Credit Card Star Ratings

How’s this for a New Year’s Resolution? Making the most of the credit card rewards we earned buying Christmas presents – or maybe just paying off our Christmas credit card debt, full-stop.

We’ve all done our bit for the retail and tourism industry over the holiday season – up to hundreds of millions of credit card dollars charged, according to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. So now is the best time to pay the balance on your credit card before those interest-free days expire and you get hit with interest changes.The best step towards getting your credit card back on track is making sure the interest rate and annual fee you’re paying matches your spending profile.

That’s why at CANSTAR, we regularly research the credit cards on offer in New Zealand, and give them star ratings based on how they cater for borrowers across the Low Rate, Occasional Spender, Everyday Spender, and Big Spender profiles. Whether you’re busy chasing rewards and using all the features available on your card, or you’re someone who struggles to pay off a balance on your card, this report can tell you how to choose the right card for your habits.

This report also explores what’s happening in the credit card market, the sign-on bonuses you could get for switching to a card that better suits your profile, and the interest rates and fees on offer. Then we look at what cards are offering outstanding value out of the 53 credit cards from 10 lenders we researched and rated this year (an increase from 44 credit cards in 2014). All the best for the new year in 2016, from your team here at CANSTAR.