NAB cuts up its credit cards

John Kavanagh
NAB has trimmed its credit card portfolio, taking several cards off the market.

Comparison site Mozo reports that NAB's Low Rate Platinum, Rewards Classic and Qantas Rewards cards have all been withdrawn.

The bank's website lists seven credit card options, including a low rate card, two low fee cards, two rewards cards and two Qantas rewards cards. All are Visa cards.

In recent years the trend has been to scale back credit card offerings. A smaller portfolio makes administration simpler and saves costs. It is also easier for staff to sell a simpler product set.

It also reflects the fact that demand for credit cards is in decline. According to RBA data, the number of credit card accounts fell by 6.2 per cent over the past 12 months. The decline has been going on for several years.

Another issue is that banks just had too many cards. When Westpac undertook a simplification project in 2013, it reported that it had 350 products, including 24 credit cards, but just 22 products accounted for 90 per cent of new product sales.