5 top frequent flyer credit cards to get you overseas on points

AMEX, Qantas Money and ANZ lead the top-scoring Qantas and Velocity credit cards on the market this month.

One of the best ways to score a gigantic, globe-traveling stack of frequent flyer points is to take out a new credit card. Of course, it's not that simple.

The best frequent flyer credit cards should give you around 100,000 bonus Qantas or Velocity Points, and eligibility criteria you can actually meet (like spending a certain amount in the first 3 months, being a new customer, holding the card for over 12 months).

And the annual fee for all this will be high. But it should still represent good value if you use those points.

Here are the top 5 points offers on the market right now, based on their Finder Scores.

1. American Express Velocity Platinum Card

The AMEX Velocity Platinum leads the pack this month with a Finder Score of 9.9 (that's as high as our scores go). It gives new AMEX customers up to 100,000 Velocity Points if you meet all the criteria.

This breaks down into two components:

• Spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months and get 70,000 points.
• Hold the card into the second year, pay the annual fee again and spend at least $1 to get the final 30,000 bonus points.

These year-long waits for the complete bonus points offer are increasingly becoming the norm.

The card also has a higher than average earn rate of 1.25 Velocity Points for every dollar you spend (or .5 points for government spending). You can get 2.25 points for every dollar you spend on Virgin Australia.

The annual fee is $440.

2. Qantas American Express Ultimate Card

With a Finder Score of 9.8, the Qantas American Express Ultimate is Finder's best Qantas card right now. It offers 100,000 bonus Qantas Points, and like the Velocity Platinum you need to be a new customer, spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months and hold the card for a year to get the total amount.

The annual fee is $450, but this is offset by another great benefit of this card: a $450 annual Qantas travel credit.

Pays for itself.

3. Qantas Money Titanium Card

The Qantas Money Titanium has a Finder Score of 9.6. It's a real heavy hitter, with the biggest bonus points offer on the market. That's 150,000 bonus Qantas Points, and you get them all by spending $5,000 a month for the first 3 months.

Those points could get you a one-way business class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.

The earn rate is 1.25 points per dollar, and you also get 20% bonus Qantas Status Credits. This is a great value add for regular Qantas flyers chasing those higher status tiers.

But here's the catch: the annual fee is $1,200.

4. ANZ Frequent Flyer Black Card

The ANZ Frequent Flyer Black has a Finder Score of 9.5, and may be one of the best all round offers for the average frequent flyer.

You can get 130,000 bonus Qantas Points (90,000 after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, 40,000 after the first year), which is one of the market's biggest offers. You'll need to be a new customer.

You also get $200 back on the card if you meet the bonus points criteria. And there's a 24-hour concierge service to help you with bookings and travel recommendations.

The annual fee is cheaper than most at $425.

5. Qantas Money Platinum Card

Another card with a big bonus points offer and a reasonable (by frequent flyer card standards) annual fee is the Qantas Money Platinum. It has a Finder Score of 9.3.

If you meet the spend criteria and hold the card for a year, you get 120,000 bonus Qantas Points.

And the annual fee is discounted to $349 in the first year.

Details of these cards are correct at time of publication and subject to change. All these cards were identified as the "best" cards using the Finder Score, a data-driven methodology that considers rates, fees and card features.