Qantas American Express Ultimate Card

This is an impressive frequent flyer credit card that offers 110,000 bonus Qantas Points, a $200 statement credit and a yearly Qantas travel credit.

The Qantas American Express Ultimate earns up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on everyday purchases with no points cap – and 1 additional point per $1 for spending with Qantas. If you’re new to Amex, you can boost your Qantas Frequent Flyer balance with 110,000 bonus Qantas Points and a $200 statement credit when you apply for this card online by 27 October 2021 and spend at least $3,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months.

This Amex card also gives you a $450 Qantas Travel Credit every year, which you could use to justify the $450 annual fee. Its other perks include 2 complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations and 2 American Express lounge invitations every year, complimentary travel insurance and a complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership.

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Amy Bradney-George

Last Updated May 19, 2021

110,000

Bonus points

20.74% p.a.

Purchase rate

1.25

Reward points

Per $ spent

$450 p.a.

Annual fee

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Details

Product Name	Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
Rewards program	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Purchase rate	20.74% p.a.
Annual fee	$450
Interest-free period	Up to 44 days on purchases
Min credit limit	$3,000
Max credit limit	$50,000
Card type	American Express
Foreign currency conversion fee	3%

Minimum income	$65,000
Available to temporary residents	Yes - Conditions apply
Joint application	No

Pros

110,000 bonus Qantas Points and a $200 statement credit
Up to 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases in Australia, uncapped
$450 Qantas Travel Credit each year, plus complimentary travel insurance cover
2 complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations each year
Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership

Cons

High annual fee of $450
High 20.74% p.a. interest rate for purchases
Only offers up to 44 days interest-free on purchases, compared to other cards that offer 55 days

Rewards program	Qantas Frequent Flyer
Bonus points	110,000
Rewards points per $ spent	1.25
Rewards points cap	Uncapped

Annual fee	$450
Minimum monthly repayment	2.5% of the closing balance or $30, whichever is greater
Late payment fee	$30
Foreign currency conversion fee	3%
Additional cardholder fee	$0
Number of additional cardholders	4

Go to American Express's site More info

Review by

Amy Bradney-George

amy.bradney-george@finder.com

Amy Bradney-George has been writing about personal finance for more than 13 years – including over 600 articles as a senior writer for Finder. Her work has also appeared in publications including Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, Financy, ABC News Australia and Equity Magazine. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University.

Expert review

The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card currently boasts a big 110,000 bonus Qantas Points offer. To give you an idea of your points potential, you could book a return business class trip from Sydney to Alice Springs or Melbourne to Darwin (both 83,000 points). Or, redeem the points for $525 worth of Woolworths WISH digital gift cards through the Qantas Store (108,720 points for two $250 gift cards and one $25 gift card).

The Qantas Amex Ultimate is also packed with extra features like lounge passes, complimentary travel insurance, an annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit and additional points per $1 spent on Qantas products and services. This card has a relatively high annual fee and interest rate for purchases, so you would need to use some of these extras to make sure you got the most value from it.

How to apply

If you've compared frequent flyer credit cards and decided on the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card, you can apply online in around 10 minutes and may get a response within 60 seconds. Before you get started, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria and have all the essential documents and details to complete the application.

Eligibility criteria

Minimum income. You must earn a minimum of $65,000 per year.
Residency. You must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or hold a current long term visa (12 months or more). Student visas are not eligible.

New cardholder. The introductory offer on this card is only available if you have not held another card issued by American Express in the past 18 months.
Age. You must be at least 18 years old.
Credit history. You must not have a history of bad debt or payment defaults. If you don't know your credit score or what's on your file, you can get a free copy of your credit report through Finder.

Required documents

Personal documents. This covers your full name, email address, date of birth, driver's licence number, marital status, number of dependants and contact number.
Frequent flyer number. You'll need to provide your Qantas Frequent Flyer number to collect points with this card. If you're not a Qantas Frequent Flyer member yet, check out our guide on how to join for free.
Employment details. This includes your current income, employment status, job title and your employer's contact details. You may also be asked for recent payslips, your most recent tax return or your accountant's contact details (particularly if you're self-employed).
Financial details. As well as your income, provide details of your savings, shares or other assets. You also need to include details of any existing debts and credit accounts, as well as estimates of your regular household expenses.

Go to American Express' site More info

Card benefits

Bonus Qantas Points. You'll get 110,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply for a new card by 27 October 2021, get approved and spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases within the first 3 months. Note that eligible purchases include most everyday spending but do not include cash advances, interest, fees and charges or traveller's cheques and foreign currencies.
$200 statement credit. When you meet the spend requirement for the bonus Qantas Points offer, you'll also get $200 back on your account. Both the bonus points and the statement credit will be added to your account within 8 to 10 weeks of meeting the spend requirement.

Shop Small points offer. Earn extra 3 Qantas Points per $1 spent and support small businesses. Just save the American Express Shop Small offer to your card and spend with participating businesses by 31 March 2022. The offer is valid both in store and online and you can earn a maximum total of 40,000 extra points. Check out Finder's news story on Shop Small for a breakdown of how it works.
Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership. Enjoy free delivery on all orders within Australia, 3 points per $1 spent on wine (in addition to the points earned through your card) and exclusive member offers through Qantas Wine. Note that you need to enter your complimentary membership code in the "apply promo code" field at the checkout to reduce your membership price to $0 (instead of $99).
$450 Qantas Travel Credit. The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card rewards you with a $450 Qantas Travel Credit each year, which you can use for eligible international or domestic Qantas flights booked through American Express Travel. You can redeem the travel credit in the first year you have the card, providing you have paid your first statement for the account. In subsequent years, you can redeem it after the anniversary date of opening the account, as long as you have paid the annual fee for that year and your account is not overdue. When making a booking, you need to log in to your account and select "Use Travel Credit" on the checkout page.
Airport lounge passes. This card gives you two complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations after your first card spend each anniversary year when paying for selected Qantas products and services in Australia. You will also receive two entries to the American Express Lounge at Sydney International (Kingsford Smith) Airport T1 or Melbourne International Airport T2 each year.
Uncapped Qantas Points per $1 spent. Regardless of how much you spend each month, you'll earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on most purchases made with this card, except for spending with government bodies in Australia, which will earn you 0.5 points per $1 spent.
Additional point per $1 for Qantas spending. Book Qantas flights with a QF flight number through qantas.com.au or pay for Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qantas Club membership joining/annual fees to collect 1 additional point per $1 spent. This gives you a way to earn up to 2.25 points per $1 spent.
Mobile payment technology. Enjoy a simpler way of paying in stores or within participating apps. Simply hold your iPhone, Samsung or Android device near the contactless reader to make transactions.

Rates & fees

Annual fee. This card charges a $450 annual fee.
Interest rate. The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card charges an interest rate of 20.74% p.a. on purchases.

Interest-free period. If you pay your balance in full by the due date on each statement, you can enjoy up to 44 interest-free days on purchases.
Additional cards. You can get up to 4 additional cards for anyone over 18 years of age. Additional cards don't attract an extra fee and additional card members can earn Qantas Points too. However, you will be responsible for managing the account and card balance.
Foreign transaction fee. A 3% fee applies for transactions made in a foreign currency overseas or online.

Go to American Express' site More info

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164 Comments

Graeme
January 20, 2020

Does being a secondary cardholder count as being a cardholder in the past 18 months?

Nikki
January 21, 2020

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for your comment and I hope you are doing well.

As a secondary cardholder, all charges, rewards, and other activities of a secondary cardholder goes to record for the primary cardholder. This means, if you are looking to apply for a credit card, your usage as a secondary cardholder will not be visible and will not show when you apply for a credit card of your own.

Hope this helps and feel free to reach out to us again for further assistance.

Best,
Nikki

Hayley
November 11, 2019

If I’m a secondary cardholder on someone else’s AMEX account, will this disqualify me from the introductory points offer?

finder Customer Care

Joshua
November 11, 2019

Hi Hayley,

Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. 😃

That’s an interesting question.

The answer is no, it won’t disqualify you.

Authorized users are eligible to earn a new card sign-up bonus on the same card if they decide to apply in the future. Only primary cardholders are restricted from earning the sign-up bonus on a specific AMEX card once per lifetime.

I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers,
Joshua

Alex
October 1, 2019

Is there a minimum time you have to hold the card to receive the Qantas points and $450 travel credits?

Ash
October 2, 2019

Hi Alex,

Thanks for contacting Finder.

Yes, you need to have the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card for at least a year as the $450 travel credits can be used starting from your anniversary date until the rest of the current year.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Ash

John
September 22, 2019

For the Amex Qantas credit card, when can I start using the $450 travel credit? Is it only after having the credit card for 1 year, or can it be used within the first year of having the card?
Thanks.

Ash
September 22, 2019

Hi John,

Thanks for contacting Finder.

You can redeem the $450 travel credit after you have paid your first statement in the first year you have the card. You can redeem it within 365 days of opening the card. In subsequent years, you can redeem the travel credit after the anniversary date on which you opened your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card account. Please note that you must pay the account’s annual fee for each year before you can redeem the travel credit.

I hope this has clarify it.

Please do not hesitate to reach out again if you have additional questions.

Cheers,
Ash

jenny
August 30, 2019

Can I use the card on any purchases such as groceries/clothing etc like a normal credit card?

Ash
August 31, 2019

Hi Jenny,

Thank you for contacting Finder.

Yes, you can use the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card to make purchases as long as the merchant/ store accepts American Express card/s. This is a Credit Card so you will be having an approved Credit Limit which you can use for your spendings.

I hope this helps.

Please do not hesitate to send us another correspondence if you have additional questions.

Cheers,
Ash

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Qantas American Express Ultimate Card