Qantas bonus Status Credits: My expert ranking of new ways to earn them

Qantas Status Credits matter because they help you climb status tiers from Silver to Gold to Platinum, unlocking lounge access, better seats and other perks along the way.

You can usually only earn Status Credits from flying, but a bonus promotion launched this week lets you earn extra Status Credits on the ground through using your credit card, signing up for insurance or booking hotels, amongst other activities.

My Finder colleague Richard Whitten reported the news yesterday, but here's a summary of the key points:

• Once you register for the offer, you can score extra Status Credits when you earn 1,000 Qantas Points or more in 8 on-the-ground categories before the end of 2025.
• There are 3 categories that earn 20 bonus Status Credits: cards, utilities and services; and insurance (health, travel, home and car).
• Another 5 categories earn 10 bonus Status Credits: hotels; fuel and cars; food and wine; shopping; and health, leisure and entertainment.
• You can only earn the bonus Status Credits once in each category.

As Richard noted, it's unlikely that anyone will qualify across all 8 categories and earn the full 110 Status Credits on offer. I'm going to rank the options based on how likely it is you'll actually earn 1,000 Qantas Points in that category using the most popular and highest-earning options, and if the expenditure is worth it.

Two up-front tips first:

• The bonus isn't much use if you don't already have a Status Credits strategy You need 300 Status credits to move from entry-level Bronze up to Silver. Even if you earned 80 extra Status Credits in this promotion, you need to know where the other 220 are coming from to move up. Tip: a Qantas Points-earning credit card is a key element here, as we'll discuss shortly.
• Check your renewal date.

Qantas Status Credits are cleared once a year on your renewal date. If that falls in October, November or December, you'll want to time bonus earnings so you get them in the most useful year. I fall into this category: my account renews at the end of October, and I'd prefer to earn the Status Credits next year. So I won't be registering for the promotion until late October, so that my credit card points go in my next membership year, not this one.

OK, let's get to the rankings.

1. Credit cards

If you're serious about earning Qantas Points (and status), you should be earning points from your credit card. Cards vary, but on a card earning 1.25 Qantas Point per $1 spent (such as the Qantas American Express Ultimate), you'll need to spend $800 to earn 1,000 Qantas Points. The average household spends $202 a week on groceries, according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker, so supermarket shopping alone could get you to that $1,000 figure.

Don't already have a Qantas-earning card? Because the offer runs until the end of the year, you'd have time to apply and qualify - and you could score bonus sign-up points to boost your Qantas Points total. Just remember: using a card to earn points only makes sense if you pay it off each month.

2. Food and wine

The key driver here is Everyday Rewards. You can convert Everyday Rewards points to Qantas Points. To earn 1,000 Qantas Points that way, you'd need to spend $2,000. Sticking with that $202 a week average figure, you'd hit the total within 10 weeks (and that's assuming you didn't get any bonus points).

3. Fuel and cars

You can earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on fuel at BP (and 2 Qantas Points if you're buying BP Ultimate Unleaded. If you're a regular driver, $1,000 in fuel over 3 months isn't a big stretch. (Confession: I don't drive, so my personal ranking would throw this right at the bottom, but that won't apply to most people.)

You can also earn points for car hire and Uber - most folks won't spend $1,000 on that, but if you do fall into that category, extra Status Credits could be yours.

4. Insurance

This one depends on the type of insurance. For travel insurance, a round-the-world full year policy comes in at $823, which still wouldn't get you the required 1,000 Qantas Points.

Health insurance is much more likely to get you there, especially if you get a sign-up bonus. But always shop around before signing up for health insurance - prices do vary hugely.

5. Utilities

Qantas' Red Energy partnership offers 15,000 bonus Qantas Points when you sign up, which would qualify you immediately. But again it's always sensible to compare energy prices before signing up.

6. Hotels

Qantas Hotels bookings earn 3 Qantas Points per $1 spent on hotel bookings, so you'd need to spend $333 on hotels to qualify - something you'd likely hit with a weekend away. The catch? You can wait up to 8 weeks for Qantas Points to be credited after your stay, so a trip booked for around Christmas likely wouldn't qualify.

7. Shopping

Most stores featured in Qantas Shopping offer earn rates of 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent. You could easily spend $1,000 on Christmas shopping, I'm sure.

But there's a big trap to watch for. Typically, stores can take 40 days to credit the points, so any shopping in late November (Black Friday!) or December won't qualify. Hence my lower ranking.

8. Health, leisure and entertainment

The only earning brand in this category is HOYTS Rewards. Are you going to spend $500+ on movie tickets before Christmas? Me neither.

Video: How to boost your Qantas Status

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Bottom line? Any chance to earn extra Status Credits is welcome if you're looking to rise in the Qantas ranks. But don't buy stuff just to earn those credits - it's unlikely to pay off. Focus on the cards and groceries, plus whatever else makes sense for you.