CommBank Awards vs Westpac Altitude Rewards: rules compared

What are CommBank Awards and Westpac Altitude Rewards?

Westpac Altitude Rewards is the bank-points option in Westpac's Altitude card range: the Platinum and Black cards earn Altitude Points, which can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise or through the card's Pay with Points feature. [5] Westpac also lists Altitude Qantas and Altitude Velocity versions of its Platinum and Black cards, which credit Qantas Points or Velocity Points directly to the airline frequent flyer accounts instead of Altitude Points, and which carry programme fees of $125 on the Platinum cards and $155 on the Black cards. [5]

Commonwealth Bank's current credit-card pages show CommBank Yello as the rewards programme on both of its rewards cards, Smart and Ultimate. [1] [3] CommBank Yello is described as the bank's rewards and recognition programme, with points earned and redeemed through eligible shopping, travel and other Yello offers. [1] [3] Earning is conditional: the cards earn unlimited CommBank Yello points if the cardholder is eligible for CommBank Yello, which includes holding an eligible transaction account. [1] [3]

The Awards name survives in the sign-up terms: the current Smart and Ultimate offers exclude customers who have held an activated Awards card type (standard, gold, platinum or diamond) in the previous 24 months as a primary cardholder, and customers who switch from another card type. [1] [3]

How do you earn points on each programme?

Westpac publishes a per-dollar Altitude Points rate for each Altitude Rewards card, expressed as a maximum on eligible purchases, and lists a programme fee separately from the annual card fee. [5] As of 18 October 2026, the published figures are:

Those earn caps, card fees, programme fees, credit limits and income requirements are the figures Westpac lists for the two Altitude Rewards cards. [5]

CommBank's two rewards cards are priced monthly rather than annually, and the earn is described in programme terms rather than as a single card-spend rate: unlimited CommBank Yello points for cardholders who are eligible for Yello. [1] [3] Both cards are listed with a purchase rate of 20.99% p.a. and up to 44 interest-free days on purchases. [1] [3]

On top of card spending, CommBank lists up to 21.5 CommBank Yello points per $1 through Travel Booking until 30 September 2027, based on the cardholder's Yello tier, and notes that between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027 Yello customers could earn 20 points per $1 on hotel or car bookings and 10 points per $1 on flight bookings, with those promotional rates applying instead of the standard rates. [1] [3]

How do you redeem points in each programme?

Altitude Points can be redeemed for gift cards, merchandise or through Pay with Points. [5] The Altitude Qantas and Altitude Velocity cards sit outside that arrangement, because they send Qantas Points or Velocity Points straight to the airline programme instead. [5]

CommBank Yello points are earned and redeemed through eligible shopping, travel and other Yello offers [1] [3], and CommBank lists the ability to redeem points for all or part of a booking made through Travel Booking, a platform provided by Hopper Inc. that is not part of the CBA group. [1] [3]

Both CommBank cards also carry statement credits. Smart cardholders get up to $120 of travel credit a year, earned at $10 a month, and Ultimate cardholders up to $300 a year at $25 a month; each card also carries up to $120 of dining credit a year at $10 a month. [1] [3] Travel credits expire one year after they are granted or credited and cannot be exchanged for cash, while dining credits expire 12 months after they are credited. [1] [3]

What do the cards cost beyond the rewards fee?

Both Altitude Rewards cards carry a variable purchase rate of 23.98% p.a. and a variable cash advance rate of 23.99% p.a., and both include complimentary international medical travel insurance plus domestic travel and rental vehicle excess insurance in Australia. [5] The Black card also advertises complimentary airport lounge access and complimentary global data roaming by FlexiRoam. [5]

CommBank's Ultimate card has 0% international transaction fees on purchases made overseas or online, and both CommBank cards include access to international travel insurance when at least $500 is spent in a single transaction on prepaid travel costs and the cover is activated before travel. [1] [3] Ultimate includes two complimentary airport lounge visits per calendar year, while Smart cardholders pay a fee for lounge access. [1] [3]

Exceptions and limits

• Westpac sign-up offers. The advertised bonus of up to 100,000 Altitude Points on Platinum or up to 200,000 on Black is not available to customers who have held a Westpac credit card in the last 24 months, applies to new cards only, and is subject to credit criteria and terms and conditions. [5]
• Westpac fee changes. Westpac states that on 30 November 2026 it is updating the fees, rates and minimum payment due on its Low Rate, Lite and Low Fee credit cards, and that existing customers of those cards will receive a personalised communication in October. [5]
• CommBank bonus conditions. The Smart offer pays 30,000 CommBank Yello points after $4,500 of eligible spend within 90 days of activation and another 30,000 if the account stays open beyond 12 months; the Ultimate offer pays 50,000 points and $300 in travel credits after $9,000 within 90 days, then another 50,000 points after 12 months. [1] [3] In both cases the cardholder must be eligible for CommBank Yello within 90 days of activation and again at the 12-month anniversary. [1] [3]
• Loss of uncredited value. CommBank does not pay bonus points that have not yet been credited if the card account is closed, switched to another card or in default, and travel credits are forfeited if the cardholder no longer holds an open and active eligible CommBank card. [1] [3] Monthly travel credits are issued only for statement periods in which the card fee was charged, except where the fee was waived by meeting the minimum spend. [1] [3]
• Yello eligibility timing. CommBank assesses Yello eligibility at the beginning of each calendar month based on the previous month's activity, and the exact assessment date may vary. [1] [3]

Frequently asked questions

Does Westpac charge a separate fee for Altitude Rewards?

Yes. Both the Platinum and Black Altitude Rewards cards carry an annual Altitude Rewards Program fee of $75, in addition to annual card fees of $175 and $295 respectively. [5]

How many Altitude Points do you earn per dollar?

Westpac advertises up to 2 Altitude Points per $1 on eligible purchases with Altitude Rewards Platinum and up to 3 with Altitude Rewards Black. [5]

What can Altitude Points be redeemed for?

Westpac lists gift cards, merchandise and its Pay with Points feature as redemption options for Altitude Points. [5]

When does the CommBank monthly fee waiver end?

The spend-based waiver on both Smart and Ultimate is removed from the first statement issued on or after 1 January 2027, after which the $19 and $35 monthly fees apply. [1] [3]

Related pages

Programme profiles: CommBank rewards and Westpac Altitude Rewards. Comparisons: CommBank Awards vs ANZ Rewards and Westpac Altitude Rewards vs NAB Rewards. Background: Australian card points transfer partners and the glossary of terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Other Australian bank rewards schemes, including ANZ Rewards and NAB Rewards, are not covered here.

1. CommBank credit cards: rewards cards, CommBank Yello and card offer terms, checked 18 October 2026
2. CommBank credit cards comparison page, checked 18 October 2026
3. Westpac credit cards: Altitude Rewards, Altitude Qantas and Altitude Velocity cards, checked 18 October 2026