Compare credit cards
Annual fee, Purchase rate, Overseas fee and Interest-free days for 17 cards from 5 issuers.
Read from each issuer's own pages · The oldest figure here was read 40 days ago.How we compare How credit cards are priced
The decision turns on one behaviour rather than on the cards. If you clear the balance in full each month the purchase rate never applies to you, and the only real costs are the annual fee and the foreign transaction fee. If you carry a balance, the purchase rate dominates everything else on this page, and a rewards card is the most expensive way to borrow money.
17 credit cards from 5 New Zealand issuers, as published on their own pages.
5 of 17charge no annual fee. The rest run from $10 to $285 a year, and none of them publish a waiver condition.
0.00–2.25%is the range of foreign transaction fees. 6 cards charge nothing; on a $4,000 year of overseas spending the worst charges about $90.
9.95–20.95%is the spread of purchase rates. That number only matters if you carry a balance — if you clear it monthly it never applies.
44–55 daysis the interest-free window, and every one of them is conditional on clearing the balance in full that month.
17 of 17 cards
Not checked: we have not read this figure yet. None: the issuer publishes that there is no such fee. Not published: the issuer does not publish this figure. Not offered: the provider does not offer that market or product. * Details and conditions are in the expanded row.
How to choose a credit card
Work out which of two situations you are in, because they point at opposite cards. If you clear the balance every month, the purchase rate is irrelevant and the annual fee and FX fee are the only numbers that matter. If you carry a balance, the purchase rate is the only number that matters and rewards cards are the most expensive way to borrow.
Interest-free days only apply while the balance is cleared in full. Miss one month and interest is usually charged from the purchase date, not the due date.
Three fee traps
The foreign transaction fee applies at home too
Buying from an overseas website in New Zealand dollars is still a foreign transaction. A 2.25% fee on $4,000 of online shopping a year is $90.
Cash advances have no interest-free period
Withdrawals and some transfers are charged from the day they happen, at a higher rate than purchases.
Rewards are worth less than the fee on low spend
A $285 annual fee needs a lot of points to break even. Divide the fee by your monthly spend before deciding.
Common questions
Where do these numbers come from?
Each issuer's own published pages. We copy the figure, record the date, and show that date at the top of the table.
Does paying you move a card up the table?
No. Sponsored rows carry a label and sit wherever the column you sorted on puts them. There is no paid ranking.
Is this every card in New Zealand?
No. It is every card we track, and the count is stated above the table. If one is missing, tell us and we will add it.
A number looks wrong. What now?
Report it from the method page. Corrections are made against the issuer's page and the checked date is reset.
Run the numbers
Credit card repayment calculator
See what a balance costs at each of these purchase rates.