Credit Cards for Temporary Residents

A temporary resident is someone who resides in Australia commonly for work, education, diplomatic activity or training for a few short months or it could be for 4 years. For example, someone could be in Australia on a working holiday visa for up to 2 years. Another common example would be someone on a business entry visa which allow employers to recruit skilled people from overseas for a stay of up to four years.

From this page, it is possible to apply for the credit cards if you meet the eligibility requirements for that specific product. Then after that, it is up to you of what you need. If you are wanting points, consider getting a reward credit card. Or get a credit card with cash back on spending for a period of time.

It depends on the credit card provider you are going to be with. For example, if you wanted to get an American Express credit card, you will need to have…

• A Business Long Stay Visa. (Subclass 457)
• A minimum income that varies between the American express products, but starts at AUD $35,000
• And other criteria’s that need to be filled out depending on which card you apply for.

Another example is the range of Westpac credit cards. If you want to apply for these cards you will need:

• To have a minimum fixed salary of AUD $50,000 p.a. Or a minimum deposit of AUD $250,000 in a Westpac account OR an ongoing source of income after arriving in Australia.
• Or have an employee sponsored visa, Skilled Permanent or Skilled Independent Regional visa, Business Skills, Investor or Talent visa.
• Be in Australia or be moving to Australia within six to eight weeks of submitting your application.
• You have an Australian residential address (cannot be hotels and hostels).

Your choices are restricted. The cards on this page are a selection of some of the cards open to temporary residents. There may be other cards not listed on this website.

Yes, the standards to prove your identity, residency status and income is higher than the standards needed for permanent residents or citizens of Australia. But it may not be as hard as you might think. If you can prove your residency status with your Immigration department visa documents, establish your ID and prove that you meet the income requirements then it is possible for a bank to approve your application.