A good credit card has three things: an interest rate proportional to the features offered, a low annual fee and a long interest free period. Well, we guess one out of three isn't bad.

The HSBC Classic is really only 'classic' in the sense of a good joke. As in, 'Remember how funny that HSBC credit card was with its ridiculous interest rate and poor features? That was classic'.

The Suncorp Platinum is an improvement on the Gold, but mostly due to the improved Qantas Frequent Flyer earn rate. For this interest rate and annual fee, there are far better reward programs.

The HSBC Platinum Visa may not be the most impressive platinum, but it offers good value with a range of included insurance and below average annual fee and interest rate.

The Bendigo Red is a big let-down after the Basic Black. The interest free period is too short, the interest rate too high and the rewards program is laughable. Don't bother.

The RSPCA Rescue Rewards offers little over the standard Rescue Visa: the interest rate is higher and the rewards program is terrible, but the additional interest free days may be useful.

The Suncorp Plus Card is bad: high interest, vague or absent terms and conditions, poor rewards program. No wonder Suncorp hide the detailed information on fees, rewards and included insurance policies.

The HSBC Gold Visa is a great mid-range card with a low annual fee and a good range of features. However, consumers looking for a balance transfer deal should look elsewhere.

The Westpac Earth Platinum offers incremental improvements on existing features, but nothing new. Unless you're planning overseas trips longer than 3 months, the Earth Gold is better value.

The SGE Gold Solutions Visa is a good mid-range card and one of the few from a credit union which offers a rewards program. Just a few minor annoyances hold it back...

While the included travel insurance is good, it's too little, too late for the ANZ Frequent Flyer range. It simply doesn't stack up to the American Express, NAB Qantas or Westpac Earth travel cards.

The 0.5% cash back offer on the ANZ Business One Cash Rewards makes it easy to calculate whether this card is a smart financial decision for your business.

There's no great impetus to select the ANZ Frequent Flyer Visa Gold over the standard Frequent Flyer Visa. The increased annual fee delivers almost exactly proportional value.

The NAB Velocity Gold comes close to being the ideal travel credit card and seems to be much better value than the NAB Velocity.

While Westpac do their best to convince you otherwise, the Westpac Earth has nothing to do with environmentalism, but it's still an OK mid-range card.

The ANZ Business One has a good purchase rate, but it's let down by the lack of an interest free period, a high annual fee and prohibitive per-card costs.

The ANZ Rewards Visa Gold is great if you're looking for a mid-range card with a broad rewards program. If you're after a good flights program, consider a Frequent Flyer option instead.

In many ways, the Westpac Singapore Airlines Gold is better value than the Platinum. It offers similar features for half the annual fee.

The Westpac Singapore Airlines Platinum is a good card, but not brilliant. It offers a great rewards program, but you'll pay for it in the long run.

The David Jones American Express is better than the Myer Visa, but that's not saying much. The rewards program is narrow and interest rate is too high.

The Myer Visa is a mix of a low-end annual fee, mid-range rewards program and high-end interest rate. You'll need to be a regular Myer customer to get real value from it.

The Woolworths Everyday Money Credit Card is just like every other card from a major retail chain - average features, high interest rate, narrow rewards program.

If you’re considering buying a new Holden, Saab or Hummer in the next few years, the GM Holden MasterCard could save you thousands.

The Westpac Altitude offers an impressive earn rate toward a great rewards program, which was awarded second place in the Money Magazine Bank Best Reward Credit Card category.

The NAB Velocity is buoyed by its rewards program, but most customers will prefer the NAB Velocity Gold's richer feature set for only a modest increase in price.

The NAB Visa Mini is a good card with a solid range of features and a good cash back offer, but you'll probably find yourself using the normal-sized companion card more often.

The GE Money MasterCard should be handled with care. It's easy to get stung by the very high cash rate or the retail finance purchase rate.

The GE Money Eco MasterCard is something special - it offers an innovative rewards program that helps offset greenhouse gas emissions.

The Commonwealth Gold Awards is a solid card with a surprising range of features. It will mostly appeal to families, but travellers may get value from the included international travel insurance.

Let us do the hard work for you. We've compared twenty two Australian reward programs and ranked them by their value for shopping, cash and flights.

The Commonwealth Bank Awards is a good mid-range card with a low annual fee and a cash back rewards option. As long as you intend to spend $228 a week or more on the Amex or $342 or more on the Mastercard, the annual fee will pay for itself.

The American Express Platinum MoneyBack does exactly as it promises - gives you money back from your purchases. While the earn rate isn't high, it should be more than enough to recoup the annual fee.

The American Express Gold Ascent is perfect for people who pay their balance in full each month. As long as you use it correctly, you'll never pay a cent in fees or interest and you'll be amassing free reward points.

The ideal credit card for businesses that are not sufficiently accelerated...

Every traveller should consider the American Express Qantas Ultimate, if not for the rewards program, then for the travel inconvenience insurance and complimentary international travel insurance.

There are small African nations with a GDP less than the annual fee of this card. But if you can move past that, it offers an excellent range of features.

American Express continue to set the bar for travel features in credit cards with the American Express Platinum, however the very high annual fee will be a deterrent for many.

The American Express Qantas Premium has almost every imaginable travel feature. If you're going overseas and are looking for a credit card, this may be a cheaper option than purchasing travel insurance separately.

The American Express Blue Sky Credit Card has the potential to earn you points in a great rewards program while not costing you a cent.

The Citibusiness Gold is a solid card with an above-average rewards program that's sure to be popular with many small business owners.

The BP Citibank MasterCard is a one-trick pony. The fuel offer is great, but its other features mean that's really all it's good for. If you use a lot of fuel, you should get one and use it to complement a more practical credit card for your general purchases.

The Citibank Silver is a card with an identity crisis. It has the annual fee of an entry level card, the interest rate of a platinum and the features of a mid-range card. Sadly, there are more targeted options which will better suit most consumers.

The Citibank Gold is a good mid-range card offering a broad set of features and services. However, the annual fee and interest rate are correspondingly high.

The Emirates Citi Platinum offers the greatest range of services we've seen in a credit card. It's not for everyone - there are lower interest rates and annual fees, but if you're in the market for a platinum or a great balance transfer deal, this one's hard to beat

The Citibank Platinum is a card that offers all the features you'd expect from a platinum card - and you pay for them. Worth it if you're after a balance transfer deal, or if you're one of those people who pay off their balance in full each month and never use the card for cash advances.

A good option for shopaholics, aviatophobiacs or anyone looking for a cashback rewards option. However, if you're planning on flying anytime soon, the Frequent Flyer Visa might be a better option.

The ANZ Frequent Flyer Visa is great for anyone looking for an accessible rewards program that will deliver benefits quickly, but if you're after something more practical, there are more suitable mid-range cards.

ANZ Balance Visa is a good all-round card, offering a unique cashback rewards program and a low interest rate on purchases. Like many cards, the cash rate is high, but the card generally stacks up very well against its competition.