Mozo Experts Choice Awards reveal the best travel cards of 2019

For many Aussie travellers, the promise of a new getaway can get the blood pumping and the adrenaline going. And with all the excitement surrounding booking accommodation and organising activities, it’s not uncommon to neglect picking the right travel plastic.

But choosing the right travel companion just got easier, as Mozo has today announced the winners of the 2019 Mozo Experts Choice Travel Money Awards, with winners from prepaid cards to rewards credit cards.

To determine the winners, our expert judges combed through 198 credit cards from 67 providers, 111 debit cards from 70 providers, 11 prepaid travel cards from 11 provides and two foreign currency accounts from two providers before selecting the top performing products.

“The great thing about our Mozo Experts Choice Travel Money Awards is that whether you’re on a budget or like to spend big, there’s an award winning card for you,” said Mozo’s Product Data Manager and Expert Choice Judge, Peter Marshall.

“Our awards highlight the products in the market that deliver exceptional value, no matter where you’re heading in the world.”

But while all our winners deserve to bask in the glory, a special mention goes to Bankwest, which was given the title Travel Credit Card Provider of the Year for the third year in a row.  

“Bankwest were an absolute knockout this year, receiving a whopping 12 awards across our 8 categories - not including the title of Travel Credit Card Provider of the Year,” said Marshall.

Heading abroad with low cost plastic

With more and more Aussies choosing to travel on a budget, having a low cost plastic option is essential. Our judges considered card features like purchase rates, annual fees and the foreign exchange margin when determining the winners.

Our Low Rate Travel Credit Card category included winners like the ING Orange One Credit Card with its low 11.99% purchase rate and no annual fee and the SCU Low Rate Visa Credit Card, which features a 10.49% purchase rate and an affordable $30 annual fee. Other winners in this category included ME Bank, Westpac and Uni Bank.

Travel debit and prepaid travel cards 

And if you’re determined to make it through your trip without a credit card, then might be considering a debit or prepaid travel card To determine our travel debit card winners, a $2000 spending limit was assumed, plus four ATM withdrawals and 20 purchases - ATM withdrawal fees, purchase and transaction fees were also considered.

Macquarie Bank’s Platinum Transaction and Transaction Account were winners in this category, along with the Citi Plus Transaction Account and the UBank USaver Ultra Transaction Account.

For our Prepaid Travel Card category, our judges assumed three currencies were loaded onto the card as well two ATM withdrawals and enough purchases and withdrawals to exhaust the balance.

The Westpac Global Currency Card was the only winner in this category.

Travelling in style with a card to match

But for the Aussies who love a bit of luxury with their travel, our experts also considered rewards and platinum travel credit cards. And according to our judges, a 0% foreign exchange margin, free travel insurance and a rewards program were all must-haves.

Winners in the Rewards Travel Credit Card category included the ANZ Rewards Travel Adventures Credit Card and the CommBank Diamond Awards and Platinum Awards Credit Card with Platinum Travel Credit Card winners included the 28 Degrees Platinum Mastercard and six Bankwest cards.

But the best news is these are just a handful of our winners, you can check out the full list by heading over to our 2019 Mozo Experts Travel Money Awards page. And if you’d like even more travel money options, head on over to our Travel Money Hub.