Collect up to 75,000 bonus points and earn up to 1.5 Qantas Points per dollar spent with the best* credit cards for earning Qantas Frequent Flyer points.
Are you a Qantas Frequent Flyer? If so, you could give your points balance a boost by earning Qantas Points on everyday purchases with a Qantas Frequent Flyer credit card. As there are many competitive Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards on the market, you can use this guide to compare your options and to find the card that will offer you the most rewards. Read on to compare a range of Qantas credit cards based on their earn rates, bonus points offers, interest rates and fees to find a card that matches your spending habits and rewards goals.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Card Offer
Receive 75,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply online and meet the minimum spend criteria plus enjoy a waived annual fee for the first year.
- $0 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($425 p.a. thereafter)
- 19.99% p.a. on purchases
- Cash Advance Rate of 21.49% p.a.
- Up to 55 days interest free
- Minimum Income Requirement of $75,000 p.a.
Compare Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards
Rates last updated June 29th, 2017.
Jonathan
The best* credit cards to earn Qantas Points
| Credit Card | Bonus Points | Points per $1 spent | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANZ Frequent Flyer Black | 75,000 | 1 | $0 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($425 p.a. thereafter) |
| ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum | 50,000 | 0.75 | $0 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($295 p.a. thereafter) |
| HSBC Platinum Qantas Card | 60,000 | 1 | $199 p.a. |
| Westpac Altitude Black | 80,000 | 1.25 | $195 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($395 p.a. thereafter) |
How to find the best* credit card for earning Qantas Frequent Flyer points
When comparing Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards, it’s important to consider the following factors:
- Direct or indirect earn card. There are two types of credit cards you can use when it comes to earning Qantas points:
- Direct earn Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards are directly linked to your Qantas membership account, such that you automatically earn Qantas points as you spend, with points credited periodically.
- Indirect earn credit cards usually let you earn points with your card provider’s rewards program first. You can then manually convert these into Qantas points and transfer them to your Qantas membership account later. Learn more about converting rewards points to Qantas points in our guide to transferring frequent flyer points.
Depending on your needs, you may prefer one to the other. For instance, you’d choose a direct earn credit card if your sole wish was to acquire Qantas points. You may, however, prefer an indirect earn credit card if you’d like the option of redeeming other rewards and don’t mind the inconvenience of having to convert and transfer your points to Qantas when necessary.
- Earn rate per dollar. A card’s earn rate is simply the number of points you receive for every dollar spent on eligible purchases. When comparing earn rates, do note that a card may charge a higher annual fee for a better earn rate. You should always consider if a card’s fees are worth its earn rate in the context of how much you are likely to spend in a year and how many points that would earn you.
- Bonus sign-up offers. The introductory bonus offer is an attractive “freebie” that credit card providers use to entice you to their card. This is a one-off promotion that new cardholders are entitled to, usually framed as a bonus points giveaway if you fulfill certain requirements within a certain amount of time. For example, earn 70,000 Qantas points if you make your first eligible purchase within three months of card approval.
- Points limitations. Your ability to earn points could be limited in one of two ways:
- Capping is when your credit card imposes an upper limit on the number of frequent flyer points you can earn within a period. For example, you can only earn a maximum of 50,000 Qantas points in a year, or you can earn two Qantas points per $1 spent up to 6,000 Qantas points a month (after which you only earn one point per $1).
- Expiry automatically happens after your Qantas Frequent Flyer account experiences 18 months of inactivity. However, this won’t happen as long as you continue to use any credit card linked to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account, as you only need to earn one point in order for your account to stay active.
- Interest rates. As always, a credit card’s interest rate plays a huge part in determining its suitability for you. If you are not one to carry an outstanding balance, this may be less of a consideration. Otherwise, lower is always better since you don’t want to be accruing debt in the form of interest just to earn frequent flyer points.
- Annual fee. Some cards come with zero annual fees but lack the benefits you may wish for. High annual fees usually accompany premium features such as a higher earn rate, complimentary travel insurance, airport lounge access and more. When deciding on a card, you may wish to do some simple calculations to see if the card’s annual fee is worth the benefits you’ll derive from it. Unfortunately, intangible benefits like airport lounge access and personal courier services may be difficult to measure against dollars and cents.
- Other fees. Do thorough research and consider the other fees you may incur with your chosen credit card. Fees you may encounter include a joining fee, administrative or account fees and even ATM fees when it comes to withdrawing cash. Accumulated miscellaneous fees tend to outweigh the benefits of a card, so it is wise to know what you might be paying for.
- Extra features. As mentioned above, some cards come with more frills than others. Premium services such as travel and medical insurance benefits, airport lounge access, personal concierge services and more usually cost more in the way of annual fees. Carefully consider if these are perks you’ll use and if they justify the higher card cost.
Questions to ask yourself before applying for a Qantas Frequent Flyer credit card
Since there’s no perfect credit card that will satisfy everyone’s needs across the board, you should consider your own habits and preferences when choosing your card:
- How much do I spend on my card?
This is a highly pertinent question, because your expenditure determines when you will break even by earning enough frequent flyer points to offset your annual fee.
How much does Angela need to spend to be rewarded?
Angela got a credit card with a $200 annual fee so that she could earn Qantas points at a rate of two points per $1 spent. She wants to earn enough points for an Economy flight from Sydney to Tokyo. According to our Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Analysis, this fight redemption values one Qantas point at about 0.757 cents (given that the $512 flight costs 67,600 Qantas points). This means that Angela needs to earn at least 26,420 Qantas points to break even, which equates to spending above $13,210 in the year.
If you’re a low spender, it may be advisable to get a card with zero or low annual fees, as it would be hard for you to earn enough rewards points to justify the cost of your card. It does also depend on how and when you use your rewards points, as different rewards are priced to value your Qantas points very differently.
How to get the most value out of your Qantas Frequent Flyer points
- Are my purchases eligible purchases?
Make sure that you’re considering only eligible purchases when making your preliminary cost-benefit calculations. Not all transactions earn you rewards or frequent flyer points, and these commonly don’t:
- Cash advances. You don’t earn Qantas points or rewards points on ATM withdrawals, cashouts or gambling transactions.
- Credit card repayments or fees. You can’t earn points for paying off your credit card balances or credit card fees.
- Balance transfers. Transferring a loan balance isn’t eligible for earning points.
- Government charges. Government charges such as stamp duty and fines are not eligible purchases either.
- Is Qantas my primary airline of choice?
This may be the most important question to ask yourself. There is no incentive or reason to be earning Qantas points if you prefer a different airline. Expand your options by comparing other Frequent Flyer Credit Cards if that’s the case.
When comparing options, it’s useful to bear in mind your own needs and spending habits. This way, you won’t be swayed by less relevant factors and can effectively pick the right Qantas Frequent Flyer credit card for you.
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I am currently with NAB and have the NAB Platinum AMEX and VISA. I spend about $7,000 a month with about $5,000 on AMEX and $2,000 on visa. With the changes to NAB Rewards, I am unsure the $250 bucks a year fee is worth it.
Hi Chris!
You can read our full guide about the 2017 rewards card changes and see which one would work for you.
Should you be interested for a balance transfer, you can also get them right here. Click “Go to Site” green button of your chosen card to proceed with your application.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
I signed up for a Citibank Prestige card because of the extra points I could earn but now I’ve heard that they are reducing it significantly. I read somewhere it is getting harder to earn points with all the cards very soon. Is it worth changing?
Hi Glen!
Thanks for the comment.
Your personal circumstance and other preferences usually determine your decision which card to use, let alone keep. You may take a look at the summary for the changes bank will implement on their rewards program this year.
WE have also created a page for the changes of credit card usage that will happen.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
What to you think about the new Qantas credit card? I looked at the T&C, But still not sure. What is the good and bad? Can you help?
Hi Barry,
Thanks for reaching out to us. Please note that we are not affiliated with Qantas or any company we feature on our site and so we can only offer a general advice.
For Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards, you can use this guide to understand how the cards work, for tips to compare Qantas credit cards and everything you need to know to get the most out of your frequent flyer credit card and rewards. You can also check out Qantas Card on this page which you can also earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points as you spend.
Hope this information helped.
Cheers,
Rench
Hello
Not sure if this has been asked before, how long does it take to see the points on your QFF that you’ve earned from using ANZ Platinum card?
Hi Lanie,
Thanks for your question.
Points earned by using card account are credited to Your Qantas Frequent Flyer account after each statement period. You can check your points balance and points activity at Qantas’ website. Please note that only whole Points are credited. Portions of points are carried over until they can be credited as whole Points.
I hope this has helped.
Cheers,
Liezl
Hi, i can spend up to #100k a month on business transactions, is there a cap on the amount of points that you can earn on the ANZ black?
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your inquiry.
In general, you can only spend based on the approved credit limit. You can check and compare the available providers that is right for you through this page.
I hope this information has helped.
Cheers,
Harold
WHATIS THE VALUE OF A POINT OR 1000 POINTS
Hi Harry,
Thanks for your question.
If you want to know the value of your Qantas points, you may check our guide on this page and this page.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Anndy
Can you cancel the card within the 12 months to avoid the fee, but still get the points?
Hi Jackie,
Yes, you can actually cancel your credit card at anytime so long no outstanding balance left on the card. The frequent flyer points typically are being credited to the account within three months after you met the spending criteria, so it’s okay to cancel after getting the points.
Cheers,
May
Hi there!
How many points does my Westpac Platinum credit card that is connected to my frequent flyer program make per dollar spent with MasterCard?
Also, to check, this card gives me 3 months travel insurance too, right? And how much is the yearly fee? And does the American Express card that comes with it earn points per dollar spent?
I wonder how the Westpac Altitude Black card would differ?
Kindest regards,
Julia
Hi Julia,
Thank you for your enquiry.
If you are referring to Westpac Altitude Platinum Credit Card, you can earn 1 Altitude points, if you opt for Altitude Rewards program, or 0.5 Qantas point, if you opt for Altitude Qantas rewards program, per dollar spent on eligible purchases with Visa/MasterCard. The companion American Express credit card that came with it could earn you 2 Altitude points or 1 Qantas points per dollar spent on eligible purchases.
The annual fee of this card is $150 p.a. Please check out this link for more information on Westpac Altitude Platinum Credit Card.
Please check out this link to compare the features and rewards offered by the Westpac Altitude Black credit card.
You also get a wide range of insurance covers with your Westpac Altitude credit cards. Please check out this link for Westpac Credit Card Complimentary Insurance.
I hope this helps,
Kind regards,
Jason
Can I sign up for a credit card for only one year, and then resign with another credit card provider? So benefit from no annual fee?
Hi Karen,
Thank you for your inquiry.
With credit cards, you can actually cancel at anytime, so long that you do not have the remaining outstanding balance on the card, you can go ahead and close your account. Please note though that if you will apply for several credit cards for a short period of time, or keep on changing credit cards every now and then, that will reflect on your credit file and several enquiries may be recorded in it which in turn could impact your credit rating.
Cheers,
May
Can I cancel my credit card within 12 months and keep my points that were on offer for signing up.
Hi Brett,
Thanks for reaching out.
Generally, you can cancel a card at any time, provided you follow the right procedures listed here.
If the points are already credited in your account, you can keep them even if you cancel the card. However, if you cancel before receiving the points in your account, you may no longer be eligible to receive it.
Please make sure though to read the relevant PDS/ T&Cs of the card to learn more about its rewards/frequent flyer program.
Cheers,
Anndy