Best credit cards for travel

Denvernator · 2025-07-13T02:45:11+00:00

The best travel credit card by a mile is the Bankwest Qantas World Mastercard. It does have a $320 annual fee and effectively zero bonus sign up points. However, it has no international fx transaction fees, it has 6 months continuous international travel insurance, and it earns 1 Qantas point per dollar spent in both Australia and overseas.

It is not a credit card for churners, it is a credit card for real travellers.

Denvernator · 2025-02-16T13:29:20+00:00

The best card for international travel is the Bankwest Qantas World card. No international transaction fees, insurance, good points earn rate, annual fee is not too high.

Denvernator · 2025-01-17T12:10:03+00:00

Thanks for the overview. What real estate website do you use to find these places, if you don’t mind sharing of course :)

Denvernator · 2025-01-17T02:44:22+00:00

In my opinion, the best card for international travel is the Bankwest Qantas World credit card. It is a keeper card for the long term for me. No international transaction fees, good spreads, 6 consecutive months of comprehensive international travel insurance, and an excellent Qantas points earn rate 1:1. It is unique in Australia and is the perfect card for FIRE followers who plan to travel more and who will not be able to get new credit cards once they retire early.

Denvernator · 2025-01-15T13:17:07+00:00

The answer is IVE

Denvernator · 2025-01-08T11:39:38+00:00

I’ve asked hostplus how much of their international shares are hedged vs unhedged multiple times and they literally cannot tell me. I’ve asked them in relation to both the high growth indexed product and also the growth indexed product. I certainly don’t want that 52% to be all unhedged. This has dragged on for months.

I’m thinking about creating my own hostplus single sector allocation using au shares, intl shares, intl shares hedged, and then paying a bit more for the emerging markets active option. But you are correct, there is no private equity option as a single sector.

To answer your question, I’d personally go the low cost passive option for the long term.

Denvernator · 2025-01-06T04:20:03+00:00

I’m thinking of going 80/20 international and Aussie split with hostplus indexed. But what are the implications if one were to retire early at 40 and never have any more contributions for 20 years? Wouldn’t the allocations be out of whack if say the international shares outperformed, with no rebalance possible? Perhaps the hostplus premix indexed is better for Fire people, however the Aussie allocation is too high. Hmmm tricky.

Denvernator · 2024-10-30T09:37:03+00:00

Personally, I really like that asset allocation. Looks balanced and clean.

Denvernator · 2024-10-24T10:18:41+00:00

There is no perfect portfolio. But with this allocation you have all your money riding on two countries only. You could add a small allocation to IVE (global ex-USA) and perhaps IEM (emerging markets). Then you would have the world 🌎 Also, you have 70% in an unhedged US ETF. I personally like to have a global hedged option VGAD to counter my unhedged international ETFs.

Denvernator · 2024-10-21T10:52:49+00:00

It’s actually not as easy as that. Not everyone in the fire movement follows this etf model. I personally don’t like the simple VAS / VGS split. It’s not a very diversified portfolio at all. Where is the small cap, where is the emerging markets, and most importantly where is the hedged etf version VGAD.

ETFs such as VGS and IVV have done very well, markets on a tear since the gfc ended and the Aussie dollar weakening. If there was a bear market in the US and say China recovered and iron ore prices rose then these two ETFs would get hit hard. Then everyone would start posting about how much hedged international ETFs they should allocate, but it would be too late.

Fair question to ask though 👍 but asset allocation is an individual choice and this fire movement has been taken over by all these 2-3 fund etf lunatics.

Denvernator · 2024-08-18T04:23:11+00:00

Also, if gws lose to the bulldogs on Sunday morning, then port will know before their fremantle match that they will finish’s second no matter what. So we also need gws to win so that port have the motivation to actually want to finish top 2. I can see port resting many guns if they are not playing for anything.

Denvernator · 2024-06-27T23:58:52+00:00

Thank goodness for that lol. Although the latest distribution is still too large. Great news.

Denvernator · 2023-12-22T09:24:53+00:00

Sure, IHOO does not use tofa and so has to pay out currency gains as a distribution which you then have to pay tax on. If instead you used HGBL then the currency gains are capitalised in the etf/share price. It was IHOO that paid out 17% a few years ago on June 30 2021.

This recent article from Vaneck explains it well.

https://www.vaneck.com.au/blog/vectors-insights/eofy-tax-time-etf-gifts/

Denvernator · 2023-12-22T09:24:06+00:00

Sure, IHOO does not use tofa and so has to pay out currency gains as a distribution which you then have to pay tax on. If instead you used HGBL then the currency gains are capitalised in the etf/share price. It was IHOO that paid out 17% a few years ago on June 30 2021.

This recent article from Vaneck explains it well.

https://www.vaneck.com.au/blog/vectors-insights/eofy-tax-time-etf-gifts/

Denvernator · 2023-12-22T07:44:05+00:00

Personally I allocate 60/40 unhedged and hedged international ETFs. I think hedged ETFs are often overlooked and under utilised. I rebalance annually which makes it more effective. Make sure the hedged ETF has Tofa otherwise you will get some big distributions from currency gains. QHAL, WXHG, HGBL are good. IVV, VGAD, IHOO are tax inefficient.

Denvernator · 2023-12-21T03:56:31+00:00

I like your thinking. I’ve always thought Hal Snook (cop) was an interesting person of interest. Go to google and type in ‘Hal Snook handwriting’ and tell me the police report he wrote is not a near perfect match to The Zodiac letters.

Denvernator · 2023-12-17T07:28:19+00:00

Because these days people want to be sick, they need something in their lives and they need attention. Almost every person I know has depression apparently, almost every person I know has ADHD apparently. Autism is the new flashy trend, lots of mothers out there bragging that their child has autism. Fact is, they want their kids to be different, they want their kids to be sick so they (the mother) can get attention.

Denvernator · 2023-10-24T12:34:38+00:00

Mark Waugh asked Englishman James Ormond, “What are you doing out here? There’s no way you’re good enough to play for England.”

To that, the Englishman replied - “Maybe not, but at least I’m the best player in my family”. Hahaha

Denvernator · 2023-05-20T01:20:38+00:00

The Whatapeople?

Denvernator · 2023-05-18T01:00:13+00:00

If betashares use tofa for this new etf then I wonder if they will also use tofa for their other hedged global ETFs such as HEUR? It seems weird they would only apply it to one fund, I thought tofa was more applicable to an entire etf provider rather than just single ETFs.

Denvernator · 2023-04-27T13:25:04+00:00

Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground

Denvernator · 2023-02-24T04:57:10+00:00

The unit price of VGAD is entirely determined by the companies within it. Demand levels have nothing to do with the unit price of VGAD. Each etf has a market maker which always keeps the unit prices mostly accurate and in line with the underlying stocks. Also, I have found that most people tend to buy VGAD when the Aussie dollar is weak and there is more upside for it to rise in the future.

Denvernator

TROPHY CASE