• Rates
  43%
• Fees
  47%
• Rewards
  78%
• Customer Service
  73%
• Value
  60%

Roland Bleyer

Credit Card Expert with over 15 years card experience and the founder of Creditcard.com.au.

The Big Review: David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card

Providing a fantastic opportunity to earn big on both David Jones shopping and supermarket and petrol purchases, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card is a flexible card that offers points redemption on American Express Membership Rewards and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Cardholders can enjoy an array of American Express and David Jones extras, including American Express Lounge access, interest free shopping, and complimentary priority delivery, gift wrapping and alterations on eligible David Jones purchases. On top of that, there are 30,000 Membership Rewards points or 15,000 Qantas Points on offer to new cardholders.

• Receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points or 15,000 Qantas Points
• Earn 4 Reward Points per $1 spent at David Jones
• Earn 3 Reward Points per $1 spent at major supermarkets and petrol stations
• Earn 1 Reward Point per $1 spent everywhere else
• Earn on American Express Membership Rewards or Qantas Frequent Flyer
• No points cap
• 1 Reward Point = 1 Membership Rewards Point
• 1 Reward Point = 0.5 Qantas Points
• Exclusive David Jones features, including complimentary alterations, priority delivery, and gift wrapping, priority appointments at Personal Shopping Suites and Shopping Bag Concierge, and invitations to fashion events and launches
• Save on interest with up to four years interest free on homewares, furniture, bedding and electrical items at David Jones
• Deferred payment option on fashion and Christmas shopping items at David Jones
• Two entries per year to the American Express Lounge, at Sydney and Melbourne International Airports
• Insurance covering travel and retail purchases

• Bonus points available when you spend $750 outside of David Jones within the first three months of becoming a cardholder.
• Annual Fee: $295
• Additional Cardholder Fee: Up to four additional cards for no extra fee
• Interest Rate: 20.74% p.a. (variable)
• Interest Free Period: Up to 44 days

This Card: The Lowdown

With one of the highest Qantas Points earn rates available on a mainstream card, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card is an awesome option for anyone who wants to earn big on their shopping sprees at David Jones, while picking up points on their supermarket and petrol purchases.

Providing the opportunity to earn up to 4 Membership Rewards points per $1, this card could help you rack up points pretty quickly indeed. But, of course, as with any rewards card, the rewards (and features) you get out, need to be of a higher value than the annual fee you put in.

While the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card may have a hefty $295 annual fee, cardholders may stack the odds more in their favour, by adding up to four additional cardholders at no extra cost, helping them to earn more points on day-to-day spending.

Fortunately, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card also has plenty to offer in the way of features, which helps to add value as well. Aside from lovely American Express extras – notably two passes each year to the American Express Lounge – the card also provides a host of extras to please avid David Jones shoppers.

Digging Deeper

With the basics covered, it’s time to dig a little deeper into what’s on offer with the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card, so you can decide whether this card is right for you.

This Card: As a Rewards Card

As a new cardholder, you can benefit from 30,000 Membership Rewards points or 15,000 Qantas Points, depending on which rewards program you choose to opt in to. To be eligible for these points, you need to apply online and spend $750 outside of David Jones within the first three months of card approval.

It’s also worth pointing out that unlike many other American Express bonus points offers, it is only cardholders who currently hold, or who have previously held another David Jones American Express Card in the past 18 months, who are ineligible for the offer.

According to the terms and conditions, you may be eligible to take home this card’s bonus points even as a current or past American Express cardholder, as long as your card’s not partnered with David Jones.

As member of Membership Rewards Ascent, you could fly Virgin, from Brisbane to Singapore for 35,000 Velocity Points, or from Sydney to Los Angeles for 44,800 Velocity Points. Or, going directly through the Membership Rewards program, you could redeem 45,000 Membership Rewards points for $300 David Jones gift cards (3 x $100 gift cards).

Everyday Earning

Offering cardholders the potential to earn serious rewards, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card provides the following earn rate:

• Earn 4 Reward Points per $1 spent at David Jones
• Earn 3 Reward Points per $1 spent at major supermarkets and petrol stations
• Earn 1 Reward Point per $1 spent everywhere else

Supermarkets include Bi-Lo, Coles, Fishers, Food For Less, Fresh Provisions, Harris Farm Markets, IGA, Macro Wholefoods' Safeway, Supabarn, Thomas Dux and Woolworths. Petrol stations include Ampol, BP, Caltex Woolworths, Gull, Metro, Mobil, Peak, Safeway Petrol, Shell, United, Woolworths Petrol and 7 Eleven.

Even if you don’t shop all that frequently at David Jones, doing your weekly shop at any of the above supermarkets and filling up the car at any of the above petrol stations, still gives you the opportunity to earn big points. And the best bit? No points capping! So you can earn as many points as you want.

Redeeming Points

American Express Membership Rewards 1 Reward Point = 1 Membership Rewards Point

Offering fantastic flexibility, American Express Membership Rewards can be redeemed for both travel and retail purchases. You could redeem your points for gift cards for a wide range of retailers, or for tickets through Ticketmaster, Hoyts or Event Cinemas.

You could turn your points into a credit on your account, or you could use your card to Shop with Points online at davidjones.com, paying for your purchase using your Membership Rewards points, or a combination of Points + Pay.

As for travel, you could use your points to book flights, hotel stays, cruises or car rental with American Express Travel Online, or to book with Flight Centre or Helloworld Travel. Alternatively, you redeem points for flights with nine leading airline partners.

If you are a member of Membership Rewards Ascent, your Membership Rewards Points could offer the following conversion rates:

• 200 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Cathay Pacific Asia Mile
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Emirates Skywards Miles
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Etihad Guest Mile
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Mile
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Velocity Point
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Malaysia Airlines Enrich Mile
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Thai Royal Orchid Plus Mile
• 2 Membership Rewards Points = 1 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Mile

Qantas Frequent Flyer 1 Reward Point = 0.5 Qantas Points

Perhaps somewhat better known is the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. If you opt in for Qantas, you can redeem your Qantas Points for flights and upgrades with Qantas, and for travel with Qantas’s extensive range of partner airlines and affiliates. You may also redeem points for Qantas Club and Qantas Wine membership, or for merchandise and gift cards from the Qantas Store.

Opting in for Qantas will provide an earn rate of 0.5 points per $1. Bear in mind, you must be a Qantas Frequent Flyer member to earn and redeem Qantas Points, which may come with a membership fee of $99.50.

Another feature that’s worth pointing out here gives cardholders the opportunity to add up to four additional cardholders at no extra charge. While you will be liable for their spending, additional cardholders could help you earn points faster as they use their cards day-to-day. This could be a real bonus, given the lack of points cap on this card.

This Card: As a Retail Rewards Card

As a retail rewards card, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card focuses on providing cardholders with David Jones extras, on top of some functional money-saving features.

• Complimentary Alterations: You can benefit from complimentary alterations on men’s and women’s apparel purchases made instore on your card, excluding David Jones Bridal. If you like a tailored look, or you don’t fit average sizes, this could save you huge amounts of money on everyday tailoring.
• Exclusive Access to Fashion Events: As long as you opt in to receive marketing communications and spend regularly on your card, you will receive invitations to exclusive Season Launch Parades, fashion events and more, allowing you to see and be seen at David Jones’s biggest events.
• Cardholder Extras: When using your card, you will receive exclusive cardholder discounts and bonus gifts, such as Instant Rewards and Four Days of Fashion. Giving you a little boost as you shop, this could give you little gifts to pass on to others, or to treat yourself with.
• Priority Delivery: You will receive complimentary next day delivery for items purchased instore using your card. Items are limited to 25kg, and 1m x 1m x 1.5m, excluding orders placed online, gift cards, hampers and fresh food, Wine Club, and Gift Registry purchases. While this would certainly be a handier feature if offered on online purchases, it could still help you get items home when travelling by public transport, or when buying gifts to send to others.
• Enhanced David Jones Shopping Experience: Giving you the ultimate David Jones shopping experience, you will receive priority appointments at Personal Shopping Suites, and the use of Shopping Bag Concierge. If you’ve got a big day of shopping ahead of you, it’s nice to know you can leave your shopping bags at the Customer Service Centre at David Jones stores, freeing up your hands for even more retail therapy.
• Complimentary Gift Wrapping: A handy feature at Christmas, all items purchased instore or online using your card can benefit from the skilled hands in charge of David Jones’s gift wrapping service.
• Interest Free Shopping: Helping to save on interest, this feature gives you up to four years interest free on homewares, furniture, bedding and electrical purchases of $500 or more made at David Jones. Bear in mind that while there is no deposit required, you will be expected to pay a $35 establishment fee and a $2.95 monthly account keeping fee.
• Deferred Payment on Fashion: Using the Fashion Pay Later option, you can spread the cost by deferring payment for three months when you spend $250 or more instore on men’s or women’s apparel, shoes and fashion accessories.
• Deferred Payment on Christmas Shopping: Helping to take the sting out of Christmas shopping, the Christmas Deferred Payment Option lets you delay payment for purchases made at David Jones between 1 November and 24 December, until February the following year.

This Card: Extras on Offer

While it may not be a travel rewards card, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card has some handy travel rewards. Cardholders can also benefit from protection on their retail purchases, and the world-renowned American Express customer service and support.

Travel Perks

With the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card in your wallet, you will receive two complimentary entries per year to the American Express Lounge, either at Sydney International Airport or Melbourne International Airport.

Used either by the primary cardholder or additional cardholders, this feature provides two entries to the lounge per year. However, as a nice touch for families, complimentary access is also provided to cardholders’ children, aged between 2-17.

In addition, cardholders can benefit from complimentary travel insurance when travel is booked using their card. While you should always check the PDS for full details on the cover provided, this could help save you money on your overseas trip.

Retail Protection

As a cardholder, you have Buyer's Advantage (extended warranty), Refund Protection and Purchase Protection on your side, as well as an Online Fraud Protection Guarantee, protecting you against any unauthorised charges.

Support

You can access account assistance from Global Card Support at any time of the day or night, and thanks to American Express’s global network of offices, they will usually get a replacement card to you within 48 hours, virtually anywhere in the world.

As for tech compatibility, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card can be synced with Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay.

This Card: The Essentials

With no points cap and up to four free additional cardholders, this card offers the potential to earn seriously valuable rewards – and it’s no slouch in the features department either. With a relatively high purchase rate, however, carrying a balance is not recommended. To get the most out of the rewards and features on offer, it’s best to clear your balance by the monthly due date.

In terms of eligibility, you must aged 18 or over to apply, with no history of bad debt or payment default, and an annual income of $65,000 or more. You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or hold a current Business Long Stay Visa (subclass 457).

Decision Time

Providing amazing flexibility, the David Jones American Express Platinum Credit Card allows cardholders to opt in to American Express Membership Rewards or Qantas Frequent Flyer. A big points earner, the card offers a great earn rate on David Jones purchases and supermarket and fuel spending, with 30,000 Membership Rewards points or 15,000 Qantas Points available after $750 non-David Jones purchases in the first three months. With features and extras aplenty, this card may well be worth the annual fee.