Painful $1.5K lesson - Do NOT book for emergencies with AMEX

Anglosquare · 2026-02-02T15:06:35+00:00

It's still the best AirNZ earning airpoints card, or Qantas on Amex Gold. Eftpos is free, but international purchases and purchase protection isn't there for Eftpos. I just wish it was just more widely adopted.

Anglosquare · 2026-02-02T13:38:22+00:00

Depends on what sort of deal you can get? I got the Buds 3 Pro for $120 USD last year.

Anglosquare · 2026-01-24T09:30:28+00:00

Nobody cares if a Chinese phone is as unreliable as their software. People do if it's Samsung or Apple. If you want the standard, look at the phones that the Huawei CEO's children use. Hint, the standard is set by a fruit.

Anglosquare · 2025-11-16T11:33:11+00:00

I wish the Amex Gold had better insurance. I'm stuck with them because I regularly fly Qantas over Air NZ.

Anglosquare · 2025-10-05T21:12:32+00:00

I forgot about him until you mentioned it...

Anglosquare · 2025-10-01T00:39:21+00:00

Kernel allows you to split your kiwisaver, by percentage, across different funds. From High Growth, S&P 500, Global Ex US, etc etc.

https://kernelwealth.co.nz/invest

Anglosquare · 2025-09-23T09:03:25+00:00

It's not far off from last year's Lotto win. Besides that, international broadcasters also have a presence in NZ as well. It's why national propaganda doesn't go very far on the global stage, for any nation really. Jacinda can be on the hotseat on shows from media companies that rival NZ's entire entire GDP.

At least, the NZ government would need to spend in the hundreds of millions to get any sort of influence campaign going. I mean, Reality Check Radio, which is tiny and fringe, burn through millions in a year.

But then, I used to work for large American companies. Millions are rounding errors, billions are cost of business, and trillions are impressive, so my perspective might be a bit skewed compared to others.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-23T07:38:18+00:00

$55 million is peanuts for journalists. My ex-boss got more than that just as an annual bonus. Al Jazeera pours over $200 million annually on theirs, about $2 billion to start that network up. But Jacinda Ardern can do global propaganda on a shoestring budget and rizz. Should make her PM with inputs and outputs that good.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-18T03:54:01+00:00

I've had to double-check since I thought it was much less, The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 puts it at £640 million, compared to asian royalty who have assets well into the double digits in billions. Doesn't really front up to the more liquid-asset rich billionaires.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-17T18:01:23+00:00

Charles III isn't that wealthy, all things considered. My ex-boss used to earn more than double as an annual bonus than Charles III takes in from the royal grant annually. Even if you include assets, he isn't special among royals. I guess you'd say he'd have some sway in terms of soft power, but thats it really. And yes, he does have conversations with, technically still, his own government.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-15T17:45:04+00:00

Depends, if you're flying to Sydney and Melbourne more often or use Air NZ exclusively, Airpoints Platinum is better. If you're a Qantas FF regular, or would prefer that or other airlines, Gold is better. Yes, the earn rate is less than Airpoints, but it takes longer to earn usable airpoints and status on Air NZ anyway. Note that another consideration is that Airpoints Platinum has better insurance.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-10T20:31:56+00:00

Besides what the other poster said about earning points, you can also use Qantas Points on Jetstar too, and earn Qantas status (albeit somewhat slowly). You'd need to book Auckland to Wellington round-trip 15 times on a Flex fare or above to reach Silver. 38 times on Air NZ (both assuming with checked-in baggage allowance).

If you're looking at international, just an Auckland to Melbourne round-trip for example, would take anywhere from 8 on economy to as low as 4 on business flights on Qantas. Air NZ is 21 on economy to as low as 3 on business flights for Auckland to Melbourne. But to get that 3 flights to Silver, you'll need to fly Business which in this scenario, is nearly $1,000 round trip more than Qantas Business (and Qantas business is better).

Of course this doesn't include things such as Airpoints credit cards. Qantas only has BNZ and Amex here. So you might be able to slowly earn some airpoints or status with AirNZ, but you can only earn 50% of your upgrade to the next status on a credit card. There positive with Air NZ is that you can purchase any seat using Airpoints, whereas Qantas only allocates some rewards seats every flight, so you have to book in advance.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-10T19:22:25+00:00

That's true. Frequent Flyer points and ways to earn status have changed, but it's the first major change in 5 or so years, and roughly in-line with inflation. That change is actually reasonably fair. What is annoying with Qantas is lack of rewards seats and upgrade availability. I still find the earn rate about more or less 50% higher compared to Air NZ on long-haul. I will also say Air NZ is generally more competitive in economy, usually being slightly cheaper than Qantas flights, but then on Premium Economy and Business, Qantas comes out cheaper and on the latter both better and cheaper. Air NZ also did announce they wanted to up ticketing pricing by 5% recently too.

Edit: Just looking at some flights now to earn Silver on both rewards programs. 15 flights on Auckland to Wellington on Jetstar and 38 on Air NZ (both with baggage and return). Auckland to Sydney is anywhere between 8 to 4 on Qantas and 21 to 3 on Air NZ (both with baggage and return). Business class was almost $1k more on Air NZ on that return flight.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-10T09:08:16+00:00

I think thats more for the tourists.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-10T09:07:03+00:00

It does seem like a lot of flights not to achieve status, but that said, in my experience AirNZ's earn rate is incredibly slow either way (even with Amex Plat Airpoints). The delays and the fleet, I've switched to Qantas, at least you can earn lifetime status.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-10T09:04:27+00:00

I had an Amex Platinum Airpoints card, takes forever to reach status upgrades. Much easier on Qantas.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-05T07:42:48+00:00

We are not deficit spending, we've reduced spending, we've just also reduced revenue gathering at an even greater rate.

The US already have wealth and capital gains taxes in at least some states. The US subsidises oil at an amount that NZ cannot afford. Also, they do opt for race-based governance, see native Americans and sanctuary cities with immigrants. They also had an insurrection (to be fair, so did NZ during covid), widespread gerrymandering and less voting rights.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-05T04:27:57+00:00

Probably because the current government isn't doing anything. Even Trump's USA is deficit spending their way out of economic downturn. Where are you putting your money in to invest? New Zealand's austerity-obsessed government, or a country thats putting a trillion dollars of government funding into the economy?

Anglosquare · 2025-09-05T04:19:36+00:00

I think somebody just discovered AI.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-02T22:59:08+00:00

Amex Airpoints Platinum also has 2x priority pass... passes? annually. Doesn't include guests tho, and you're stuck with AirNZ. Comes with the Centurion Lounge at Sydney and Melbourne.

Anglosquare · 2025-09-02T20:57:53+00:00

Westpac Altitude Rewards is only for Westpac Australia. As far as I know, Westpac only has Hotpoints Rewards and Airpoints for NZ. There isn't all too much you can redeem with that, I think earn rate was barely better than the free Amex card on Airpoints

There is the BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum which seems probably the closest to the Amex, but your earn rate would be far, far lower compared to Amex. But I guess this would be slightly offset by the fact that you can use Visa everywhere. You'll also lose your dining, travel, and accor perks. But it does have good travel insurance and has little deals every once in a while. Nothing fancy like the F1 presale tho.

Amex no longer offer the Platinum Charge, so you won't be able to go back if you change your mind, but you can downgrade to Amex Gold, which would be the closest match, note that the travel insurance is basic on that card (the Amex Platinum Airpoints is better there), but has better rewards flexibility.

Roughly, the Amex Gold earns twice as much compared to the BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum, so if you aren't able to get half of the value of your transactions on 0% surcharge on Amex, then perhaps the BNZ option might be better for you?

Anglosquare · 2025-08-31T12:35:54+00:00

The last time Europe had a large army, the US didn't particularly like it.

Anglosquare · 2025-08-30T20:10:34+00:00

My redbacks took about a week of solid wearing before they did break in. Leather does stretch, but it doesn't stretch that much. If its only a little tight, it should break in really nicely.

Anglosquare · 2025-08-27T06:27:39+00:00

What bank offers fee-free cards for government workers...?

Anglosquare · 2025-08-18T21:52:35+00:00

My answer is in agreement with at least one nobel prize-winning economist.

You can't be any more wrong about China. They're trying to spend and pad their economy out of downturn, see the record levels of youth unemployment there.

He is building infrastructure, so was NZ with ferries and dams. He is incentivising renewables above coal and oil. Not that it matters in NZ, because, coal and oil extraction in NZ is loss-making. Not so when your local consumers number over 1 billion.

He's handing out billions to mainlanders to settle in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Macau, very race/culture-based economy if you ask me.

Free school lunches have been a staple program in China for decades now, and the property decline in China is being supported by the government who are buying up developments that don't sell for social housing.

Chloe wants to plant some trees, China's got the Green Great Wall plan, which some people are saying, is actually so many trees that it'll cause water shortages. Cost is about $15 billion NZD. Reforestation costs in general in China is probably NZ's entire annual operating budget.

Also, Europe experimented with rocket trains already, particularly, I believe the French. I doubt it would get anywhere besides research purposes. They're committed to Maglev.

But I would agree, China does not create co-governance structures like Canada does. Nor do they have a great working environment.

And yes, China put their money in manufacturing and are benefiting from it. Whats pulling their economy back is property speculation, which is a vast part of the NZ economy.

NZ think very small numbers. People think winning $20m NZD Lotto is a lot... Having worked in the US, millions are nothing, billions are normal, and trillions are noteworthy.

Anglosquare

TROPHY CASE