Woolies-branded stores. However, they still offer points earning potential on other types of spending as well.

Love Woolies? Then you might just fall in love with the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card. Offering a great reward point earn rate for Woolies-based spending, the card could allow you to stack up points pretty quickly.

• 3 Credit Card points per $1 spent on purchases of Woolworths Select and Woolworths brand products
• 2 Credit Card points per $1 spent on purchases at Woolworths, Dan Murphy's, Cellarmasters, BWS and BIG W
• 1 Credit Card point per $1 spent where Visa is accepted

But what do those points go towards exactly? Every four months, the points you’ve earned are counted and converted into a Woolworths Shopping Card. As long as you’ve earned a sufficient number of points, they get converted into dollars that can be spent at Woolies stores.

Those stores include Woolworths supermarkets, BIG W, BWS, Dan Murphy’s, Masters, Thomas Dux, participating CALTEX outlets, and online at Cellarmasters. And the best thing? You have uncapped earning potential. The more points you earn, the more you get back on your Woolworths Shopping Card.

Frequent Flyer Cards

Frequent flyer cards are really pretty similar to rewards cards. They reward you for your card use, but instead of earning retail rewards, you can earn travel-related rewards. The Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card is one such frequent flyer card.

Earning points on the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, this card is an awesome choice for anyone who enjoys flying Qantas. The rewards points earn rate on this one is simple.

• Earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases for the first $2,500 spent per statement period, and 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent thereafter.
• Earn an additional 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services.

As a Qantas Frequent Flyer member, you will earn points as you spend. Once you’ve collect enough points, you can redeem them for flights, upgrades and hotel stays. Or alternatively, you could use them to shop at the Qantas Store. With everything from golf clubs to spa visits, the Qantas Store is jam-packed with goodies for everyone.

Why should you choose a Woolies card?

Are you a member of Woolworth Rewards? Both the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card and Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card double as credit card and loyalty card. So you only need to carry around one piece of plastic instead of two.

When paying at participating Woolworths and BWS stores, you can scan your card when you pay. This allows you to earn Woolworths Rewards points, while also earning points towards your Woolworths Shopping Card.

Love dining out? Using your card, you can save 20% of your total bill (up to a maximum deduction of $25) at more than 2,000 restaurants and cafés. All you need to do is register for the Woolworths Money Dine Play Stay Program.

Any other extras? With up to 55 days interest free on purchases, you could also use your card to save on interest. On top of that, you can enjoy Visa Entertainment benefits, discounts at Cellarmasters, up to 10% off Woolworths Insurance, and interest free offers on selected purchases at BIG W.

As for platinum perks – we’ll get to those in the Platinum Cards section!

What should you look out for with these cards?

A recent study revealed many customers don’t think that much of their rewards program. Released by research house JD Power, the 2016 Australia Credit Card Satisfaction Study found that one in five participants believed the value of their rewards scheme had fallen in the past year.

Surveying 4000 credit card customers, the study showed that half could not recall a single benefit their card offered. The research also found that about three in four cardholders didn’t understand the credit card terms on their cards. Thirty per cent didn’t understand foreign currency and transaction fees, 22% hadn’t a clue about interest rates, and 20% were unsure of balance transfer conditions.

What does that mean for you? As a credit cardholder, it’s essential you understand your card if you want to get the most out of it. Before signing up for the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card or the Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card, make sure it’s right for you.

One thing you should always look at is the annual fee. While you can always avoid interest by paying off the balance each month, the annual fee will be there no matter what.

For a rewards card, the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card actually has a fairly low annual fee. Meanwhile, the Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card’s annual fee is more expensive, but still affordable.

To make either card work for you, simply make sure you’re getting more out in rewards and features than you’re paying in. If it doesn’t work for your kind of spending, perhaps a different card would be more suitable.

Platinum Cards

Both of the Woolies cards we’ve looked at have also been platinum cards. What makes a platinum card special? Platinum cards generally offer more features. If they happen to be rewards or frequent flyer cards, they can also offer a higher points earning potential than standard cards.

Both the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card and Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card offer the same platinum perks. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer.

Visa Luxury Hotel Collection Access

Love travelling? If you happen to be staying at one of the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection, you can get some great extras using your card. You can enjoy an automatic room upgrade and late check-out (where available). You can also enjoy free in-room internet, daily continental breakfast for two, and a $25 food and beverage voucher.

24/7 Concierge Service

Including a concierge service has become common for platinum card providers. Offering that higher level of service, a concierge is on-hand 24 hours a day via phone or internet. No matter where you are in the world, you can ask your concierge for almost anything. From booking concert tickets to restaurant recommendations, your concierge is there for you!

Complimentary Insurance

Complimentary insurance is another common feature on platinum cards. What’s on offer on our Woolies cards? As it’s more of a retail-related card, the Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card offers purchase security insurance and Wallet Guard.

As more of a travel-based card, the Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card offers insurance more suited to travel. These include travel insurance, transport accident insurance, interstate flight inconvenience insurance and global hire car excess waiver cover. In terms of purchase-related cover, you’ve got purchase security insurance and extended warranty insurance.

What should you be aware of?

In terms of how to use them correctly, platinum cards are similar to rewards cards. Both Woolworths cards have a fairly high purchase rate, so it can be easy to pay out too much in interest. To avoid this – and make the most of the card – pay the balance in full each month.

As you would with a rewards program, simply weigh up the platinum perks against what’s you’re paying out. Think about annual fees, interest and anything else you have to pay for the card. You can make it work for you – if you’re smart!

Who is Woolworths?

Founded in 1924, Woolworths found its first home in Sydney. Opening for business as Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement, the store used the opening advertisement:

“Every city needs a Woolworths: Sydney has it now.  Every man, woman and child needs a handy place where good things are cheap.”

After opening its second store in Brisbane, Woolies officially became a chain in 1927. By 1930, there were 16 stores throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand.

From there, Woolworths opened its first ‘self-service’ store in 1955, its first food store in 1957, and its first supermarket in 1960. After which, it opened and acquired a host of other businesses, including BIG W, Dick Smith, Safeway, Masters and Cellarmasters.

Now? Woolies, as we know, is everywhere. And it’s still growing. If the media is to be believed, there will be more financial products and services from Woolies. There is also said to be a major expansion into telco services in the works.