CommBank, American Express and Revolut cards: compare fees, rates, Qantas Points and overseas costs to find the right card in Australia.
This comparison examines 12 cards in Australia, among them CommBank Low Fee, CommBank Low Rate, CommBank Neo, Revolut Standard, across the Mastercard, Revolut, American Express networks. Three things genuinely separate one card from another, and the annual fee is only the first: next come the bundled insurances, trip cancellation, medical cover abroad, baggage, purchase protection, whose value often exceeds the fee as soon as you travel, and foreign exchange charges, which quietly cost 2 to 3 per cent of every purchase in another currency with traditional issuers and nothing at all with the neobanks. Payment and withdrawal limits matter too, and they are negotiable. The table compares them line by line, without an overall score: the right card for a frequent traveller is not the right card for someone who rarely leaves home. Anyone going abroad twice a year usually saves more with a no-foreign-fee card than a premium card's insurance ever returns in claims.
Select 2 to 4 cards to compare side by side.
Mastercard
Amex
Revolut
| Criteria | CommBank Low Rate Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Amex Qantas Ultimate Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | AU$6/month (AU$72/year) | No monthly plan fee | AU$450 p.a. |
Payment Limit/month | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit |
Withdrawal Limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit |
Travel Insurance (Medical) | International travel insurance not included | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Trip Cancellation Insurance | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Luggage Insurance | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Purchase Protection | Not stated | No credit protection (debit) | Not stated |
Car Rental Insurance | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated |
Concierge Service | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Airport Lounge Access | Not stated | Lounge passes available to buy | Not stated |
Cashback / Rewards | Not stated | Not stated | Up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 |
International Acceptance | Very wide (Mastercard, eftpos depending on card) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Narrower than Visa or Mastercard |
Overview of all cards. Scroll horizontally on mobile.
| Criteria | CommBank Low Fee Standard | CommBank Low Rate Standard | CommBank Neo Standard | Revolut Standard Standard | Revolut Plus Standard | CommBank Smart Premium | Amex Explorer Premium | Amex Qantas Ultimate Premium | Revolut Premium Premium | Amex Platinum Card Top Tier | Revolut Metal Top Tier | Revolut Ultra Top Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Fee | AU$0/month if you spend AU$300 in the statement period, otherwise AU$3/month | AU$6/month (AU$72/year) | AU$15, AU$20 or AU$25/month depending on limit | No monthly plan fee | AU$5.99/month | AU$0 or AU$19/month depending on spend (AU$19/month for all from 1 January 2027) | AU$395 p.a. | AU$450 p.a. | AU$11.99/month | AU$1,450 p.a. | AU$28.99/month | AU$99.99/month |
Payment Limit/month | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | AU$1,000, AU$2,000 or AU$3,000 | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) |
Withdrawal Limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Within credit limit | Up to balance (debit card) | Up to balance (debit card) |
Travel Insurance (Medical) | International travel insurance not included | International travel insurance not included | International travel insurance not included | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) |
Trip Cancellation Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Trip and event cancellation cover included | Trip and event cancellation cover included |
Luggage Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered |
Purchase Protection | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | No credit protection (debit) | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Not stated | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) | Everyday purchase protection (plan terms) |
Car Rental Insurance | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not included in this plan | Not stated | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
Concierge Service | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Airport Lounge Access | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Lounge passes available to buy | Lounge passes available to buy | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Discounted lounge access | Not stated | Discounted lounge access | Unlimited partner lounge access |
Cashback / Rewards | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Unlimited CommBank Yello points (if eligible), AU$10 monthly dining credit | Up to 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 | Up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 | Not stated | Up to 2.25 Membership Rewards points per $1 | Not stated | Not stated |
International Acceptance | Very wide (Mastercard, eftpos depending on card) | Very wide (Mastercard, eftpos depending on card) | Very wide (Mastercard, eftpos depending on card) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Very wide (Mastercard, eftpos depending on card) | Narrower than Visa or Mastercard | Narrower than Visa or Mastercard | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Narrower than Visa or Mastercard | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) | Wide (Visa or Mastercard depending on issue) |
Explore the details of each type of cover and service.
| Card | Travel Medical | Trip Cancellation | Luggage | Car Rental |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CommBank Low Fee | International travel insurance not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
CommBank Low Rate | International travel insurance not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
CommBank Neo | International travel insurance not included | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Standard | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
Revolut Plus | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
CommBank Smart | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Amex Explorer | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Amex Qantas Ultimate | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Premium | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan | Not included in this plan |
Amex Platinum Card | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Revolut Metal | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Trip and event cancellation cover included | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
Revolut Ultra | Overseas medical insurance included (plan terms) | Trip and event cancellation cover included | Delayed or lost baggage and flight delay covered | Car rental excess covered (plan terms) |
* Cover depends on each card's terms; "Not stated" means the issuer does not mention it on its product page.
Our recommendations based on your usage profile in Australia.
You travel often and want points, travel credits and insurance.
AU$1,450 a year: up to 2.25 points per $1 and an AU$450 annual travel credit. Revolut Metal (AU$28.99/month): travel insurance, unlimited exchange and AU$1,400 of free overseas withdrawals a month.
You want a card with no fixed fees that works overseas.
No monthly fee, fee-free exchange up to AU$2,000 a month and AU$350 of free overseas withdrawals. CommBank Low Fee: AU$0 a month if you spend AU$300 in the statement period, but international transaction fees apply.
You want to earn Qantas Points.
AU$450 a year, up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 and an AU$450 Qantas Travel Credit that offsets the fee if used. Amex Explorer (AU$395 p.a.): up to 2 Membership Rewards points per $1 and an AU$400 travel credit.
You sometimes carry a balance and want to limit interest.
AU$6 a month and a rate of 10.99% to 15.99% p.a. CommBank Neo: no interest and no international transaction fees, for a fixed monthly fee of AU$15 to AU$25 depending on the limit.
eftpos is Australia's national debit payment network. Many debit cards combine it with Visa or Mastercard. eftpos does not work overseas: when travelling, use your card's Visa or Mastercard network.
Often, yes. At CommBank, the Low Fee and Low Rate cards apply international transaction fees, while the Neo card charges none. Revolut converts fee-free up to AU$2,000 a month on the free plan, with a 1% weekend markup.
Collected in October 2026: Explorer AU$395 p.a. (AU$400 travel credit), Qantas Ultimate AU$450 p.a. (AU$450 Qantas Travel Credit), Platinum Card AU$1,450 p.a. (AU$450 travel credit, up to 2.25 points per $1). Acceptance remains lower than Visa and Mastercard, and some merchants add a surcharge.
Standard with no monthly fee, Plus AU$5.99, Premium AU$11.99, Metal AU$28.99 and Ultra AU$99.99 a month. Fee-free exchange up to AU$2,000 (Standard), AU$6,000 (Plus) or AU$20,000 (Premium) a month, unlimited for Metal and Ultra. Free overseas withdrawals from AU$350 to AU$3,500 a month, then 2%.
Afterpay, Zip and others let you pay in instalments. Since 2025 these services have been regulated under Australian consumer credit law. Late fees can add up: check the terms before using them.
Always pay in the local currency and decline conversion into Australian dollars offered by the terminal or ATM (dynamic currency conversion), whose rate is usually worse.
Yes, up to AU$250,000 per account holder per authorised deposit-taking institution, under the Australian Government's Financial Claims Scheme.
The Australian card market is dominated by the Big Four (Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ and NAB). Australia is among the most advanced countries for contactless payment, and most in-store purchases are made by tap-and-go. Buy Now, Pay Later (Afterpay, Zip) has caught on with younger Australians and is now regulated under credit law.
Debit cards have overtaken credit cards in number of transactions. Fees vary widely: at CommBank, the Low Fee costs AU$0 to AU$3 a month and the Low Rate AU$6 a month, but both apply international transaction fees, unlike the Neo. Digital banks and Revolut offer cards with cheaper exchange. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay are widely accepted.
Australian cards fall into debit cards (linked to an everyday account), credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and prepaid or multi-currency travel cards (Wise, Revolut). Rewards cards earn Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity (Virgin Australia) or Membership Rewards points. American Express cards offer higher earn rates (up to 2.25 points per $1 on the Platinum Card) but are less widely accepted.
APRA and ASIC oversee bank soundness and consumer protection respectively. Annual costs range from nothing (CommBank Low Fee with minimum spend) to AU$1,450 p.a. (Amex Platinum Card). Purchase rates at CommBank range from 10.99% to 20.99% p.a. The Reserve Bank of Australia caps interchange fees. Deposits are guaranteed up to AU$250,000 under the Financial Claims Scheme.
For everyday use in Australia, an everyday account with a debit card is enough; for travel, choose a card with no international transaction fees (CommBank Neo, Revolut within plan limits). To earn airline points, the Amex Qantas Ultimate or Explorer offer travel credits that offset part of the fee. Avoid paying only the minimum: credit card rates are far above the RBA cash rate.
* Fees collected in October 2026 from issuers' official pages (CommBank, American Express, Revolut). They may change: check with the issuer before applying. Supervised by APRA and ASIC. Deposits guaranteed up to AU$250,000 (Financial Claims Scheme).