I value premium perks & convenience over cost

Used properly, premium credit cards function like quiet infrastructure. They reduce friction at airports, simplify travel planning, step in when things go wrong, and remove the need to organise insurance. The value is not found in time saved and stress avoided such as global lounge access at airports, concierge services, global customer support, travel insurance, and hotel and rental-car elite status (normally only gained through repeated stays or spend).

But these cards only make sense if you never carry a balance. Interest rates and annual card fees are high. But for the right person, premium cards can meaningfully improve day-to-day life and travel.

Below are the three premium cards that genuinely deliver on this promise.

Our picks:

The American Express Platinum Card

The American Express Platinum Card sits at the top end of the premium travel and lifestyle credit card market in Australia. It carries a high annual fee (about $1,450 p.a.) but delivers a comprehensive suite of benefits that only make sense for people who travel frequently, spend heavily, and always pay their balance in full.

Unlike everyday cards, the Platinum Card is built around useful privileges rather than low cost. It includes access to more than 1,550 airport lounges around the world through the Global Lounge Collection – including Centurion, Priority Pass and Escape lounges – which significantly eases long layovers and international connections. Travel perks extend beyond lounges. Card Members receive a Travel Credit (around $450 per year) that can be used toward eligible bookings – flights, hotels or car hire – when made through American Express Travel. There are also comprehensive travel insurance benefits covering the cardholder and eligible companions when return trips are booked with the card, including protection for medical emergencies, lost baggage and other common travel risks. For hotel stays and rental cars, the Platinum Card unlocks automatic elite status and access to curated programs like Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection, which can include perks such as guaranteed late checkout, room upgrades (when available) and in-stay credits.

Card Members can access Global Dining Credits (up to about $400 per year) at participating restaurants, and additional lifestyle offers are available through the Amex Offers platform. Many Platinum Cards also come with premium subscriptions – for example, complimentary digital access to major news outlets such as The Australian and The Wall Street Journal – and ongoing access to curated experiences and events. On everyday use, the Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to a broad range of airline and hotel loyalty programs, adding flexibility for frequent travellers.

Because the fee is high, this card only makes sense if you can fully use the credits and lounge access enough to offset it. Frequent flyers and international travellers tend to get the most value.

In short, the American Express Platinum Card is a premium travel and lifestyle tool – not a low-cost product. It is built to make travel more convenient for people who are already comfortable with high-level spending and have the discipline to avoid interest charges.

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CommBank Ultimate Awards card

This card sits firmly in the upper-middle of Australia’s premium card market. It’s designed for high-income earners who travel regularly and spend consistently -who want genuine perks without stepping into ultra-luxury territory.

The headline cost is a $35 monthly fee, or $420 a year. However, this fee is waived in any month you spend $4,000 or more on the card. For households or professionals with high ongoing expenses, that effectively reduces the annual fee to zero. If you don’t meet the spend threshold, though, the cost adds up quickly – this is not a card to keep lightly used in a drawer.

Where the card earns its place is in travel. Cardholders receive two complimentary airport lounge visits each calendar year for themselves and a guest via Mastercard Travel Pass (DragonPass), giving access to hundreds of lounges globally. While these aren’t luxury lounges, they are reliable, practical, and genuinely useful for regular travellers. The card also includes international travel insurance when you prepay travel costs and activate cover before departure, removing the need for separate policies for most trips. Importantly, there are no international transaction fees, which quietly saves frequent travellers hundreds of dollars over time.

On the rewards side, the card offers strong earning rates on everyday spending, capped each statement period, with points that don’t expire. Cardholders can choose to earn CommBank Awards points or opt into Qantas Points for an additional annual fee. For frequent flyers already loyal to Qantas, that flexibility is valuable. Points can be redeemed through CommBank’s travel portal for flights, accommodation and upgrades, making the program fairly straightforward.

This card makes sense if you are already spending at a level where the monthly fee is consistently waived and you travel often enough to use the lounge passes and insurance. In that scenario, it delivers real value. If you don’t meet the spend threshold or rarely travel, the maths works against you.

The CommBank Ultimate Awards Credit Card is for high earners who want solid travel benefits, good points earning and universal Visa acceptance – without paying for luxury they won’t use.

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ANZ Rewards Black Credit Card

The ANZ Rewards Black Credit Card positions itself as the bank’s highest-earning rewards card and a strong everyday premium option for people who want flexible points and solid travel perks without the ultra-premium price tag. The card carries an ongoing annual fee of $375, made up of a $320 base fee and a $55 rewards program service fee. That places it in true rewards-card territory – not cheap, but far less than some luxury travel cards – and reflects its ambitions to deliver tangible value back to regular spenders.

Cardholders earn uncapped ANZ Reward Points, with a higher earn rate up to a spend cap each statement period, and those points can be converted into a wide range of frequent flyer programs including Velocity, KrisFlyer and others, or redeemed for gift cards, cashback and travel experiences. This flexibility means you’re not locked into a single airline ecosystem; you can shape rewards around how you travel. On the travel side, the card includes complimentary international and domestic travel insurance when the trip is paid with the card, and purchase protections that extend your peace of mind far beyond flights and hotels.

A 24/7 personal concierge service is also on hand to help with bookings and recommendations, giving the experience a distinctly elevated feel relative to standard bank cards. Unlike some ultra-premium cards, the ANZ Rewards Black does not automatically bundle a large number of airport lounge visits, but if you value flexible point earning and redemption over lounge-centric perks, it nonetheless holds its own as a practical and rewarding choice. It can be especially appealing for high spenders looking for decent everyday rewards and travel insurance without the higher fees that come with flagship luxury cards.

In short, this is a premium everyday card that rewards consistent spend with broad points flexibility and travel support, suited to earners who want useful travel perks and points versatility without crossing into elite luxury-card pricing.