What changed on 1 October
A record of the changes to Australian points cards that took effect on and around 1 October 2026. Pick a bank to see what moved.
Showing Westpac
Westpac
6 Altitude cards
Every Altitude card
- Purchase interest rate
- was 20.99%now 23.99%
- Cash advance rate
- was 21.99%now 23.99%
- Minimum repayment
- was 2% or $10now 2.5% or $25
- Sign-up bonuses
- no change announced
Insurance removed 1 Oct: extended warranty, purchase protection, trip cancellation, travel delay, luggage & overseas transit accident. The core overseas travel (medical) cover is not listed as removed.
Earn · points per $1
- International
- was 1.2now 1.5(improved)
- Everyday spend
- was 0.8now 0.8
- All other purchases
- was 0.5now 0.4
- Rate after $10,000/month
- was 0.25now 0.25
Fees
- Card fee
- $295 (unchanged)
- Qantas / Velocity program fee
- was $75now $155
- Total yearly cost
- was $370now $450
Perks
- 3GB global roaming (15 days)
- was nonenow added(improved)
- Flight-delay lounge access*
- was nonenow added(improved)
Dining moves from "Everyday spend" to "All other purchases": dining earn effectively 0.8 → 0.4 per $1.
*Lounge entry when your flight is delayed 120+ minutes (~1,800 lounges).
Earn · points per $1
- International
- was 0.75now 0.75
- Everyday spend
- was 0.5now 0.5
- All other purchases
- was 0.35now 0.33
- Rate after $5,000/month
- was 0.2now 0.2
Fees
- Card fee
- $175 (unchanged)
- Program fee
- was $75now $125
- Total yearly cost
- was $250now $300
Perks
- Flight-delay lounge access
- was nonenow added(improved)
Dining moves to "All other purchases" on these cards too. No roaming perk on Platinum: that's Black-only.
Earn
- Earn rates
- unchanged (dining moves category)
Transfers
- Velocity
- was 3 : 1now 4 : 1
- KrisFlyer
- was 3 : 1now 4 : 1
- Asia Miles
- was 3 : 1now 4 : 1
- Air NZ Airpoints
- was 180 : 1now 300 : 1
- Everyday Rewards
- unchanged
Redemptions
- $100 eGift card
- was ~23,500 pointsnow ~29,412 points
- $100 cashback
- was ~28,200 pointsnow ~31,250 points
- Pay with Points · merchandise · Altitude Travel
- unchanged
Fees
- Rewards program fee
- was $0now $75
- Card fee (Black / Platinum)
- $295 / $175 (unchanged)
- Total yearly cost
- was $295 / $175now $370 / $250
Earn tables untouched: the cut arrives through transfers and redemptions. Same insurance & perk changes as the airline cards.
Details can change, so always confirm with the provider.