Best credit cards in New Zealand
For the average New Zealand household’s card spending of $3,338 a month (Stats NZ, 2023), the SBS Visa Credit Card is worth the most: $267 a year after its annual fee. Enter your own spending below to see the order for you. Every rate and fee comes from the bank’s own pages, with the date we checked it.
We currently earn nothing from any card on this page. If that changes, commission will never change the order. How we get paid
Ranked only by what each card is worth to you. We currently earn nothing from any card on this site; if that changes, commission will never change the order. How we get paid
- 1
SBS Visa Credit Card
SBS Bank · Visa
Worth to you each year$267$267 rewards − $0 fee- Rewards
- 0.67% on everything
- Intro offer
- Not published
- Purchase interest rate
- 19.65% p.a.
- Annual fee
- $0
The catchThe cash back is modest: NZ$1 per NZ$150, so NZ$12,000 of spending a year earns NZ$80. Spending in a foreign currency costs 2% on top.
Not forAnyone who carries a balance, since 19.65% p.a. outweighs the cash back many times over, or who spends a lot overseas, with a 2% overseas currency conversion fee.
Apply on the issuer’s site We don’t earn from this card.How we worked this out
Your yearly spending and what this card earns on it Category You spend a year You earn Groceries $11,136 $74 Dining out $4,452 $30 Petrol $3,252 $22 Flights $2,796 $19 Hotels $1,128 $8 Other travel $528 $4 Pharmacy $588 $4 Entertainment $1,824 $12 Everything else $14,352 $96 - Annual fee: $0
- Purchase interest rate: 19.65% p.a.
- Annual fee checked against the issuer’s sbs visa credit card fees and charges (4 may 2026) on 13 October 2026
- All source checks for this card: 13 October 2026.
- Card image from SBS Bank, taken from its own page on 14 October 2026
- You pay your full balance every month, so no interest is charged.
- Cash back is NZ$1 for every NZ$150 of eligible transactions (about 0.67%), credited quarterly to the card account. Cash advances, balance transfers, fees, interest and credit card insurance don’t earn it.
- Cash advances cost a flat NZ$1 at a New Zealand ATM, NZ$2 at an overseas ATM, NZ$5 over the counter in New Zealand and NZ$7.50 over the counter overseas, plus interest at 22.65% p.a.
- A NZ$1 fee applies to each paper statement unless you switch to online statements.
- 2
ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum
ANZ · Visa
Worth to you each year$254$334 rewards − $80 fee- Rewards
- 0.83% on everything
- Intro offer
- 1.99% p.a. intro rate on balance transfers for 24 months, then 20.95% p.a. (A limited-time offer on balances transferred from most non-ANZ Visa or Mastercard cards, American Express and GE CreditLine (Gem); minimum transfer NZ$100, up to 95% of the credit limit. Repayments generally go to the transferred balance first, so new purchases get no interest-free days until it is cleared.)
- Purchase interest rate
- 20.95% p.a.
- Annual fee
- $80
The catchIt takes NZ$9,600 of spending a year just to earn back the NZ$80 fee, and the card only beats the NZ$40 ANZ CashBack Visa above NZ$24,000 a year. Cash back is paid once a year.
Not forAnyone who carries a balance, or spends less than about NZ$24,000 a year on the card: below that, the cheaper ANZ CashBack Visa returns more after fees. The NZ$8,000 minimum credit limit also rules out smaller limits.
Apply on the issuer’s site We don’t earn from this card.How we worked this out
Your yearly spending and what this card earns on it Category You spend a year You earn Groceries $11,136 $93 Dining out $4,452 $37 Petrol $3,252 $27 Flights $2,796 $23 Hotels $1,128 $9 Other travel $528 $4 Pharmacy $588 $5 Entertainment $1,824 $15 Everything else $14,352 $120 - Annual fee: $80
- Purchase interest rate: 20.95% p.a.
- 1.99% p.a. intro rate on balance transfers for 24 months, then 20.95% p.a. (A limited-time offer on balances transferred from most non-ANZ Visa or Mastercard cards, American Express and GE CreditLine (Gem); minimum transfer NZ$100, up to 95% of the credit limit. Repayments generally go to the transferred balance first, so new purchases get no interest-free days until it is cleared.)
- Annual fee checked against the issuer’s anz cashback visa platinum page on 13 October 2026
- All source checks for this card: 13 October 2026.
- Card image from ANZ, taken from its own page on 14 October 2026
- You pay your full balance every month, so no interest is charged.
- ANZ states the earn as $1 cash back for every $120 of eligible purchases; we convert that to 0.833%.
- Cash back is paid once a year: it is credited on the statement after the anniversary of your first eligible purchase, not as you spend.
- Balance transfers, cash advances, cash substitutes, gambling and business spending earn nothing.
- Extra cashback through ANZ Loop at participating partners, and Visa Platinum perks such as the concierge, are not counted.
- A joint or additional card costs NZ$5 a year.
- Cash advances at ATMs, online and overseas carry no ANZ fee, but a staff-assisted cash advance in a branch or by phone costs NZ$3 (overseas banks may add their own fee). Interest on a cash advance runs from the day it is made.
- 3
ANZ CashBack Visa
ANZ · Visa
Worth to you each year$227$267 rewards − $40 fee- Rewards
- 0.67% on everything
- Intro offer
- 1.99% p.a. intro rate on balance transfers for 24 months, then 20.95% p.a. (A limited-time offer on balances transferred from most non-ANZ Visa or Mastercard cards, American Express and GE CreditLine (Gem); minimum transfer NZ$100, up to 95% of the credit limit. Repayments generally go to the transferred balance first, so new purchases get no interest-free days until it is cleared.)
- Purchase interest rate
- 20.95% p.a.
- Annual fee
- $40
The catchIt takes NZ$6,000 of spending a year just to earn back the NZ$40 fee, and the cash back arrives once a year, not monthly. The purchase rate is 20.95% p.a.
Not forAnyone who carries a balance: at 20.95% p.a., interest outweighs the cash back many times over. Light spenders under about NZ$6,000 a year get back less than the NZ$40 fee.
Apply on the issuer’s site We don’t earn from this card.How we worked this out
Your yearly spending and what this card earns on it Category You spend a year You earn Groceries $11,136 $74 Dining out $4,452 $30 Petrol $3,252 $22 Flights $2,796 $19 Hotels $1,128 $8 Other travel $528 $4 Pharmacy $588 $4 Entertainment $1,824 $12 Everything else $14,352 $96 - Annual fee: $40
- Purchase interest rate: 20.95% p.a.
- 1.99% p.a. intro rate on balance transfers for 24 months, then 20.95% p.a. (A limited-time offer on balances transferred from most non-ANZ Visa or Mastercard cards, American Express and GE CreditLine (Gem); minimum transfer NZ$100, up to 95% of the credit limit. Repayments generally go to the transferred balance first, so new purchases get no interest-free days until it is cleared.)
- Annual fee checked against the issuer’s anz cashback visa page on 13 October 2026
- All source checks for this card: 13 October 2026.
- Card image from ANZ, taken from its own page on 14 October 2026
- You pay your full balance every month, so no interest is charged.
- ANZ states the earn as $1 cash back for every $150 of eligible purchases; we convert that to 0.667%.
- Cash back is paid once a year: it is credited on the statement after the anniversary of your first eligible purchase, not as you spend.
- Balance transfers, cash advances, cash substitutes, gambling and business spending earn nothing.
- Extra cashback through ANZ Loop at participating partners is not counted.
- A joint or additional card costs NZ$5 a year.
- Cash advances at ATMs, online and overseas carry no ANZ fee, but a staff-assisted cash advance in a branch or by phone costs NZ$3 (overseas banks may add their own fee). Interest on a cash advance runs from the day it is made.
- 4
BNZ Lite Visa
BNZ · Visa
Worth to you each year−$10$0 rewards − $10 fee- Rewards
- None
- Intro offer
- Not published
- Purchase interest rate
- 13.5% p.a.
- Annual fee
- $10
The catchCash advances cost 22.95% p.a., well above the 13.50% p.a. purchase rate, plus NZ$0.90 each in New Zealand. Every foreign currency transaction costs 2.25%, and the card earns no rewards.
Not forAnyone who spends overseas or online in foreign currencies (BNZ charges 2.25% on each foreign currency transaction), anyone who uses cash advances (22.95% p.a. plus NZ$0.90 each), and anyone wanting rewards.
Apply on the issuer’s site We don’t earn from this card.How we worked this out
Your yearly spending and what this card earns on it Category You spend a year You earn Groceries $11,136 $0 Dining out $4,452 $0 Petrol $3,252 $0 Flights $2,796 $0 Hotels $1,128 $0 Other travel $528 $0 Pharmacy $588 $0 Entertainment $1,824 $0 Everything else $14,352 $0 - Annual fee: $10
- Purchase interest rate: 13.5% p.a.
- Annual fee checked against the issuer’s bnz lite visa page on 13 October 2026
- All source checks for this card: 13 October 2026.
- Card image from BNZ, taken from its own page on 14 October 2026
- You pay your full balance every month, so no interest is charged.
- The NZ$5 account fee is charged every six months (NZ$10 a year). A joint or additional card costs NZ$1.50 half-yearly.
- The minimum monthly repayment is 2% of the balance or NZ$25, whichever is more.
- BNZ charges a flat NZ$0.90 for each cash advance in New Zealand (ATM, internet or phone banking, or over the counter), and some bill payments from the card count as cash advances. Overseas withdrawals carry no BNZ cash advance fee.
12 cards aren’t ranked, and why
Rewards published, but no cash value we can use (8)
- ANZ Airpoints Visa: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. ANZ publishes the Airpoints earn rate but states no New Zealand dollar value for an Airpoints Dollar on the pages we checked, so we don’t value the rewards.
- ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. ANZ publishes the Airpoints earn rate but states no New Zealand dollar value for an Airpoints Dollar on the pages we checked, so we don’t value the rewards.
- BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. BNZ publishes the earn rate (1.67 BNZ Points per $1) and the cash back minimums, but states no New Zealand dollar value for a BNZ Point on the pages we checked, so we don’t value the rewards.
- The American Express Platinum Card: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. The card earns 2 Membership Rewards points per NZ$1. Amex says its 160,000 bonus points are “worth up to $1,200” when used through Amex Travel, a ceiling for one kind of redemption rather than a value for every use, so we don’t value the points.
- The American Express Airpoints Platinum Card: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. The card earns 1 Airpoints Dollar per NZ$70 of eligible spending, but the issuer’s terms say “Accrued Airpoints have no monetary value”, so we don’t value them.
- The American Express Gold Rewards Card: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. The card earns 2 Membership Rewards points per NZ$1, but the pages we saved state no cash value for the points, so we don’t value them.
- The American Express Airpoints Card: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. The card earns 1 Airpoints Dollar per NZ$100 of eligible spending, but the issuer’s terms say “Accrued Airpoints have no monetary value”, so we don’t value them.
- Farmers Mastercard: its rewards can’t be put in dollars. The card collects 1 Farmers Club Point per NZ$10 spent (with a linked Farmers Club Card), and points convert to Farmers Club Vouchers, but the pages we saved state no voucher value per point, so we don’t value them.
No rewards described on the pages we checked (4)
- ANZ Low Rate Visa: the pages we checked describe no rewards. ANZ advertises no points or cash back of its own for the Low Rate Visa on the pages we checked.
- The Low Rate Credit Card from American Express: the pages we checked describe no rewards. The Low Rate Credit Card earns no points or cash back on the pages we checked: none is mentioned.
- Gem Visa: the pages we checked describe no rewards. Gem Visa earns no points or cash back on the pages we checked: none is mentioned.
- Q Mastercard: the pages we checked describe no rewards. Q Mastercard earns no points or cash back on the pages we checked: none is mentioned.
The starting spending is Stats NZ’s average across all households (year ended June 2023): groceries $928, dining out $371, petrol $271, flights $233, accommodation $94, other travel $44, pharmacy $49, entertainment $152, everything else $1,196 a month. Enter your own to see your order.
What is a credit card worth to a real New Zealand household?
We took the average card spending of all New Zealand households, from the Stats NZ Household Economic Survey for 2023, and ran it through all 4 cards we can value in dollars. The average household spends about $3,338 a month on things people usually pay for by card. What that shows:
- The card worth most is the SBS Visa Credit Card: $267 a year after fees. It pays one flat rate on everything, so no category card beats it on this spending.
- No card with an annual fee beats the best no-fee card. That holds for all 3 fee cards we can value.
- Carry more than $1,358 and no card’s rewards cover the interest. That is the most any card can carry, at its published purchase interest rate, before a year’s interest outweighs its rewards.
| Household | Card spending a month | Card worth most a year | Lead over the best flat-rate card | Best fee card vs best no-fee card | Largest balance rewards still cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average New Zealand household | $3,338 | $267 SBS Visa Credit Card | It is the best flat-rate card | $254 vs $267 ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum | $1,358 SBS Visa Credit Card |
How we turned the survey into card spending
The survey reports what households spend, by item, as an average across all households. We turn it into a month and count only spending people usually put on a card:
- Groceries: Fruit and vegetables; Meat, poultry and fish; Grocery food; Non-alcoholic beverages
- Dining out: Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food
- Petrol: Petrol; Other vehicle fuels and lubricants
- Flights: Domestic air transport; International air transport
- Hotels: Accommodation services
- Other travel: Road passenger transport; Sea passenger transport
- Pharmacy: Pharmaceutical products; Other medical products
- Entertainment: Recreational and sporting services; Cultural services
- Everything else: Alcoholic beverages; Clothing; Footwear; Furniture and furnishings; Household textiles; Major household appliances; Small electrical household appliances; Glassware, tableware and household utensils; Major tools and equipment for the house and garden; Small tools and accessories for the house and garden; Cleaning products and other household supplies; Vehicle parts and accessories; Vehicle servicing and repairs; Telecommunication equipment; Telecommunication services; Audio-visual equipment; Computing equipment; Games, toys and hobbies; Equipment for sport, camping and outdoor recreation; Plants, flowers and gardening supplies; Pets and pet-related products; Veterinary and other services for pets and domestic livestock; Books; Newspapers and magazines; Stationery and drawing materials; Personal care; Personal effects nec
Left out: Actual rentals for housing; Home ownership; Property rates and related services; Household energy; Insurance; Purchase of vehicles; Out-patient services; Education; Interest payments; Contributions to savings; Money given to others; Cigarettes and tobacco; Games of chance. The survey’s latest release doesn’t break spending down by household income, so this is the average across all households. Weekly averages are turned into a month as weekly × 52 ÷ 12. Streaming and online shopping count under the item bought. Estimates Stats NZ rates as low reliability or suppresses are left out, never guessed.
These are averages (means), which large spenders pull up, not a typical household. Values are rewards minus the annual fee, every year after the first, for paying in full; the balance column uses each card’s published purchase interest rate and simple interest. Card terms are from our approved records, checked automatically against each issuer’s saved terms.
Source: Stats NZ, Detailed household expenditure: Year ended June 2023 (retrieved 27 October 2026; data file). Our calculation.
Is a card with an annual fee worth it?
Only if its credits and perks are worth more to you than the gap below. Our values count rewards and the fee, not travel credits, lounge access or insurance (what our values leave out), so for each fee card we can value, the table shows what those extras would have to be worth a year for the card just to match the best no-fee card, on real household spending. For the average New Zealand household, the perks must be worth from $13 for the ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum to $277 for the BNZ Lite Visa, which charges $10 a year.
| Card | Annual fee | Average household |
|---|---|---|
| ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum | $80 | $13 |
| ANZ CashBack Visa | $40 | $40 |
| BNZ Lite Visa | $10 | $277 |
Gap = the best no-fee card’s rewards minus its fee, less this card’s, both a year from year two and on the same household’s spending (Stats NZ Household Economic Survey; see real New Zealand households). A card with a lower first-year fee costs less in year one. 10 fee cards aren’t shown because we can’t put their points or miles in dollars, so we can’t say what their perks must be worth: ANZ Airpoints Visa; ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum; BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum; The American Express Platinum Card; The American Express Airpoints Platinum Card; The American Express Gold Rewards Card; The Low Rate Credit Card from American Express; Gem Visa; Q Mastercard; Farmers Mastercard.
Which credit card is best in New Zealand for the average household? The SBS Visa Credit Card
Why it wonIt is worth $267 a year on the average household’s card spending of $3,338 a month: $267 in rewards minus a $0 annual fee. That is the most of the 4 New Zealand cards we could value in dollars.
The catchThe cash back is modest: NZ$1 per NZ$150, so NZ$12,000 of spending a year earns NZ$80. Spending in a foreign currency costs 2% on top.
Who can apply: Aged 18 or over, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident living in New Zealand, with evidence of a regular income and a NZ passport, NZ driver licence or overseas passport; other lending criteria apply. SBS states no minimum income figure.
Not for: Anyone who carries a balance, since 19.65% p.a. outweighs the cash back many times over, or who spends a lot overseas, with a 2% overseas currency conversion fee.
The best credit card in New Zealand for each need
The best card depends on what you want it for. Each pick below follows a stated rule, applied to the figures each New Zealand bank publishes; the ones that depend on spending use the average household’s $3,338 a month.
| Need | Card | Why | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most value for the example spending | SBS Visa Credit Card | Worth $267 a year for the average household, after a $0 annual fee. Rewards: 0.67% on everything. Rule: the highest yearly value after the annual fee, for the example spending. | The cash back is modest: NZ$1 per NZ$150, so NZ$12,000 of spending a year earns NZ$80. Spending in a foreign currency costs 2% on top. |
| No annual fee | SBS Visa Credit Card | Worth $267 a year for the average household, after a $0 annual fee. Rewards: 0.67% on everything. Rule: the most value for the example spending among cards with no annual fee. | The cash back is modest: NZ$1 per NZ$150, so NZ$12,000 of spending a year earns NZ$80. Spending in a foreign currency costs 2% on top. |
| Cashback | SBS Visa Credit Card | Worth $267 a year for the average household, after a $0 annual fee. Rewards: 0.67% on everything. Rule: the most value for the example spending among cards that pay cashback. | The cash back is modest: NZ$1 per NZ$150, so NZ$12,000 of spending a year earns NZ$80. Spending in a foreign currency costs 2% on top. |
| No overseas transaction fee | ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum | Worth $254 a year for the average household, after a $80 annual fee. Rewards: 0.83% on everything. Rule: the most value for the example spending among cards that charge no fee on overseas purchases. | It takes NZ$9,600 of spending a year just to earn back the NZ$80 fee, and the card only beats the NZ$40 ANZ CashBack Visa above NZ$24,000 a year. Cash back is paid once a year. |
| Lowest purchase interest rate | The Low Rate Credit Card from American Express | 12.69% p.a. on purchases, with a $59 annual fee. Rule: the lowest purchase interest rate p.a. among cards that charge interest; a tie goes to the lower annual fee. | It earns no rewards and offers no balance transfers, so the NZ$59 fee buys only the lower rate: 12.69% p.a. once the six-month 2.99% p.a. intro ends. |
| Moving a balance from another card | ANZ Low Rate Visa | 1.99% p.a. intro rate on balance transfers for 24 months, then 13.9% p.a. (A limited-time offer on balances transferred from most non-ANZ Visa or Mastercard cards, American Express and GE CreditLine (Gem); minimum transfer NZ$100, up to 95% of the credit limit. Repayments generally go to the transferred balance first, so new purchases get no interest-free days until it is cleared.). Rule: the longest promotional rate on balance transfers; a tie goes to the lower rate, then the lower annual fee. | No rewards at all. The 1.99% p.a. balance transfer rate lasts 24 months, then 13.90% p.a. applies to whatever is left, and while a transferred balance remains, new purchases get no interest-free days. |
Every New Zealand credit card we compared
The table shows each of the 16 cards’ annual fee, purchase and cash advance interest rates, overseas transaction fee and rewards, as the bank publishes them, with the date we checked. “Not published” means the bank doesn’t state that figure on the pages we checked; we never estimate it.
| Card | Worth a year (average household) | Annual fee | Purchase rate | Cash advance rate | Overseas fee | Rewards | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBS Visa Credit Card SBS Bank | $267 | $0 | 19.65% p.a. | 22.65% p.a. | 2% | 0.67% on everything | 13 October 2026 |
| ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum ANZ | $254 | $80 | 20.95% p.a. | 20.95% p.a. | None | 0.83% on everything | 13 October 2026 |
| ANZ CashBack Visa ANZ | $227 | $40 | 20.95% p.a. | 20.95% p.a. | None | 0.67% on everything | 13 October 2026 |
| BNZ Lite Visa BNZ | -$10 | $10 | 13.5% p.a. | 22.95% p.a. | 2.25% | None | 13 October 2026 |
| ANZ Low Rate Visa ANZ | Not ranked | $0 | 13.9% p.a. | 20.95% p.a. | None | None advertised | 13 October 2026 |
| ANZ Airpoints Visa ANZ | Not ranked | $65 | 20.95% p.a. | 20.95% p.a. | None | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum ANZ | Not ranked | $150 | 20.95% p.a. | 20.95% p.a. | None | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum BNZ | Not ranked | $90 | 18.95% p.a. | 18.95% p.a. | 2.25% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| The American Express Platinum Card American Express | Not ranked | $850 | 22.95% p.a. | Not published | 2.5% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| The American Express Airpoints Platinum Card American Express | Not ranked | $195 | 22.95% p.a. | 22.95% p.a. | 2.5% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| The American Express Gold Rewards Card American Express | Not ranked | $200 | 22.95% p.a. | 22.95% p.a. | 2.5% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| The American Express Airpoints Card American Express | Not ranked | $0 | 22.95% p.a. | 22.95% p.a. | 2.5% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
| The Low Rate Credit Card from American Express American Express | Not ranked | $59 | 12.69% p.a. | 21.95% p.a. | 2.5% | None advertised | 13 October 2026 |
| Gem Visa Gem by Latitude | Not ranked | $65 | 29.95% p.a. | 29.95% p.a. | 2% | None advertised | 13 October 2026 |
| Q Mastercard Q Mastercard | Not ranked | $50 | 28.95% p.a. | 29.5% p.a. | 1.4% | None advertised | 13 October 2026 |
| Farmers Mastercard Farmers Mastercard | Not ranked | $50 | 28.5% p.a. | 29.5% p.a. | 1.4% | Earns points; the bank states no dollar value | 13 October 2026 |
What New Zealand credit cards cost, from our records
Across the 16 New Zealand credit cards we recorded from 7 issuers (ANZ, BNZ, American Express, Gem by Latitude, Q Mastercard, Farmers Mastercard, SBS Bank), here is what the banks publish, checked on 13 October 2026. These are the cards in our records, not every card sold in New Zealand.
- 3 of 16
- cards charge no annual fee.Where a fee is charged, the median is $65 and the highest $850.
- 20.95% p.a.
- is the median purchase interest rate (16 cards).Lowest 12.69%, highest 29.95%.
- 22.65% p.a.
- is the median cash advance interest rate (15 cards), usually charged from the day you withdraw.
- 5 of 16
- cards charge no fee on overseas purchases.The others charge a median of 2.25% of each overseas purchase.
- 3 of 16
- cards pay cashback.For 8, the bank publishes points or Airpoints Dollars but no dollar value for them, so we can’t rank them on rewards. 5 earn no rewards.
- 5
- cards advertise a promotional rate on balance transfers, the longest for 24 months.
How much does carrying a balance cost on a New Zealand credit card?
A $3,000 balance paid off at $150 a month costs $723 in interest and takes 2 years 1 month at the median purchase rate in our records, 20.95% p.a. At the lowest rate, 12.69% p.a. (The Low Rate Credit Card from American Express), the same balance costs $389 and takes 1 year 11 months.
Our calculation assumes the rate stays the same, interest is charged monthly at the rate ÷ 12, and nothing new is bought on the card. If you often carry a balance, look at the interest rate before the rewards.
How we chose the best credit cards in New Zealand
- Your spending, by category. We apply each card’s cashback or points to what you spend in each category, with any limits the bank states.
- Minus the annual fee. Cards are ranked by what they are worth each year after the fee.
- Only what can be put in dollars. Points and Airpoints Dollars count only at a value the issuer itself states. Where it states none, the card isn’t ranked, and the calculator says why.
- Interest kept separate. The ranking assumes you pay the full balance each month. Each card’s purchase rate is shown beside it for anyone who doesn’t.
- No commission in the sum. We earn nothing from any card today. If that changes, the calculation still has no input for it.
Every figure comes from the issuer’s own card page, rates and fees page or conditions of use, saved with the date we checked. The check is automatic, word for word, against a saved copy of each page. Insurance, lounge access, interest-free days and retailer deals aren’t counted. How we compare cards
Five banks are missing: ASB, Westpac, Kiwibank, TSB and The Co-operative Bank. Their websites refused our automated visits on 13 October 2026, so we have no saved copy of their terms to quote, and we don’t publish figures we can’t show the source of. Their cards will appear here once we can check them. Until then, this page doesn’t cover the whole New Zealand market.
Sources
- ANZ: ANZ Low Rate Visa page, checked 13 October 2026.
- ANZ: ANZ CashBack Visa page, checked 13 October 2026.
- ANZ: ANZ CashBack Visa Platinum page, checked 13 October 2026.
- ANZ: ANZ Airpoints Visa page, checked 13 October 2026.
- ANZ: Airpoints Visa Welcome Guide (April 2026), checked 13 October 2026.
- ANZ: ANZ Airpoints Visa Platinum page, checked 13 October 2026.
- BNZ: BNZ Lite Visa page, checked 13 October 2026.
- BNZ: BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum page, checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: Platinum Card key information (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: The American Express Platinum Card page, checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: Airpoints Platinum Card key information (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: American Express Airpoints Platinum Card Benefits Terms and Conditions (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: Gold Rewards Card key information (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: The American Express Gold Rewards Card page, checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: Airpoints Card key information (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: American Express Airpoints Card Terms and Conditions (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- American Express: Low Rate Credit Card key information (PDF), checked 13 October 2026.
- Gem by Latitude: Gem Visa page (Rates, Fees & Conditions), checked 13 October 2026.
- Q Mastercard: Q Mastercard Fees & Charges, checked 13 October 2026.
- Farmers Mastercard: Farmers Mastercard Fees & Charges, checked 13 October 2026.
- Farmers Mastercard: How to collect Farmers Club Points, checked 13 October 2026.
- SBS Bank: SBS Visa Credit Card Fees and Charges (4 May 2026), checked 13 October 2026.
- SBS Bank: SBS Visa Credit Card page, checked 13 October 2026.
- SBS Bank: SBS Visa Credit Card Conditions of Use (17 March 2026), checked 13 October 2026.
This is general information, not financial advice. We compare cards on their published terms; approval, credit limits and final terms are up to each bank.
Approved for publication by Matt Woodley on 14 October 2026. Content updated 27 October 2026. Figures are checked automatically against a saved copy of each issuer’s terms. How we check every figure