Potential Keeper Credit Card Options In 2026
Hey friends,
Hope you’re doing well this week!
2026 feels like a turning point in the credit card space.
Between the RBA’s push to remove surcharges, tightening exclusion periods, and sign-up bonuses getting worse and worse…
We might be entering the final chapter of credit churning in Australia.
Personally, I think we need to start shifting away from constantly churning cards and focus on optimising our ongoing earn rates.
This week, I’m breaking down two potential “keeper” credit cards for 2026, cards that could actually deserve a long-term spot in your rotation.
📌 CommBank Ultimate Awards Credit Card
I mentioned the Commbank Ultimate Awards Card in my 2026 credit card strategy, but this card has been on my radar this year.
One of the main reasons is because of its competitive earn rates, plus the earn rates don’t decrease until you reach a decent spend amount each month. Here’s the breakdown:
3 Awards points per $1 on international spend
2 Awards points per $1 on everyday categories like supermarkets, petrol, dining, utilities and department stores
Up to $10,000 per statement period before dropping to 0.5 points per dollar
Commbank removed a lot of its transfer partners last year. So now you’re basically choosing between:
Velocity at 2:1
Qantas at 2.5:1 (plus a $90 annual Qantas Rewards fee)
Personally, I’d use this for Velocity transfers, which effectively gives you 1 Velocity point per $1 on everyday spend, which is very competitive.
For comparison, the AMEX Velocity Platinum earns 1.25 Velocity points per dollar — the highest in Australia, so this isn’t far off.
The other benefit I see with this card is the fee structure.
Instead of a big annual fee, you pay $35 per month, but it’s waived entirely if you spend $4,000 per month.
If you meet that monthly spend with your typical expenses (groceries, bills etc.), this card can effectively become fee-free.
📌 NAB Rewards Signature (Velocity or Standard)
The second potential keeper is the NAB Rewards Signature.
Two major changes make it more interesting this year.
First, NAB moved from a $195 annual fee to a $35 monthly fee, which is waived if you spend $5,000 per month.
Secondly, they removed the 3% international transaction fee on the Velocity and standard NAB Rewards Signature variants.
This is a strong alternative to CommBank. If your monthly spend comfortably exceeds $5,000 this could absolutely function as a long-term keeper.
In terms of ongoing earn rates:
1.5 NAB Rewards points per $1 up to $15,000 per statement period
Drops to 0.5 thereafter
Transfers to Velocity at 2:1 (effectively 0.75 Velocity points per $1)
It’s not quite as strong as the CommBank earn rate, but it’s still solid.
If 2026 really is the beginning of the end for credit card rewards in Australia, then building your core credit card setup matters more than ever.
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