Environmental Rewards
Support vital conservation work with your daily spend.0.25% Contribution
0.25% of all Visa Credit Card Spend goes to conservation projects.Creating Habitat
Supporting the creation of protected habitat for threatened speciesPartners
Partnering with Zoos Victoria, Trust for Nature and Odonata Foundation through Carbon LandscapesSimple & Transparent Contributions to Conservation
At First Option Bank, we firmly believe that businesses can lead the way in driving meaningful change, especially when action from other government and the public sector is slow. We're proud to collaborate with Carbon Landscapes and other like-minded organizations that focus on making a difference without unnecessary fanfare. Our Environmental Rewards Program was created in this spirit.
How It Works
Our program is designed to be straightforward and impactful. When you use your First Option Low-Rate Visa credit card, you directly contribute to funding conservation initiatives run by our trusted partners. Here's how:
- Contribution Model: For every dollar spent using your First Option Visa credit card, 0.25% of the transaction value is directed to support these programs.
- Transparency: We track the spending and transfer the funds on behalf of our members. At the end of each year, we report the amount contributed, and actively work with our partner organisations to maximise the impact of our contributions.
No Additional Costs
Joining the Environmental Rewards Program doesn’t cost you a cent—there are no extra fees, charges, or hidden costs. You simply contribute by choosing to use your First Option Bank Visa Credit Card for all your spending.
Want to Make a Bigger Impact?
Increasing your contribution is simple: use your First Option Visa credit card for more of your purchases.
If you don’t yet have a First Option Low-Rate Visa credit card, applying is quick and easy.
Low-rate Visa credit card
- Low purchase interest rate of 10.49% pa*
- Interest free period up to 45 days
- Annual fee just $48 per year
Supporting Conservation
With support from First Option Bank, Carrbon Landscapes is working in partnership with Zoos Victoria and Trust for Nature to determine if our Telopea Downs property can support threatened species, such as the Mallee Emu-wren and their habitat requirements.
Carbon Landscapes is undertaking flora and fauna surveys on the property to ensure that the area is suitable for this threatened species as well as other target species. Current survey results are already indicating that Telopea Downs is a nature haven for many threatened species, including a stable population of Malleefowl, a species listed as endangered in Victoria.
Protecting Threatened Species
Weighing only 4 grams, the Mallee Emu-Wren is a weak flyer and is particularly vulnerable to bushfires. Unable to cross large, open areas, the species has disappeared from large parts of its former range. The birds spend most of their time close to the ground in dense cover, darting between patches of Mallee spinifex. Zoos Victoria estimates there are between 7,500 and 35,500 birds left in the wild, placing the species in the endangered category.
The Big Desert Wilderness Park was once a stronghold for the Mallee Emu-wren. The Telopea Downs Nature Haven Project aims to reintroduce individuals of this species into the National Park, to increase the Park’s existing population.
Zoos Victoria estimates there are between 7,500 and 35,500 birds left in the wild, placing the species in the endangered category.
Carbon neutral business
First Option Bank partners with trace (@our_trace) to create a Climate Positive Workforce. This means we have measured the carbon emissions of our employees while they’re at work and offset those emissions through certified carbon credits and tree planting. We are passionate about sustainability and we do what we can to minimise our impact on our planet.