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Mastercard Debit Cards

Compare debit Mastercards here with Savvy so you can confidently find a card that perfectly fits your spending needs.

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, updated on September 13th, 2023       

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Compare debit cards

If you are looking for a debit card, use our table to compare Australia's best debit card offers with $0 monthly fees, free ATM withdrawals, cashback offers, budgeting apps, security features and much more. Start your debit card search with us now.

site-logos Up Everyday Account
  Monthly Account Fee Features Card Type ATM Fee Interest Rate  
site-logos $0
  • PayId,
  • Osko,
  • Samsung Pay,
  • Apple Pay,
  • Google Wallet,
 		Mastercard $0 0%
Go to site
Go to site

Use invite code SAVVY10 for $10 upon successful sign-up. (Refer to offer T&Cs on Up website)

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site-logos ING Orange Everyday
  Monthly Account Fee Features Card Type ATM Fee Interest Rate  
site-logos $0
  • PayId,
  • Apple Pay,
  • Google Wallet,
 		Visa $0 0%
Read review
Read review

Rebates on ATM fees anywhere in Oz. No ING international transaction fees. Zero monthly fees.

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site-logos NAB Classic Banking Account
  Monthly Account Fee Features Card Type ATM Fee Interest Rate  
site-logos $0
  • PayId,
  • Samsung Pay,
  • Apple Pay,
  • Google Wallet,
 		Visa $0 0.01%
Read review
Read review

No monthly account fees ever, with no conditions. Free use at over 7,000 ATMs around Australia. No overdrawn fees if you happen to go over your account balance. Open an account in less than 7 minutes.

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site-logos St.George Complete Freedom Account
  Monthly Account Fee Features Card Type ATM Fee Interest Rate  
site-logos $0
  • Samsung Pay,
  • Apple Pay,
  • Google Wallet,
 		Visa $0 0%
Read review
Read review

Get $40 with a new Complete Freedom everyday bank account.

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site-logos Westpac Choice
  Monthly Account Fee Features Card Type ATM Fee Interest Rate  
site-logos $5
  • Samsung Pay,
  • Apple Pay,
  • Google Wallet,
 		Mastercard $0 $0
Read review
Read review

Westpac Choice for easy day-to-day banking

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Disclaimer: Savvy is not advising or recommending any particular product to you. We provide general information on products for the purposes of comparison, but your personal situation or goals are not considered here. Although we try to make our comparisons as thorough as possible, we do not have information on all products on the market on our site.

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Mastercard debit cards explained​

Are you thinking of getting a new debit card and want to know what the differences are between various types of Mastercards? Savvy can help you choose which type of Mastercard will be the best one for your needs. You can compare a range of cards here with Savvy and compare card features so you’re able to choose the best card for your needs with confidence. Start the process with us today and get the wheels in motion on your new card before you know it.

What is Mastercard and what services do they offer?

Mastercard holds the title of the world’s second largest financial payment services company (behind Visa), with an estimated 200 million people around the world owning one of their cards. They are a fintech company that facilitates payments between customers, merchants and banks in over 210 countries.

As well as providing a payment network to move money around, they supply a wide range of cards to banks and other financial institutions and retailers. Their cards include credit and debit cards, prepaid, travel and gift cards.

Mastercard does not extend credit or issue cards directly to the public, but rather has a co-branding relationship with a large number of banks, financial institutions and retailers around the world. These partners, in turn, issue Mastercards to their own customers, and pay Mastercard a data processing service fee to use their payment network. This fee is based on the volume or dollar value of transactions made, and is the main source of Mastercard’s income worldwide.

The cashback offers and rewards that come with various Mastercards are determined by the bank or financial authority issuing the card, rather than by Mastercard itself.

What features of a debit Mastercard should I compare?

When choosing a new debit card, it’s important to ensure the bank account linked to the card is suitable for your banking needs. Read the terms and conditions carefully so you understand how the bank account works. These are some of the other features of a debit card you should consider:

Fees

Although most debit cards are issued fee-free, there can be fees associated with the use of the card. Watch out for overdrawn fees if you accidentally take your card balance into the red (often around $30 – $50), and also for foreign transaction fees and ATM fees charged if you use your card overseas.

Cashback offers

Some banks and financial institutions offer immediate cash back when you open a new transaction bank account and take out a linked debit Mastercard or Visa card.

Reward and frequent flyer points

These are offered by individual banks and financial institutions to attract new customers to spend their money. These benefits range from frequent flyer points and other airline reward points, to unique deals on concert and movie tickets, and special offers on PayTV and subscriptions. It pays to compare the various reward programmes and choose one that will benefit you the most without requiring you to alter your regular spending habits. Choose a reward program affiliated with your favourite supermarket and airline so that you can maximise your points just through regular spending and paying bills.

Withdrawal and spending limits

Many debit Mastercards have daily withdrawal and transaction limits. For example, there may be a daily transaction limit of $2,000, or a $1,000 cash withdrawal limit at ATMs. If you contact your bank via online banking or a mobile app, you can frequently request an increase in these daily limits. If raising your limit is not an option, you might have to spread out your larger withdrawals or payments across several days.

Security and purchase protection

Make sure your debit card can be locked through online banking or a mobile app. It is better to be able to do this immediately yourself, rather than having to phone a card fraud hotline if your card is lost or stolen. Also, compare what additional purchase protection is offered with your debit Mastercard. This card protection can reimburse you if an item you purchase is stolen or damaged in transit. Some protection schemes also increase the length of the warranty offered on a purchased item.

How do debit Mastercards compare to other types of cards?

These are the main differences between debit cards, credit cards, travel cards, prepaid debit cards and gift cards:

  • Debit Mastercards – are linked to an everyday bank account, and are issued free with the bank account. You can only spend the funds available in that linked account.
  • Credit Mastercards – are a type of credit card issued under a credit agreement, only after the customer’s credit details have been checked. They often have fees attached, and are not automatically linked to a specific bank account. Being a credit product, they are only available in Australia to adults aged over 18 years.
  • Travel Mastercards – these cards can be credit or debit cards, and are designed specifically for use when travelling overseas. They frequently come with no overseas ATM fees or foreign transaction fees, and some can be preloaded with multiple currencies to avoid currency conversation fees for each transaction.
  • Prepaid Mastercards – this type of card is also not linked to a bank account, but can be repeatedly charged up with more money either directly from a bank account, or using another card. They can either be real plastic cards, or virtual cards which only exist in digital form. They can be used in the same way as a standard debit Mastercard. One of the disadvantages of a prepaid debit Mastercard is they often come with recharge and monthly fees, making them a more expensive option to a standard debit card.
  • Gift Mastercards – these are single use prepaid cards which can be loaded up with money and given as a gift. Unlike prepaid debit cards, they can’t be recharged or reloaded and so have to be thrown away once the funds on them have been used up. They also have an expiry date which is often printed on the front of the card. Any funds not spent by the expiry date are lost.

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More of your questions about Mastercard debit cards

At what age can I get a debit Mastercard?

Although each bank and financial institution has its own minimum age requirements, debit Mastercards can be issued to kids as young as nine years old. Such young children frequently require a joint account with a parent, but after turning 12, it’s possible for them to have their own bank account and associated Visa debit card.

What is a platinum debit Mastercard?

Platinum cards tend to offer a higher level of rewards and benefits than standard Mastercards. They are a more ‘elite’ form of card which some banks offer to customers who want a higher level of rewards and higher transaction limits. However, they often come in return for higher fees attached to the platinum debit or credit card.

Which digital wallets work with debit Mastercards?

Most digital wallets will allow you to add your debit Mastercard, either actual plastic cards or virtual Mastercards. Instead of a specific Visa or Mastercard, a digital wallet is linked to a particular type of device, like an Apple iPhone or Samsung phone or Fitbit wearable. Check a card's compatibility with the virtual wallet on your smartphone or wearable device before selecting a new debit card.

What’s the difference between a Visa card and a Mastercard?

The differences between a debit Visa and a debit Mastercard are minimal. Together these two rival companies issue more than 85% of all credit and debit cards in use today, but there’s not really much generic difference between them. According to their service agreements, banks and other financial institutions in Australia typically align with either one company or the other.

Do prepaid debit Mastercards have an expiry date?

Yes – both prepaid debit Mastercards and gift cards have an expiry date which is usually written on the front of the card. In the case of a debit card, this is often two to three years, but with a gift card it’s often just a year. If you don’t use the funds on the gift Mastercard before the expiry date, you’ll forfeit the money.

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Quantum Savvy Pty Ltd (ABN 78 660 493 194) trades as Savvy and operates as an Authorised Credit Representative 541339 of Australian Credit Licence 414426 (AFAS Group Pty Ltd, ABN 12 134 138 686). We are one of Australia’s leading financial comparison sites and have been helping Australians make savvy decisions when it comes to their money for over a decade.

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For more information about us and how we conduct our business, you can read our privacy policy and terms of use.

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Disclaimer and important things you should know

Quantum Savvy Pty Ltd (ABN 78 660 493 194) trades as Savvy and operates as an Authorised Credit Representative 541339 of Australian Credit Licence 414426 (AFAS Group Pty Ltd, ABN 12 134 138 686). We are one of Australia’s leading financial comparison sites and have been helping Australians make savvy decisions when it comes to their money for over a decade.

We’re partnered with lenders, insurers and other financial institutions who compensate us for business initiated through our website. We earn a commission each time a customer chooses or buys a product advertised on our site, which you can find out more about here, as well as in our credit guide for asset finance. It’s also crucial to read the terms and conditions, Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or credit guide of our partners before signing up for your chosen product. However, the compensation we receive doesn’t impact the content written and published on our website, as our writing team exercises full editorial independence.

For more information about us and how we conduct our business, you can read our privacy policy and terms of use.

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