I'm American moving to NZ. What are the 2 best NZ credit cards I should apply 4?

Question

yes, I know MC or Visa but from what company?

Answer 1

Mastercard or a Visacard.

Answer 2

Westpac do mastercards that have hotpoints - a reward scheme that is pretty good value. I used to use mine quite a lot and then pay off the balance and regularly had enough points to buy flights and other goodies from shops.
All credit cards charge an annual fee and the rates are never very low. Banking in NZ isn't very competitive and they charge you for EVERYTHING! Also be aware of how much interest you get on your current account. Some banks give nothing! You might need to opt for internet only accounts to get decent interest.
Westpac is the biggest bank in NZ with branches everywhere, but most of the banks have branches all over the place.

Answer 3

An American friend of mine moved to New Zealand about a year ago. He investigated accounts and credit cards at the major banks and decided that National Bank offered him the best deal. My experience using an ATM card from the USA was that Westpac charged the highest fees, ANZ the lowest. You may want to investigate one of the 2nd tier banks like ASB (Auckland Savings Bank) or a Credit Union to see if you might get a better deal from one of them.

Answer 4

Might be best to pick one of the bigger banks that operate in both Australia and New Zealand. The ANZ Bank is one, guess what the initials mean. Another is Westpac. Thats the two I can think of at the moment. They do savings and cheque accounts as well, investments, mortgages, the lot. They will have arrangements with some US banks which might save you a bit of bother.

Answer 5

Mastercard and Visa work everywhere, American Express is accepted in most places, Diners Club is not as big. I'd take a MC or Visa and an Amex.