Latitude 28° Global Platinum Mastercard®

Latitude 28° Global Platinum Mastercard®

3.3

Balance transfer

N/A

Purchase rate

27.99% p.a. ongoing

Interest-free days

55 days

Annual fee

$0.00 p.a. ongoing

Highlights

  • Earn a $200 Latitude Rewards bonus when you spend $2,000 or more on eligible transactions each statement period within the first 3 months of approval. T&Cs apply. Offer valid for new approved customers until 31 December 2024.
  • $0 yearly fee.
  • No foreign transaction fees for purchases during travel or online shopping.
  • You and four friends can access airport lounges, drinks, and Wi-Fi if your flight is delayed.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • The $0 annual fee.
  • No currency conversion fee or foreign transaction fee.
  • Get 6% off your stay with Booking.com.
  • Enjoy up to 55 days interest-free on purchases.

Cons

  • A high purchase interest rate of 27.99% p.a.
  • Cash advance rate is 29.99% p.a.
  • There is no rewards program on this card.

About this credit card

Basics

Card usage

Apple Pay Enabled
Yes
Card Type
Mastercard
Gambling Transactions Allowed
No
Samsung Pay Enabled
Yes

Eligibility

Joint Application Accepted
No
Minimum Age
18 years
Minimum Credit Rating
Good, Very Good, Excellent
Minimum Income
N/A
Temporary Residents Accepted
No

Additional cardholders

Additional Cardholders
9
Additional Card Fee Ongoing
$0.00

Credit limits

Minimum Credit Limit
$1,000.00
Maximum Credit Limit
N/A

Repayments

Interest Charged From
Purchase Date
Interest Free Period
Up to 55 days on purchases
Minimum Repayment Percentage
3%

Balance transfers

Balance transfer offer

Balance Transfer Rate
N/A
Balance Transfer Period
N/A
Balance Transfer Fee Percentage
N/A

Balance transfer conditions

Balance Transfer From Personal Loan
N/A
Balance Transfer Limit Percentage
N/A
Balance Transfer Revert Rate
N/A

Rates, fees, charges

Cash advances

Cash Advance Rate
29.99% p.a.
Cash Advance Fee
$4.00
Cash Advance Fee Percentage
3.5%
Cash Advance Fee Threshold
N/A

Purchases

Purchase Rate Introductory Offer
N/A
Purchase Rate Introductory Period
N/A
Purchase Rate Ongoing
27.99% p.a.

Account fees

Annual Fee Initial Year
N/A
Annual Fee Ongoing
$0.00
Dishonour Fee
N/A
Duplicate Statement Fee
$5.00
Foreign Exchange Fee Percentage
0%
Late Payment Fee
$45.00

Rewards

Rewards program basics

Rewards Program
N/A
Rewards Program Annual Fee Initial Year
N/A
Rewards Points Expiry
N/A

Rewards points per $1 spent

Domestic Rewards Points Earn Rate
N/A
Government Rewards Points Earn Rate
N/A
Overseas Rewards Points Earn Rate
N/A

Additional perks

Insurance

Cardholder's Domestic Hotel Burglary Insurance
No
Cardholder's Extended Warranty Insurance
No
Cardholder's International Travel Insurance
No
Cardholder's Interstate Flight Inconvenience
No
Cardholder's Personal Item Theft Cover
No
Cardholder's Price Protection Insurance
No
Cardholder's Purchase Protection Insurance
No
Cardholder's Refund Protection
No
Cardholder's Transport Accident Insurance
No

Travel and lifestyle

Airport Lounge Access Included
No
Concierge Service Included
No
Complimentary Flight Voucher Included
No
Complimentary QFF Membership Included
No

Our review

Convenience

Customer service

Rates and fees

Rewards

Trust

At last, a credit card that understands how we live now as global citizens on the move around the world, either in person or online. The 28° MasterCard is set to become the card of choice for travellers, online shoppers, and anyone with an international outlook. It has the big five points such users are looking for:

  • No international transaction fees on purchases
  • No foreign currency conversion fees
  • No overseas ATM withdrawal fee
  • No overseas ATM account balance enquiry fee
  • No fee to replace a card lost or stolen while overseas
  • And if you’re looking for an important extra ‘no’, it’s there: no annual fee.

Let’s take a detailed look at what some of this really means.

Some cards charge foreign currency transaction/conversion fees of 3.5%

When you make a purchase in a foreign currency, whether while travelling or online, you are already at the mercy of a fluctuating exchange rate. It might seem that you are getting a bargain, but often you won’t really know how much it’s going to cost you in Australian dollars until the transaction hits your account.

Then, with most credit cards, there are the added fees that the bank charges for foreign currency transactions and conversion into Australian dollars, a combination of the bank’s own processing fee and a charge payable to Visa, AmEx or MasterCard. This combined charge is typically 3%, or more, of the purchase amount and can be as high as 3.5%.

So your bargain New York hotel room at US$125 per night may already cost you AU$180, depending on the exchange rate. Add 3.5% to that amount, and you’re looking at US$186.30 before you’ve even had breakfast. Nasty.

If you make regular online purchases from overseas suppliers – and let’s face it, we do seem to pay very high prices for some consumer goods in Australia – then this card will be a godsend. Traders who source their stock internationally will be particularly happy with the ability to reduce their costs.

Use a 28 Degrees MasterCard and avoid that 3.5% fee altogether

Some cards charge a fee for cash withdrawals from overseas ATMs

When you’re on home soil, you probably habitually use your bank or card issuer’s ATM to avoid the transaction fees that come with using another bank’s machine. Trouble is, once you’re overseas, you won’t find any of your own bank’s ATMs. So, if you need to withdraw cash from your credit card account, you may be stung for an overseas ATM withdrawal fee, normally at least $4. This is in addition to any cash advance fee payable (which for the 28 Degrees MasterCard is 3%, rather higher than the 2% fee many banks charge).

But if you use a 28° Degrees MasterCard, there will be no overseas ATM withdrawal fee.

But beware – an overseas ATM withdrawal is a cash advance

There’s no escaping from the fact that an overseas ATM withdrawal from your credit card is a cash advance, just like in Australia. It may be fast, convenient, open all hours and free of any requirement to speak a foreign language, but it’s still a cash advance. You’ll start paying interest on it immediately at the cash advance rate (22.99% p.a. for this card), and if you don’t do anything about it until your return to Australia, you’ll have racked up some hefty interest costs to take the shine off your trip. It’s best to find another way to access cash overseas, like a prepaid travel money card.

Tip: You can use your 28 Degrees MasterCard to withdraw cash overseas and pay little or no interest. After you make the withdrawal, use your mobile phone or other internet-connected device to access your credit card account online. Once you see the cash advance amount in AUD in your account (this may take a day or two), simply transfer into your credit card account the equivalent amount from your Australian bank savings or transaction account. Provided you have no overdue balance on your credit card account, the cash transfer will be applied to your cash advance immediately and the interest charge will be a few cents at most.

Some cards charge an exorbitant fee for overseas emergency card replacement

Losing your credit card overseas, or having it stolen, is bad enough. Is someone using your card fraudulently? How will you check out of your hotel with no means of payment? But if you have to add to that the pain of the $100 charged by some card issuers for an overseas emergency replacement card, you may begin to feel that you’ve been done over twice.

28° MasterCard users can avoid that extra sting and get on with enjoying their trip, because overseas emergency card replacement is free.

Notify your card issuer if you are going overseas

While on the subject of emergency card replacement, it’s reassuring to know that this card is protected by a Falcon Fraud Management System and a skilled Fraud Solutions Team who contact cardholders by phone or SMS immediately after they notice any suspect transactions.

This is a comforting level of security, but some users of the card have reported problems with using the card overseas, finding their card unexpectedly blocked. So the card issuer’s recommendation that users advise them before embarking on an overseas trip is probably better interpreted as a mandatory requirement.

MasterCard SecureCode, a system of security questions or a one-time password delivered by SMS, also helps to protect you from fraudulent online shopping transactions.

No annual fee

Since you won’t be charged any annual fee for this card, it’s possible to keep it on standby for overseas trips or online shopping, even if you have another card that you prefer to use when dealing with Australian retailers. You can also have up to nine supplementary cards on the account, which makes it perfect for a small business with trusted employees who need to travel or purchase internationally.

More benefits for travellers

To underline the fact that this is a card designed for international travellers, there are more built-in advantages for people on the move:

  • Visa Platinum global 24/7 concierge service. Wherever you are in the world, if you need advice or reservations for travel, restaurants, entertainment or tours, the Visa concierge service is there to help. They're just a phone call, mouse click or screen tap away.
  • Optional international travel insurance. Note that this is not complimentary insurance coverage, and you will have to pay.

No rewards points, no introductory offers, no low interest rates

While there are none of the usual overseas transaction fees, and no annual fee, some of the perks commonly associated with credit cards are also missing.

Although you’ll get up to 55 days interest-free each month (provided you have no overdue balance on your account), there are no introductory zero-interest periods on either purchases or balance transfers.

There are no reward points or free insurance policies. The ongoing purchase and cash advance interest rates (27.49% and 29.99% p.a. respectively) are at the high end of the market. If you are looking for low interest rates, this is not the card for you.

User profile for the 28° Degrees MasterCard

It’s pretty clear, then, that this card is ideal for someone who either travels overseas regularly or shops online frequently with suppliers whose charges are made in a foreign currency. This same hypothetical user is not concerned about the high purchase and cash advance interest rates, planning to always pay the account balance in full by the due date in order to benefit from up to 55 interest-free days and never pay interest charges. Since there is no annual fee, it’s a no-brainer for this person to keep it in their wallet for when they are in overseas mode.


account

Reviewed by Credit Card Compare Staff

History

    User reviews

    Convenience

    Customer service

    Rates and fees

    Rewards

    Trust

    Best travel card in Oz!

    Reviewed by Ryan


    Best card when travelling

    Reviewed by cherylh


    Love this card

    Reviewed by Macca


    28 degrees of ease!

    Reviewed by Dave


    Quite happy with this card

    Reviewed by Alison


    Fairly pleased with the card

    Reviewed by Clinton Koch


    Still the cheapest for travel

    Reviewed by Neil


    Extremely high interest rates stung me

    Reviewed by Ali


    Interest rate is high now

    Reviewed by Joanne


    Very convenient card for overseas purchases

    Reviewed by Priska


    Great card for using overseas

    Reviewed by Hugo


    Good for holidays

    Reviewed by Nok


    Useful card and handy for overseas purchases

    Reviewed by Paul


    Best card on the market

    Reviewed by Reg


    Great card for travelling overseas

    Reviewed by Alyssa


    Great for online and overseas purchases

    Reviewed by Dale


    The card for me

    Reviewed by Eric


    Great for use overseas

    Reviewed by Leah


    Good for overseas travel

    Reviewed by Davin


    No international transaction fees

    Reviewed by M


    Best card around, perfect fit for my needs!

    Reviewed by Kimberly


    No international transaction fee

    Reviewed by Syl


    Fast, uncomplicated approval process

    Reviewed by dominic schipano


    Go Card

    Reviewed by Debbie


    Great for overseas purchases and/or travelling

    Reviewed by Karen


    Best card for overseas purchases

    Reviewed by Michael


    Good for overseas travel but no rewards

    Reviewed by Sue


    Useful for overseas purchases

    Reviewed by Anna


    It has all the benefits I need

    Reviewed by mohammed i


    No currency conversion fees

    Reviewed by Jason


    Exchange rate not what I expected

    Reviewed by S


    Best travel card

    Reviewed by Roz


    Simply the best

    Reviewed by Reg


    Best travel credit card out there!

    Reviewed by Kyria


    Great card for overseas travellers

    Reviewed by Marion


    Good for travel but high interest rate

    Reviewed by Jay


    Great card for overseas travel and security

    Reviewed by Liz


    Problems understanding service operators

    Reviewed by Roswitha


    Good choice for low-cost travel money

    Reviewed by Claire


    No annual fees, accepted everywhere

    Reviewed by Amanda


    Service staff helped me get a refund overseas

    Reviewed by Sue


    Excellent for foreign purchases

    Reviewed by L


    No yearly fee, no international transactions fees

    Reviewed by M


    Good for foreign purchases

    Reviewed by Andrew


    Quick, simple application and approval

    Reviewed by Courtney


    Very expensive fees

    Reviewed by Paul


    Great for overseas travel, annoying BPAY charge

    Reviewed by Emma


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