Probably our favourite platinum credit card so far. We wanted that to be the first sentence you read, just in case you got bored and skipped our usual elongated preamble.
There are many reasons why we like the St George Platinum so much, but probably none so much as the purchase rate of 15.99%. When we first read it, we were ready to dismiss the card as another flatinum (fake platinum, -noun 1. a credit card with basic features that calls itself a platinum simply to capitalise on the positive connotations of the name) like the
Citibank Clear Platinum.
But there is nothing fake about the St George Platinum. On a cost-benefit ratio, it easily outperforms almost every other platinum we've reviewed. The annual fee is only $89 - much less than some of the Amex cards with $300+ annual fees.
Almost every feature you can expect in a platinum is here. A complimentary 24x7 personal concierge service for making dinner reservations, assisting in an emergency (not sure about you, but I'd be more inclined to call 000 than my credit card concierge) and booking events and travel.
The card also offers six different types of insurance: international travel insurance, domestic travel inconvenience insurance, transit accident insurance (protects for accidental death or injury when travelling by plane, bus, train or ferry), purchase protection (provides up to 3 months cover against theft, loss or damage on new purchases), extended warranty insurance (provides up to 12 additional months on the manufacturer's warranty) and best price guarantee (will refund the difference if you find your purchase advertised for a lower price).
The card also offers a balance transfer option of 3.99% for up to six months, free additional cards and 55 days interest free.
On the downside...well, there isn't really one, except perhaps the high cash rate (21.49%), which is easily avoided.
Bottom-line: The St George Platinum is great for a broad range of people. Ordinary consumers now have access to a platinum with a reasonable purchase rate. High-end customers can enjoy the features of a platinum, without the huge annual fees and travellers can get domestic and international travel insurance for only a fraction of what it would ordinarily cost.
