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| Card | Standard annual fee | Purchase pricing / structure | Main comparison point |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAB Low Rate Business Card | $60 per card | 13.99% p.a. purchase rate | Compare ongoing borrowing cost and conditions for interest-free purchases. |
| NAB Rewards Business Signature Card | $175 per card | 19.50% p.a. purchase rate | Value rewards against the fee and interest if you carry a balance. |
| NAB Qantas Business Signature Card | $295 per card | 19.50% p.a. purchase rate | Check whether the Qantas programme suits actual business spending. |
| Westpac Altitude Business Platinum | $200 annual card fee | 20.24% p.a. purchase rate | A personal-liability card; compare rewards and the obligations you take on. |
| American Express Business Gold Plus | $395 | Charge card; optional eligible pay-over-time feature has interest | Assess payment timing, acceptance, employee-card costs and feature conditions. |
Published standard fees and purchase pricing checked against issuer pages on 5 October 2026. Introductory offers, cash-advance rates, additional-card charges and other fees are not included in these headline figures. Rates and terms can change; confirm the current offer and full conditions with the issuer.
Choose the repayment model first
A credit card can permit a balance to carry forward subject to minimum payments and interest. A charge card has a different payment model. American Express describes Business Gold Plus as a charge card with an optional Flexible Payment Option for eligible purchases, on which interest applies.
No preset spending limit does not mean unlimited spending. Likewise, “up to” a stated number of days to pay depends on the purchase date and product conditions. It is not the same period for every transaction.
Read the conditions behind the payment period
Check the statement cycle, due date and the repayment needed to retain any interest-free purchase period. Paying the minimum required to keep an account in order is not necessarily the same as paying enough to avoid purchase interest. Cash advances and other transaction types can have different pricing and conditions.
A purchase made near the end of a statement cycle generally has less time before that statement's due date than one made near the start. Read the issuer's terms and use your actual due dates. Do not fund stock on the assumption that every purchase receives the advertised maximum period.
If using an introductory offer, record when it ends and what balance is expected then. A temporary lower rate can help a planned purchase only if the later cost and repayment plan are also affordable. Compare the ordinary year without the introductory benefit.
Check fit before applying for a large limit
Review the issuer's business, income and applicant requirements and the evidence it needs. Provide the existing card and loan commitments, even if some limits are unused. Decide the spending limit from actual purchasing needs and the repayment plan rather than treating a larger approval as extra income.
Use the issuer's full conditions alongside the headline table: NAB, Westpac and American Express (checked 5 October 2026). These five examples cover different uses; they are not a complete market comparison or a ranking suitable for every business.
Put a dollar value on benefits you will use
Start with ordinary business spending, then apply the card's eligible categories, points caps and redemption conditions. Include payment surcharges and check the treatment of government payments. Do not add purchases simply to reach a bonus or spend threshold.
For illustration, $400 of rewards value less a $295 annual fee and $180 of surcharges leaves a $75 cost before interest. That calculation changes if the points are redeemed differently or the spending attracts fewer points than expected. Use a realistic redemption value and your own transactions.
Compare the first year and an ordinary later year separately. An introductory bonus can make the first year look attractive without changing the ongoing economics. If you expect to carry debt, add that interest cost before deciding the rewards compensate for the fee.
Employee cards: liability and controls
Establish who owes the debt: the business, an individual or both under the relevant documents. A card labelled “business” does not establish that the owner's assets are insulated from recovery.
For employee cards, compare fees, individual limits, transaction controls, reporting and the process for removing access when someone leaves. A convenient expense system is useful only if responsibility for spending is clear.
Put likely interest beside the rewards calculation
For an intentionally simplified illustration, an average $8,000 balance at 20% per year represents about $1,600 of annual interest before fees and differences in the actual daily balance. Rewards worth a few hundred dollars would not offset that cost. Use the actual card's calculation and forecast balances for a proper comparison.
Separate recurring purchases repaid in full from a one-off expense that will take longer to clear. A card may remain useful for the former even if term or asset finance is a better fit for the latter. Avoid allowing one long-lived purchase to turn routine expense management into permanent borrowing.
Set a limit and permitted uses for each cardholder, require receipts and assign someone to reconcile statements. Check how quickly cards can be suspended and what happens to recurring subscriptions when an employee leaves. Keep access to the account independent of one employee's email or phone.
Read any insurance or purchase-protection terms before giving them a value in the comparison. Eligibility, exclusions and claim conditions matter. A benefit the business is unlikely to use should not be counted at its maximum advertised value.
At renewal, review the actual annual fee, interest, surcharges and benefits received. The useful card is the one that fits the business's current payment behaviour and controls; a once-attractive joining bonus does not settle that ongoing decision.
When a card is the wrong funding tool
A card can help organise purchases and short payment gaps. A large asset or debt expected to remain for years deserves a comparison with purpose-built finance. Do not carry an expensive balance merely to keep earning rewards.
Shortlist by repayment behaviour, then compare the ongoing cost and controls you need. Record the selected card's ordinary fee, interest conditions and payment date so the decision remains useful after any introductory offer ends.
Westpac fee unit and the cost of carrying debt
Westpac labels the Altitude Business Platinum fee as an annual card fee. Its card finder, checked on 10 October 2026, shows $200 and a 20.24% p.a. variable purchase rate. Confirm supplementary-card charges and the ordinary fee after any introductory waiver rather than treating one fee as a complete account cost.
If a card balance has become ongoing business debt, read how to reduce reliance on a business credit card before pursuing a rewards benefit.
Corporate card platforms: Weel, Archa and Brex eligibility
Corporate expense tools need a separate comparison from revolving credit cards. Weel describes its virtual cards as debit cards; its platform and card fees belong in an expense-management budget. Archa’s FAQ describes a 30-day repayment period and direct debit of the full statement amount. That payment model is different from carrying a balance on a conventional credit card. Both sources were checked on 10 October 2026.
Brex’s account requirements, checked on the same date, require US incorporation, an IRS-issued EIN, US operations and a qualifying physical US address. An Australian-only business should not treat Brex as an available domestic card. Australian founders with an eligible US business may be a different case, subject to Brex’s complete assessment. Compare the actual entity that will contract, when balances must be paid, total platform fees, employee controls and foreign-currency charges.