Best low cost, frequent flyer and rewards credit cards of 2018 revealed

In the market for a new rewards card, balance transfer offer or no annual fee credit card? Then we’ve got good news for you - we’ve just announced the winners of our annual Mozo Experts Choice Credit Card Awards, split into categories designed to help you find the perfect plastic match for your spending.

In 2018, our expert judges analysed and compared a total of 199 credit cards from 67 providers to identify the best value option for Aussie spenders.

“The credit card market is huge, which means it can be really intimidating to try to pick the right one for you, especially if you’re new to the game,” said Mozo Data Manager Peter Marshall.

“Our Mozo Experts Choice Awards are designed to show Australians where to start looking no matter what their credit card needs are.”

Here’s a guide to the Award categories and a small selection of winners to help you work out which winners might peak your interest. Or, if you already know what you’re looking for, head straight over to our Mozo Experts Choice Credit Card Award winners.

Low Rate Credit Card & Low Rate Platinum Credit Card

This category was designed to find the best credit cards for spenders who tend to carry a balance on their card from month to month.

Winners include: Community First Credit Union McGrath Pink Visa, Bank of Melbourne Vertigo Platinum, Bendigo Bank Platinum Mastercard.

No Annual Fee Credit Card & No Annual Fee Platinum Credit Card

The cards in this category are perfect for spenders who faithfully pay off their balance each month and want to keep other costs down.

Winners include: Bank Australia Visa Credit Card, ME frank Credit Card, 28 Degrees Platinum Mastercard

Balance Transfer Credit Card & Balance Transfer Platinum Credit Card

These winners might interest cardholders needing to clear a lingering balance before they start spending on their new plastic.

Winners include: Heritage Bank Gold Low Rate, Citi Clear Platinum, Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card

Rewards Credit Card & Premium Rewards Credit Card 

This category is for spenders after a rewards card with flexible redemption options ranging from retail products, to gift cards, cash back and flights.

Winners include: American Express Essential Credit Card, American Express Explorer Credit Card, Woolworths Everyday Platinum Credit Card

Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Card & Qantas Frequent Flyer Premium Credit Card

Aussies love to travel - and if Qantas is your airline of choice, then the cards in this category all automatically credit points earnt to your Frequent Flyer account.

Winners include: American Express Qantas Discovery Card, Qantas Money Qantas Premier Platinum Credit Card, Westpac Altitude Black with American Express

Velocity Frequent Flyer Credit Card & Velocity Frequent Flyer Premium Credit Card

If you prefer to fly Virgin, then the cards in these categories might be for you. They include cards that credit points directly to your Velocity account, and those that had other rewards programs where the best redemption option for scoring a free flight was to convert to Velocity points.

Winners include: American Express Velocity Escape Card, Virgin Money Virgin Australia Velocity High Flyer Card, Westpac Altitude Black with American Express

Premium Card Benefits

If you’re looking for a card that delivers on all the bells and whistles, including a concierge service, free insurance covers like international travel insurance and emergency overseas card replacement, this is where to look.

Winners include: ANZ Platinum, ANZ Rewards Black, ANZ Rewards Platinum

Best New Credit Card of the Year & Best New Rewards Credit Card of the Year

We awarded these two gongs to the very best value cards that popped up in our database for the first time in the last 12 months.

New Rewards Credit Card of the Year: Qantas Money Qantas Premier Everyday Credit Card

Credit Card Innovation

This category was to pick out a piece of credit card technology from the last 12 months that was unique, added value for customers and that we thought looked like the start of a trend.

Winner: Qantas Money Qantas Money App

Credit Card Provider of the Year

Finally, our credit card provider of the year was American Express, which took out Mozo Experts Choice Awards across 13 categories - almost twice as many as the next biggest winner.

Ready top choose your new piece of plastic? Head over to the Mozo Experts Choice Credit Card Awards page to see the full list of winners.