St. George Credit Card

St. George Bank currently operates as a separate bank owned by Westpace Banking Corporation. Yet it has a long and complicated history. St. George Banks owns Bank SA (South Australia), which was founded as far back as 1848. But St. George itself was founded in the 1930’s in southern Sydney in the suburbs of Hurstville as a building and loan society. St George is mostly based in New South Wales in terms of its commercial branches, but it has business banking interests all across the East Coast. It is generally seen as more personal and friendly bank than the big four, a fact which has resonated often in market research surveys and must have had some truth to it, as though it was acquired by Westpac in 2008, Westpac has allowed St. George to maintain a distinctly independent operation and culture.

In credit card offers, St. George takes the approach many small banks take with product differentiation by offering less variety and more value in some way or another. Their credit cards generally have lower rates than the market credit card interest rate as well as a lower interest on balance transfers to convince customers to move from the big four. The Vertigo in particular offers both extremely competitive fees and rates, but a very minimalist set of services. Meanwhile, the Amplify is more a rewards focused site, with reward programs and gift vouchers available to those who repay their balance. The Platinum meanwhile offers the usual perks available to a first rate bank, including features such as overseas insurance and a personal concierge service around the clock. What is interesting is that the Amplify and the Platinum are both much cheaper in terms of fees than equivalent cards offered by many other banks, maintaining St George’s reputation for value for money.