Best frequent flyer credit cards

How we calculate Frequent Flyer Credit Card Finder Scores

Read full methodology

What different scores mean

9+

Excellent

These cards are your ticket to sky-high point earning potential, hefty welcome bonuses, solid ongoing earn rates, and a premium selection of travel-centric perks.

7+

Great

These cards might have slightly less impressive points earning or sign-up bonuses.

5+

Standard

Reliable workhorses for frequent flyers who want a well-balanced card. Enjoy decent point earning potential, competitive rates, and a good mix of practical perks.

0+

Basic

The entry point in the frequent flyer market. Their sign-up bonuses and ongoing earn rates might not be as generous.

Best frequent flyer card for Qantas Points

Qantas American Express Ultimate Card

• Up to 90,000 bonus Qantas Points
• $450 Annual fee
• 23.99% Purchase rate

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Ends on 13 January 2026

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Why we like it

The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card is a points-earning machine. You get a stack of bonus points if you spend enough in the first few months, and it has one of the highest earn rates on the market. It has some great travel perks too, like 2 complimentary lounge passes and travel insurance.

While there is a higher than average annual fee, it's entirely offset by the annual travel credit. The only thing you really need to watch out for is the 3% currency conversion fee if you're travelling overseas.

This card has a Finder Score of 9.9 in the frequent flyer category.

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Pros & cons

• Up to 90,000 bonus Qantas Points
• Up to 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases in Australia, uncapped
• $450 Qantas Travel Credit each year

• High $450 annual fee
• High 23.99% p.a. interest rate for purchases
• 3% foreign currency conversion fee

Best frequent flyer card for Velocity Points

American Express Velocity Platinum Card

• 60,000 Bonus Velocity Points
• $440 Annual fee
• 23.99% Purchase rate

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Why we like it

• Offers 60,000 bonus Velocity Points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. That's enough for a one-way business class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
• 100 Velocity Frequent Flyer Status Credits when you spend $50,000 in your card membership year.
• Complimentary Virgin Australia return economy domestic flight every year between selected cities.
• Travel perks, including 4 lounge passes per year and travel insurance.

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Pros & cons

• 60,000 bonus Velocity Points offer
• Get 50 Velocity Status Credits per year when you spend at least $25,000 on eligible purchases each membership year, plus 50 credits if you spend a further $25,000 in that year.
• Virgin Australia Lounge Access & Guest Lounge Passes at select domestic airports

• Relatively high $440 annual fee
• 3% foreign transaction fee
• The 23.99% p.a. interest rate for purchases is high among other credit cards in Australia

Best business frequent flyer credit card

American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card

• 130,000 Bonus Qantas Points
• $450 Annual fee
• N/A Purchase rate

Go to site

Ends on 13 January 2026

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Why we like it

The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card is a frequent flyer-oriented business card. It offers a very good combination of bonus Qantas Points, complimentary travel insurance and a high earn rate. But the annual fee is on the steeper side at $450.

This card has a Finder Score of 9.9 in the frequent flyer category.

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Pros & cons

• 130,000 bonus Qantas Points
• Complimentary travel insurance
• 2 complimentary domestic Qantas Club lounge passes per card membership year

• The standard $450 annual fee is relatively high
• 3% foreign currency conversion fee

Video: How I got business upgrades to London & still have 934,000 Frequent Flyer Points

5:18

Video transcript

How do frequent flyer credit cards work?

You can use a frequent flyer credit card just like any regular credit card, but it's linked to your frequent flyer account. So every time you make a purchase with the card, you earn points – usually between 0.5 and 1.25 per $1 spent.

Many cards also come with introductory bonus points, which can give you enough for a free flight. These offers are a popular way to get value from a frequent flyer card in a short amount of time. You can also get value each year with perks like lounge passes, complimentary insurance and travel credit.

There are also frequent flyer business credit cards that offer some very lucrative points deals and perks for business customers.

Types of frequent flyer credit cards

Tip: If you want KrisFlyer Miles, Emirates Skywards Miles or points through another frequent flyer program, check out rewards credit cards with points you can transfer.

Pros and cons of frequent flyer credit cards

Are frequent flyer cards worth it?

Frequent flyer credit cards are worth it if you pay off your balance and get enough value for the annual fee you'll pay. You don't have to use every feature, just make sure you take advantage of the perks you value.

Some key points to keep in mind:

• Most credit cards offer an interest-free period for purchases when you pay the full balance each month.
• Introductory offers can include a reduced or $0 annual fee in the first year.
• You can cancel a card at any time if you don't want it any more.
• Qantas and Velocity offer other ways to earn points with partners – you could even choose to earn points through both programs.

How do I find the best frequent flyer credit card for me?

Rates and fees aside, here are the key questions you can ask to choose a frequent flyer credit card.

What are my frequent flyer points worth?

The dollar value of your frequent flyer points depends on what rewards you redeem.

In general, flight upgrades and flight rewards give you the best value and offer an average of around 2 cents for every 1 point redeemed. In comparison, gift card rewards typically offer 0.5 cents per point.

Example: Value per 1,000 Qantas/Velocity points

These examples give you an idea of the value of your points for a few domestic flights. Keep in mind that the total points needed and value can change based on factors including the fare class, flight sales and carrier charges (which are usually billed separately).

• Methodology: How we calculated these examples

  These calculations were updated in October 2025 and are based on the point values for Qantas Classic Flight Rewards and Velocity Reward Seats redemptions.

  Flight values are based on the standard economy and business class fare prices for Qantas and Virgin Australia flight searches in October 2025, for bookings at least 3 months in advance.

You can check out Finder's guide to how much 1 Qantas Point is worth for more examples. You can also use Finder's points calculator if you want to know how much your points (from all major Australian programs) are worth.

Point-hacking

There are dedicated point-chasers that will switch cards every year or two to make the most of bonus point promotions.

This strategy is sometimes known as credit card churning and can suit people who primarily use credit cards to earn points and pay it off as they go. Otherwise, the cost of annual fees, interest and potential credit score impact won't be worth it.

Point hacking and credit card eligibility

Credit card brands frown on churning, and many bonus point offers exclude people who have recently had a card with the same bank or brand. For example, if you had an American Express card, you'd usually need to wait 18 months after cancelling it before you would be eligible for a bonus points offer on another Amex card.

Here, we've outlined the amount of time you'll need to wait to be eligible for a bonus points offer with different providers.

Note: Virgin Money doesn't list a specific timeframe for previous or existing customers.

Some banks apply this exclusion period to each type of rewards card. For example, NAB applies an 18-month exclusion period to NAB Qantas Rewards cards, separate to NAB Rewards cards. And ANZ has a 12-month exclusion period for ANZ Frequent Flyer cards, separate to ANZ Rewards cards.

In these cases, you'd still be eligible for a frequent flyer credit card offer with NAB or ANZ, even if you had a NAB Rewards or ANZ Rewards card.

More about the frequent flyer credit card Finder Score

• Finder Scores explained

  • 9+ Excellent - These cards are your ticket to sky-high points earning potential, hefty welcome bonuses, solid ongoing earn rates, and a premium selection of travel perks.
  • 7+ Great - These cards might have slightly less impressive points earning or sign-up bonuses than the best cards on the market.
  • 5+ Satisfactory - Reliable workhorses for frequent flyers who want decent points earning potential and some mix of perks and benefits.
  • Less than 5 – Basic - the entry point in the frequent flyer market. Their sign-up bonuses and ongoing earn rates are lower.

• How does the Finder frequent flyer Score work?

  The Finder Score is an easy way you can figure out which frequent flyer credit cards are worth the trip, and which ones aren't worth getting out of bed for.

  Here's how the score works:

  • We analyse over 250 credit cards and assess 8 features, giving a score for each one.
  • Then we combine these scores using a weighted methodology (because some features are more important than others).
  • This gives us a final score out of 10: the Finder Score.

  In the frequent flyer category we only consider credit cards that:

  • Link to the Qantas Frequent Flyer or Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer program.
  • Let you earn points directly based on spending.
  • Are available to general consumers.

  Scores are category-specific. So one credit card could receive a score of 9 in the balance transfer category but a score of 8 in the frequent flyer category.

  The Finder Score methodology is designed by our insights and editorial team. Commercial partners carry no weight, and all products are reviewed objectively.

  Remember that Finder Score is just one factor to consider. Look at other aspects like fees, features, benefits and risks to make sure a product is suitable for you. Double-check details that matter to you before applying or buying.

• Frequent flyer credit cards - score weightings

  Feature	Definition	Assessment	Weight
  Earn Rate	Points earned for every dollar spent on eligible purchases	Points awarded per dollar (up to 1.5)	28%
  Sign-Up Points	Bonus points earned for signing up and meeting spending requirements	Total bonus points offered (up to 150,000)	25%
  Purchase Rate	Interest rate on new purchases	Lower rates receive higher scores (up to 23.99% max)	10%
  Lounge Pass	Access to airport lounges	Complimentary annual passes receive full score	10%
  Foreign Exchange Fee	Fee on overseas transactions	Lower fees receive higher scores (0% fee scores highest)	5%
  Earn Rate Cap	Maximum points earned in a billing cycle before a lower earn rate applies	Higher caps or no cap receive higher scores (up to 10,000 points max)	5%
  First-Year Fee	Fee charged for the first year of card ownership	Lower fees receive higher scores ($0 fee scores highest)	15%
  Ongoing Annual Fee	Fee charged from the second year onwards	Lower fees receive higher scores ($0 fee scores highest)	10%

Frequently asked questions

• Can I earn points on payments to the ATO?

  Most Australian banks consider government transactions (such as ATO bills) ineligible to earn points. Currently, most of the cards that allow you to earn points on ATO bills and government transactions are issued by American Express – or designed for business spending, rather than personal use.

• Can I earn status with a frequent flyer credit card?

  The Qantas Money Titanium and HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card have ongoing frequent flyer status credit or status offers.

  Sometimes, other credit cards have promotional offers that let you earn status credits. But the most common way to earn status credits – and reach higher frequent flyer membership tiers – is by flying with the program's main airline or a partner.

• Which frequent flyer credit cards have won Finder Awards?

  Every year the Finder Credit Card Awards recognise Australia's top credit cards, with expert analysis on rates, fees and offers based on 12 months' worth of data.

  Here are the frequent flyer winners in 2025:

  • Best Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Card: Qantas American Express Ultimate Card.
  • Highly commended Qantas cards: The ANZ Frequent Flyer Black and the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black credit cards.
  • Best Velocity Frequent Flyer Credit Card: Westpac Altitude Velocity Black.
  • Highly commended Velocity cards: the American Express Velocity Platinum Card and the Citi Premier Card - Velocity Points Offer credit cards.

• How can I redeem my frequent flyer points?

  When you earn frequent flyer points with your credit card, they're transferred to your linked frequent flyer account – usually once a month. To redeem your points, log in to your frequent flyer account and follow the prompts to redeem your rewards.

• Can I transfer points to another program?

  You can often transfer credit card rewards (such as American Express Membership Rewards or St.George Amplify Rewards) to frequent flyer programs, but you can't usually transfer frequent flyer points between programs.

  Keep in mind that you can use your frequent flyer points to redeem flight rewards with a partnered airline. For example, Qantas belongs to the oneworld Alliance, so you can use your Qantas Points to redeem flight rewards with partners including British Airways, American Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

• Will I lose my points after I cancel my card?

  If the points have already been transferred to your frequent flyer account, you won't lose them by closing your credit card account. But it can sometimes take a few weeks for the frequent flyer points to appear in your account, so make sure they have been added before you cancel your card.

• Do frequent flyer points expire?

  Frequent flyer points usually expire if you don't redeem them, but how long you have to redeem them is different for each program.

  With Qantas and Velocity Frequent Flyer, your points won't expire while you're earning or redeeming them to keep the account "active". If you don't earn or redeem points for 18 months with Qantas or 24 months with Velocity, they will expire because of "account inactivity". You can check the conditions for other programs to avoid losing points.

• Are all frequent flyer points worth the same amount?

  No, frequent flyer points are worth different amounts across programs. At the time of writing, you can redeem a $100 David Jones gift card for 20,010 Qantas Points or 19,500 Velocity Points. So in this example, you'll get slightly more value if you redeemed your Velocity Points for the $100 gift card.

• Can I add additional cardholders to a frequent flyer credit card?

  Most frequent flyer credit cards let you add at least 1 additional cardholder to your account. This means they can spend money and earn points through your account, which can help you get frequent flyer rewards faster.

  Just keep in mind that you're the only one legally responsible for the credit card – and some cards have additional cardholder fees that are charged each year.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Sarah Megginson and reviewed by Aaron Christie-David, a member of Finder's Editorial Review Board.

Written by

Richard Whitten

Senior Money Editor

Richard Whitten is Finder’s Senior Money Editor, with over eight years of experience in home loans, property, credit cards and personal finance. His insights appear in top media outlets like Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine, and the Herald Sun, and he frequently offers expert commentary on television and radio, helping Australians navigate mortgages and property ownership. Richard started his career in education and textbook publishing in South Korea. He holds multiple industry certifications, including a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking (RG 206) and Tier 1 and Tier 2 certifications (RG 146), as well as a Bachelor of Education from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Communications from Deakin University. See full bio

Richard's expertise

Richard has written 680 Finder guides across topics including:

• Home loans
• Credit cards
• Personal finance
• Money-saving tips