NAB Low Rate Credit Card

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NAB Low Rate Credit Card

Balance transfer

28 months at 0% p.a.

Purchase rate

13.49% p.a. ongoing

Annual fee

$0.00 for 1st year

Highlights

  • Experience 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 28 months with a 2% balance transfer fee. Reverting to a variable cash advance rate of 21.74% p.a. after the promotional period.
  • Initial $0 annual card fee for the first year ($59 p.a. thereafter).
  • Receive a response within 60 seconds.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 28 months.
  • A variable purchase rate of 13.49% p.a.
  • The waived annual fee for the first year.
  • Additional credit card is free.

Cons

  • There is a 2% balance transfer fee.
  • No rewards program for this card.
  • No insurance coverage.

About this credit card

Basics

Card usage

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

Eligibility

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

Additional cardholders

Additional Cardholders
1
Additional Card Fee Ongoing
$0.00

Credit limits

Minimum Credit Limit
$1,000.00
Maximum Credit Limit
$30,000.00

Repayments

Interest Charged From
Purchase date
Interest Free Period
Up to 55 days on purchases
Minimum Repayment Percentage
2%

Balance transfers

Balance transfer offer

Balance Transfer Rate
0%
Balance Transfer Period
28 months
Balance Transfer Fee Percentage
2%

Balance transfer conditions

Balance Transfer From Personal Loan
No
Balance Transfer Limit Percentage
90%
Balance Transfer Revert Rate
21.74%

Rates, fees, charges

Cash advances

Cash Advance Rate
21.74% p.a.
Cash Advance Fee
$3.00
Cash Advance Fee Percentage
3%
Cash Advance Fee Threshold
N/A

Purchases

Purchase Rate Introductory Offer
N/A
Purchase Rate Introductory Period
N/A
Purchase Rate Ongoing
13.49% p.a.

Account fees

Annual Fee Initial Year
$0.00
Annual Fee Ongoing
$59.00
Dishonour Fee
$30.00
Duplicate Statement Fee
N/A
Foreign Exchange Fee Percentage
3%
Late Payment Fee
$15.00

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
N/A

Our review

Convenience

Customer service

Rates and fees

Rewards

Trust

There’s more than one way to get rewards from your credit card. If collecting points is not your thing, why pay – via a high purchase interest rate and steep annual fee – for points you won’t ever use?

The true rewards that come with the NAB Low Rate Card are the low ongoing purchase interest rate, the very long promotional balance transfer offer, the higher-than-average (for NAB) interest-free days, and the very reasonable annual fee, waived in the first year.

Low 13.49% p.a. ongoing purchase interest rate

If you’re in the market for a low interest credit card, it’s possibly because you expect that you will sometimes be unable to clear your purchase balance in full by the due date, or simply forget to make the payment on time. The result will be that you will forfeit your interest-free days on purchases until you repay your outstanding balance. This can be painfully expensive, with standard credit card interest rates in the region of 20%.

However, since the NAB Low Rate Card has a much more reasonable 13.49% p.a. interest rate, your interest payment would be much lower in the same situation. And if you are going to have long-term credit card debt and have run out of balance transfer options, paying 13.49% instead of around 20% is going to make an enormous difference.

0% balance transfer option for 28 months

Bring across to your new card any accumulated debt from your existing non-NAB card or cards, and take advantage of 0% interest on balance transfers for a long 28 months – one of the longest offers around. There’s also no upfront balance transfer fee to pay, and, as a result of NAB’s new balance transfer policy, you can retain your interest-free days on purchases by paying for any new purchases in full each month.

This is a major departure from the previous policy on most credit cards of taking away the interest-free days of any cardholder who carried a balance of any kind past the payment due date. Now, NAB will allow you to keep your interest-free days on new purchases in the next month, provided you make the full ‘interest-free days payment’ shown on your statement. The ‘interest-free days payment’ is the closing balance minus the remaining balance transfer amount – in other words, the total of all purchases and cash advances not yet cleared from the account. It means that you can make use of the balance transfer offer and still use your new card for purchases.

High revert interest rate

Do be aware, though, that after 28 months you will pay interest at 21.74% (the ongoing cash advance interest rate) on your balance transfer amount if you haven’t paid it off in full, so try to pay off substantially more than the ‘interest-free days payment’ each month. Alternatively, collect in a savings account the cash needed for full repayment by the end of the promotional period, in order to avoid the revert rate.

Extra interest-free days

One of the downsides of NAB credit cards is that the vast majority of them come with only 44 interest-free days each month. But not this one. This is the only NAB card that comes with up to 55 interest-free days.

It may not sound like a big difference, but in fact, it amounts to 132 days of extra credit each year. That’s an extra 132 days in which your hard-earned cash can remain in your savings or mortgage offset account, either earning a little interest or reducing your mortgage interest bill.

No points, no insurance, no frills

Bonus benefits, like frequent flyer and other reward scheme points, airport lounge passes, and wide-ranging insurance cover, all come at a price. You will end up paying for them in the form of high purchase interest rates or, more likely, a high annual fee. With this very basic card, however, there’s none of this to pay for, and no complex rewards system to get your head around.

But some built-in benefits you can actually use

You will, however, receive lots of other benefits that make your card more convenient as well as more secure. You’ll be able to make contactless purchases up to $100 with Visa payWave, rely on NAB Defence to monitor fraudulent transactions, and take advantage of Verified by Visa online fraud protection service, as well as Visa Global Customer Assistance if you need emergency travel support.

Download the NAB app for more control over your card: One Touch ID lets you log in to your account with more security; you can block and unblock your card if you temporarily lose it (no need to cancel the card in this situation); you can turn payWave, online transactions and overseas transactions on and off with just a swipe; add NAB Pay for Android to your compatible phone to turn it into a Tap and Pay digital wallet.

Low annual fee, waived on the first year

While it’s possible to argue that a ‘no frills’ card like this one should have no annual fee at all, the $59 annual fee is pretty reasonable given that you’ll always get up to 55 interest-free days on purchases each month, provided you have no unpaid purchases and cash advances balance on your account. There’s also no annual fee for an additional cardholder, and you will get at least one complimentary benefit in the form of membership of Visa Entertainment’s pre-sales privileges and discounts for concerts, shows, movies, and sporting events.

But, even better, the annual fee is waived in the first year. You can try out all the benefits of the card for 12 months and pay no fee.

Simple application process, fast response

NAB estimates that it will take you about 15 minutes to complete their online application form, and you’ll get a response in one minute after that. If your application is successful, you can expect to receive your card in the mail within five business days.

Who it’s for

There’s no doubt that the uncomplicated NAB Low Rate Card is aimed at lower-income earners, since there is no minimum income requirement and a minimum credit limit of $1,000. Frequent flyer and other rewards points collectors should look elsewhere, and if you expect anything other than basic Visa lifestyle benefits you won’t be impressed. But everyone, at any income or spending level, can find benefits in the combination of a long-lasting balance transfer offer, a low ongoing purchase interest rate (even if it’s only for when you’re forgetful), and a low annual fee.

Other low-rate cards to consider

Before you make your mind up, take a look at some competing cards with low purchase interest rates, for example, the Bankwest Breeze Mastercard, the St.George Vertigo Visa, and the Westpac Low Rate Credit Card.


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Reviewed by Credit Card Compare Staff

History

    User reviews

    Convenience

    Customer service

    Rates and fees

    Rewards

    Trust

    Okay card, no complaints

    Reviewed by Kelly


    Makes shopping so much easier with payWave

    Reviewed by Lisa


    No extra hidden charges

    Reviewed by Linda


    Awesome service

    Reviewed by Meredith


    This one seems pretty good

    Reviewed by Cath


    Low fees and easy to use

    Reviewed by Trish


    Why you should apply

    Reviewed by nab visa pay wave


    A good choice credit card

    Reviewed by kerri


    Extremely happy with NAB

    Reviewed by Exceptional NAB


    Easy banking, less hassle

    Reviewed by Jamie


    Happy with my credit card

    Reviewed by Kerry Lee Crocker


    Good service

    Reviewed by Ian


    Good credit card rates to get me out of debt

    Reviewed by Mandy


    Best credit card I've ever had

    Reviewed by Kat


    Good value for money

    Reviewed by Jaco


    Generally happy with the card

    Reviewed by Maxy


    I wish I went with a different bank

    Reviewed by Sandra


    Excellent card

    Reviewed by Jane


    Supportive customer service, generally pleased

    Reviewed by Kate supports nab


    Love it

    Reviewed by Debbie


    Great all rounder

    Reviewed by Matt


    A simple, no frills card

    Reviewed by Case27


    This card is super easy to use

    Reviewed by Patricia Miinchow


    It helps me out when I have little emergencies.

    Reviewed by Skits


    I have a pink credit card

    Reviewed by Sixela


    Very happy with this card

    Reviewed by I Faber


    Helps me out when I have little emergencies

    Reviewed by Skits


    Good for emergencies

    Reviewed by Skits


    Unhappy, wish I never had this

    Reviewed by Angela


    I'm happy with my credit card

    Reviewed by Mark Millikin


    Not much help when things go wrong

    Reviewed by Dave


    Could be better

    Reviewed by Anon


    No dramas!

    Reviewed by Cristie


    I saved a lot of money

    Reviewed by Paula


    I love the customer service

    Reviewed by Marie


    I saved a lot of money with the interest rate

    Reviewed by Brendon


    Pleased with my credit card

    Reviewed by Mihaela


    Great low rate card!

    Reviewed by Adam


    I give them "credit"!

    Reviewed by Melissa


    Use as little as possible

    Reviewed by Stewart


    Average card

    Reviewed by Malik


    The best card for low earners!

    Reviewed by Leannee


    More money in my pocket

    Reviewed by Kristi


    Easy to use for small purchases

    Reviewed by Alison


    A good card

    Reviewed by Melissa


    It works for me

    Reviewed by Jacob


    It is OK, but not the cheapest

    Reviewed by Khoa


    Balance transfer used to pay off debt

    Reviewed by J


    Great security and service

    Reviewed by Debbie


    Overall good emergency card

    Reviewed by Ella


    Fantastic if you don't want to spend a lot

    Reviewed by Sonja


    Low fees, low interest.

    Reviewed by Nicholas


    Quality low rate card

    Reviewed by D


    Great, low-cost card, and easy to manage

    Reviewed by Caroline


    Convenient for direct debits and emergencies

    Reviewed by Hazel


    Reasonable, steady interest rate

    Reviewed by Michael


    Great credit card for the first timer

    Reviewed by Thomas


    Could be better

    Reviewed by Mitchell


    Good for emergency expenses on low income

    Reviewed by Leanne


    Never fails, excellent service

    Reviewed by Veronica


    The best credit card for all kinds of uses

    Reviewed by Christopher


    Low interest, easy to understand

    Reviewed by Rachel


    Interest-free period on purchases, but no rewards

    Reviewed by Ben


    Low revert rate on interest-free balance transfer

    Reviewed by Rhys


    They won't increase my limit

    Reviewed by Frank


    OK, but lack of rewards is disappointing

    Reviewed by Rupert


    Great interest saving card

    Reviewed by Belinda


    They listened to my complaint about interest rate

    Reviewed by Tyron


    Cheap and easy

    Reviewed by Ellen


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