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Credit Cards in NZ Compared by Type: Airpoints, Low Rate and No Fee

Updated

NZ credit cards fall into a few types: rewards cards (mostly Airpoints), low-rate cards, no annual fee cards and premium travel cards. This page groups the main cards by type with the figures their issuers publish. Providers are listed alphabetically within each type.

Quick answer

Rewards cards in NZ mostly earn Air New Zealand Airpoints, charge around 20.95% to 22.95% p.a. on purchases and have annual fees from $0 to $195. Low-rate cards charge about 12.90% to 13.90% p.a. and usually have no annual fee. A $2,000 balance carried for a year at 20.95% costs $419 in interest, more than most cards earn in rewards.

Paying in Full or Carrying a Balance

How a card is used decides which numbers matter:

  • Balance always paid in full by the due date: no purchase interest is charged, so the annual fee and the rewards earned are the numbers to compare
  • Balance sometimes carried: the purchase rate is the main cost; a $2,000 balance carried for a year costs $419 at 20.95% and $258 at 12.90%

How interest is charged is explained in how credit cards work in NZ.

Airpoints Cards

Airpoints cards earn Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars on eligible spending. The break-even spend below is the spending needed for the Airpoints earned to equal the annual fee, valuing one Airpoints Dollar at $1.

Card Annual fee Purchase rate Earn rate Break-even spend
American Express Airpoints Card $0 See issuer See issuer None (no fee)
American Express Airpoints Platinum $195 22.95% 1 per $70 $13,650 a year
ANZ Airpoints Visa $65 20.95% 1 per $170 $11,050 a year
ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum $150 20.95% 1 per $110 $16,500 a year

Fees, rates and earn rates checked on the issuers’ pages 14 October 2026.

American Express is accepted at fewer NZ merchants than Visa or Mastercard. The Amex Airpoints Platinum also includes airport lounge benefits (two Priority Pass visits and two Centurion Lounge visits a year for the main cardholder). Other Airpoints cards, and the full detail on each, are in Airpoints credit cards NZ.

Reviews: Amex Airpoints Card | Amex Airpoints Platinum | ANZ Airpoints Visa | ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum

Other Rewards Cards

Banks also run their own points or cashback programmes, such as BNZ Advantage, Westpac hotpoints and ANZ CashBack. Earn rates and fees for these are compared in rewards credit cards NZ.

Reviews: BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum | Westpac hotpoints Mastercard

Low-Rate Cards

Low-rate cards charge less interest on a carried balance and earn no rewards.

Card Annual or account fee Purchase rate
ANZ Low Rate Visa $0 13.90%
ASB Visa Light $0 13.50% (May 2026)
BNZ Lite Visa $5 half-yearly 13.50%
Kiwibank Zero Visa $0 12.90%
Westpac Low Rate Mastercard $0 13.9% (not re-checked)

The full comparison, with cash advance rates and interest-free days, is in low interest credit cards NZ.

No Annual Fee Cards

Several cards have no annual fee, including the American Express Airpoints Card, the ANZ Low Rate Visa, the ASB Visa Light and the Kiwibank Zero Visa. With no fee, a card that is always paid in full costs nothing to hold. See no annual fee credit cards NZ.

Travel Cards

For overseas spending the figures to compare are the overseas transaction fee and any included travel insurance. The Kiwibank Zero Visa charges 1.85% on transactions processed overseas. ANZ says its platinum cards include up to 90 days of overseas travel insurance, subject to eligibility (checked 14 October 2026). Cards compared for travel: travel credit cards NZ.

First Cards

The figures that matter most for a first card are the annual fee and the interest rate, since a new cardholder may not always clear the balance. See first credit cards NZ.

Where to check the latest data

Rates, fees and returns change often. Before deciding, check current figures yourself: