Weekly News Roundup: Apr 13 - Apr 19, 2026
Published on 4/20/2026
A transition week. The Amex Platinum 220k bonus went away, Westpac telegraphed the next big-four fee hike, and a couple of award-redemption stories worth knowing. The big Velocity buy-points sale is also days away — here's what dropped between April 13 and 19.
Westpac Confirms Credit Card Fee Changes from April 30
Right on cue, Westpac became the second big-four bank to lift its hand. From April 30, 2026, Westpac is updating its Cash Advance Fee, Missed Payment Fee, and the way the annual card fee is charged on the Westpac Low Rate Card. The bank hasn't published exact dollar figures on the public fees page yet, but customers will be notified directly and the new schedule lands at the end of the month.
This is the second cost-side move in two weeks after NAB's annual fee hikes on the Low Rate and Low Fee cards. Pattern is exactly what I flagged after the RBA interchange decision in late March — banks are quietly squeezing on the fee side now, well ahead of the October 1 interchange cut. CBA and ANZ are still quiet, but it would be a surprise if they don't have something in the pipeline.
If you carry a Westpac card mainly for its rewards, no action needed — the rewards-earning cards aren't included in this round. If you've got a Low Rate card sitting in a drawer "just in case", check the post-April 30 fee structure when notifications arrive.
Source: Westpac credit card fees page
The Amex Platinum 220k Bespoke Offer Expired April 14
The biggest sign-up bonus on The American Express Platinum Card I've tracked in Australia — 220,000 Membership Rewards Points for $5,000 spend in 3 months — closed on April 14 as scheduled. The standard public offer is back to 150,000 points.
Even at 150k, the Platinum card is still the strongest premium Amex offer on the market right now and the combined value of the $400 Global Dining Credit and $450 Travel Credit covers most of the $1,950 annual fee on year one if you actually use them. But losing 70,000 points off the bonus is real. At a conservative 1.5cpp valuation through Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, that's worth about $1,050 in flights.
Worth knowing for anyone who was considering the bespoke offer and didn't pull the trigger: lifestyle cards like Platinum tend not to discount the headline bonus mid-cycle. Don't expect a 220k re-run before the October 1 interchange reform forces banks and card issuers to recalibrate.
Source: American Express Platinum Card guide — Australian Frequent Flyer
KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes for May: 30% Off Award Seats
Singapore Airlines refreshed its Spontaneous Escapes promo on April 16 with a new month of discounted award flights. 30% off the standard KrisFlyer redemption for travel between May 1 and May 31, 2026. Bookings must be made by April 30, 2026 and the discount auto-applies on eligible routes.
Two Australian routes worth flagging:
- Darwin ↔ Singapore: Economy from 14,350 miles (no blackout dates), Business from 29,750 miles
- Cairns ↔ Singapore: Economy from 20,300 miles (blackout May 1-4), Business from 50,400 miles
For Aussies sitting on Amex Membership Rewards or Citi/MyCard Prestige points, KrisFlyer is one of the cleanest 1:1 transfer partners and Singapore Airlines redemptions don't carry fuel surcharges. A discounted business-class hop to Asia is right in the sweet spot.
The catch: you need flexibility on dates and the May routes from Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane to Singapore are the usual loungeable-ones — meaning availability tends to evaporate fast. Don't sit on this one.
Source: KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes — Point Hacks
Award Fare of the Week: Turkish Airlines Sofia–Adelaide Business from $4,600
Australian Frequent Flyer flagged a sharp Turkish Airlines business class fare on April 16: Sofia, Bulgaria to Adelaide for around $4,600 return in business class. Equipment is the A350 from Sofia to Istanbul and Malaysia Airlines' A330neo on the Kuala Lumpur–Adelaide leg (Turkish wet-leases the route).
The deal allows free stopovers in Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur with no minimum stay and a 12-month maximum. Worth knowing if you've already got a European trip planned and want to splice in a long way home — or if you're a points-and-miles tragic looking to stack the cheapest premium-cabin Star Alliance fare available right now.
One catch: you don't earn frequent flyer points on the Malaysia Airlines-operated KUL–ADL segment, so factor that in if you're chasing status.
Source: Turkish Airlines Business Class Sofia–Adelaide $4,600 — Australian Frequent Flyer
Myer: 7 Velocity Points Per $1 (April 18–23)
Quick one: Myer is offering 7 Velocity Points per $1 spent on eligible products from April 18 to April 23, 2026 — a six-day window covering the full Easter long weekend.
Stack it with a Velocity-earning card (the Amex Velocity Platinum earns 3 Velocity Points per $1 on most spend) and a $300 purchase nets you 2,100 Velocity Points on top of the ~900 from card earn. That's a 10% effective points return on a single transaction — strong if there's something you actually want at Myer.
This kind of stackable retailer promo is exactly the territory where Velocity continues to out-execute Qantas Frequent Flyer. Worth keeping an eye on the Velocity Earn store and Myer notifications over winter.
Source: Velocity Frequent Flyer member benefits
On the Horizon: Velocity Buy-Points Sale Starts April 21
Worth flagging now because the deadline matters: Velocity Points Booster kicks off its biggest sale of the year on April 21, with a flat 40% discount on 50,000–250,000 points until April 23, then a tiered structure (30%/35%/40%) from April 24 to 29.
If you've got a specific Singapore Airlines or ANA business-class redemption in mind, this is the cheapest the year is likely to get. I'll cover the maths in next week's roundup once the sale goes live, but don't get caught flat-footed if you're planning to top up.
Source: Velocity Points Booster promotions — Point Hacks
Notable Offers Still Running
- The American Express Velocity Platinum Card: 70,000 bonus Velocity Points (spend $5,000 in 3 months), plus 30,000 Year 2 bonus. Apply by April 30.
- Qantas Premier Titanium: 150,000 bonus Qantas Points (spend $5,000 in 90 days). $1,200 annual fee. Two Qantas First Lounge invitations a year. 24-month Qantas card eligibility window.
- Bankwest More World Mastercard (untracked): Up to 180,000 bonus points (spend $10,000 in 90 days, hold for 15 months). $270 annual fee, no FX fees, 10 lounge passes.
- Latitude Rewards (untracked): $260 bonus when you spend $2,000+ a month for the first 3 months. Apply by April 30.
- NAB Rewards Signature (untracked): 0% balance transfer for 24 months on selected NAB cards if approved by April 30.
What I'm Watching
Westpac's fee tweaks are the second domino. NAB went first on hard-dollar annual fees, Westpac's gone second on transactional fees. CBA and ANZ are sitting on their hands but I'd be shocked if they don't move in May — the maths on October 1 doesn't change between banks.
The bigger signal for points enthusiasts is what's happening at the bonus end. Amex pulled a 220k Platinum offer that won't be back. The standard 150k is still excellent, but the days of bespoke 200k+ premium card bonuses look numbered. If you've been waiting for the perfect moment to apply for a top-tier Amex or Qantas card, the perfect moment was probably this month — and the next-best moment is the next 90 days, before the October interchange cut starts forcing structural changes.
Next week I'll cover the Velocity buy-points sale in full and watch for whether CBA or ANZ join the fee-hike parade.
