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Best Credit Cards For Qantas Points

Sean Callery Editor Money.com.au

Sean Callery

Shaun McGowan Money.com.au founder

Reviewed by

Shaun McGowan

Compare the top credit cards for earning Qantas points, with bonus sign up offers of up to 150,000 points. Plus, see our pick of the best Qantas point-earning cards in various categories.

Best Credit Cards For Qantas Points

Sean Callery Editor Money.com.au

Sean Callery

Shaun McGowan Money.com.au founder

Reviewed by

Shaun McGowan

Compare the top credit cards for earning Qantas points, with bonus sign up offers of up to 150,000 points. Plus, see our pick of the best Qantas point-earning cards in various categories.

Best Qantas point credit card comparison

Compare credit cards that earn Qantas points. By ‘best’ cards we mean the cards with the highest earn rate on everyday spending. That’s how this table is ordered, but you should consider other aspects of the cards (e.g. rates and fees) when deciding which is best for you.

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Rates updated 10 October 2024

Our pick of the best Qantas credit cards & offers

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Top Qantas credit card for ongoing points earning

The American Express Qantas Ultimate Card gets you up to 1.25 points per $1 on everyday spend.* It's tied with the Qantas Premier Titanium Card for highest earn rate, but it comes with a considerably lower annual fee of $450. (*After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.)

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Top low fee Qantas credit card

HSBC Premier World Mastercard - $0 annual fee. Considering the fee, this card offers one of the better earn rates on Qantas points (1 point per $1 spent) capped at a generous $120k per year spend. Plus, there’s a bonus rate of 1.5 points per $1 spent in the first year. HSBC Premier customer status is required.

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Top low rate Qantas credit card

Qudos Bank Visa Platinum Credit Card - 4.99% for the first five months. This reverts to 19.49% p.a. with up to 55 interest-free days, which also happens to be one of the lower ongoing rates on Qantas earning cards. Just don’t mistake this for a low rate credit card if you will be revolving a balance beyond the first five months

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Top Qantas business credit card

American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card - 2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on Qantas products and services and up to 1.25 points per $1 on everyday spend*. Plus 130,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply by 14 January 2025, are approved and spend $3k on eligible purchases on your new card within 2 months of approval. T&Cs apply. New Amex Card Members only. (*After a total of 500,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday business earn rate will change from 1.25 to 0.75 Qantas Points per $1 spent.)

How to choose the best Qantas credit card

The obvious but potentially wrong answer to this question is that the best Qantas credit card is the one that offers the most points. That could either be points per dollar spent or bonus sign-up points or, ideally, a combination of the two. But chasing points could potentially mean signing up for an expensive card that you may not get full value from (although some people will). It’s a good idea to look for a credit card that strikes the right balance between cost and what you get in return. In many cases, this means a middle-of-the-road card, with good points-earning potential and a relatively low fee. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the factors to consider.
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Sign up bonus

Most Qantas credit cards offer some form of incentive to encourage you to take out the card initially. There's almost always a minimum spend requirement for the offer but it tends to be achievable for most cardholders based on the average credit card spend in Australia.

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Points earn rate on purchases

An important thing to be aware of is that not all earn rates on Qantas credit cards are created equal. Some cards offer more points for certain kinds of spending (not surprisingly, you'll often earn more points for spending with Qantas itself) with a reduced rate on other purchases. You often can’t earn points at all on the likes of BPAY payments and cash advances.

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Annual fee

Think of this as the main cost of being able to earn Qantas points on your credit card, although some cards have a separate rewards program fee. All other things being equal, the lower the annual fee, the better. There are even a couple of no annual fee credit cards that offer Qantas points.

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Extra cardholder fee

Having an extra cardholder (e.g. a spouse) can help you earn more Qantas points on your credit card, but in some cases there will be a fee per extra card.

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Foreign exchange fees

Customers attracted to Qantas points often use their credit card when travelling overseas. If that’s you, consider the card’s foreign exchange fee which applies to international spending (including purchases made in Australia from overseas merchants). CommBank and Bankwest both offer Qantas credit cards with no international transaction fees.

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Extra perks

Most Qantas cards offer other credit card rewards, including complimentary credit card travel insurance, discounts at partner retailers, airlines, restaurants and hotels, travel or flight vouchers, or even cash back to your credit card. There are also some Qantas credit cards that will get into an airport lounge for free a couple of times per year.

Traps to avoid when earning credit card Qantas points

Credit cards are notorious for offering incentives that reward you for spending. If this is money you would be spending anyway, this can work out well for you. But there is a risk you can end up with a lot of Qantas points but also expensive credit card debt. Below are some tips to consider to help you use your card responsibly, while also maximising your Qantas points.

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Don’t change your (good) spending habits to chase Qantas points

It can be remarkably easy to convince ourselves that spending more money is justified “because I’ll get points”.

The trouble is, the points you earn rarely make up for the extra money you spend. In fact, in some cases you’ll need to spend yet more money while redeeming your points, as points + pay is sometimes required.

If you’re looking for a Qantas credit card, consider a card that’s a good match for your current good spending habits (some rewards cards offer higher points for shopping at certain retailers you may already use).

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Don’t go nuts with international spending to boost your Qantas credit card points

Have you ever noticed how some Qantas credit cards offer a higher earn rate on international spending? Sounds great, but what you also need to be aware of is there will likely be a foreign exchange fee added to the cost of those purchases.

This is usually 2-3% and in many cases will comfortably cancel out the benefit you get from the extra points. If you spend overseas a lot, a credit card with no FX fees will likely save you money.

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Watch for point-earning limits

You need to pay very close attention to the caps and earn limits that apply to cards you’re considering. Some providers are introducing tighter limits on how many Qantas points you can earn at the highest rate.

These caps are usually fairly generous and most average spenders won’t get near them, but you still need to be aware of what you’ll actually be getting beyond the headline offer card providers advertise.

How I maximise my Qantas credit card points

Sean Callery Editor Money.com.au

Sean Callery, Editor

My wife and I have a Westpac Altitude Qantas Platinum Credit Card and use it for most of our spending. Our strategy is to keep as much of our cash savings in our home loan offset account and then use that money to clear the credit card in full each month. We save on home loan interest and usually earn enough Qantas points to pay for something worth a few hundred dollars once a year. We usually do this when the Qantas store has a sale on.

Sean Callery, Editor

What’s the best way to redeem Qantas credit card points?

The conventional wisdom is that paying for travel (i.e. booking flights) is the best way to use Qantas points. It is an airline after all.

But while this is broadly true (at least if you’re looking at the equivalent $ value of your points), it is only a useful rule of thumb if you actually need to book a flight with Qantas or a partner airline.

Another way of looking at it is that the best way to use your Qantas credit card points will be to pay for something you actually need and would be spending cash on anyway. You can convert Qantas points into a gift card for most major retailers, for example.

That way, you will definitely be saving yourself money and getting value from those points. You can always then use the money you’ve saved to pay for the flight or wine, or whatever else Qantas is advertising via its store.

Is a credit card from Qantas itself better than a card from another provider?

Qantas has a range of its own credit cards offering points in return for spending. But these cards are no different to Qantas point-earning cards offered by any other provider when it comes to the features and costs that may apply.

In fact, Qantas’s credit cards are issued by major bank NAB. Qantas simply rebrands these cards and sells them through its Qantas Money business.

You should assess all credit cards that earn Qantas points (whether Qantas-branded or otherwise) using the same overall criteria before deciding which one is a good match for you.

Sean Callery is the Editor of Money.com.au. He has over 15 years of international experience. He is qualified with a Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and is compliant to provide general advice in Tier 1 General Insurance (RG 146) products.

Shaun McGowan is the founder of Money.com.au. He's determined to help people and businesses pay as little as possible for financial products, through education and building world class technology. Previously Shaun co-founded CarLoans.com.au and Lend.

Important information

General information only

The information on this page is general in nature and has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the information provided and the nature of the credit card product is suitable for you and seek independent financial advice if necessary.

We are not providing you with a recommendation or suggestion about a particular credit product. You should read the relevant disclosure statements or other offer documents before deciding whether to apply for or continue to hold a particular credit card.

What products, features and information are shown

While we make every effort to ensure all credit cards available in Australia are shown in our comparison tables, we cannot guarantee that all products are included. Where we become aware of a card that is missing from our tables, we commit to adding it within one business day.

Our product comparisons may not compare all card features and attributes relevant to you.

Product information, such as interest rates, fees and charges, is subject to change without notice. Before acting on any information, you should confirm the relevant product information with the card issuer. While we do our best to ensure the information provided on this website is accurate, all information on this website is provided without any representation or warranty, either express or implied, being given as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, reliability or otherwise of its content. No responsibility is accepted by us for any errors, omissions or any inaccurate information on this website.

How cards are sorted and filtered by default

Users can easily change the sort order and apply product filters to our product comparison tables. However, when you arrive on a page initially or select a particular card type via the ‘card features’, a default sort order is applied as follows:

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  • Default sort (main credit card page): Consumer credit cards sorted by lowest ongoing annual fee, then the highest number of reward points earned per $1 spent, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • No annual fee cards: Consumer credit cards sorted by lowest ongoing annual fee, then the highest number of reward points earned per $1 spent, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • Low rate cards: Consumer credit cards sorted by lowest purchase rate, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • Balance transfer cards: Consumer credit cards sorted by lowest balance transfer rate, then longest duration of BT offer, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • Rewards and frequent flyer cards: Consumer credit cards sorted by highest rewards/FF points per dollar earned on everyday purchases, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then lowest purchase rate, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • Cashback cards: Consumer credit cards sorted by highest cashback per dollar earned, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then lowest purchase rate, then alphabetically by provider/product name Interest-free cards/offers: Consumer credit cards sorted by longest 0% purchase rate offer period, then lowest ongoing purchase rate, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then alphabetically by provider/product name
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  • Credit cards with lounge access: Consumer credit cards sorted by highest number of free lounge passes, then lowest to highest ongoing annual card fee, then highest to lowest points per dollar earned on everyday spending, then lowest purchase rate, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • No international fee cards/cards with travel insurance: Consumer credit cards sorted by lowest ongoing annual card fee, then highest points per dollar earned on everyday spending, the lowest purchase rate, then alphabetically by provider/product name.
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  • Business credit cards: Business cards sorted by highest points per dollar earned on everyday spending, then lowest ongoing annual card fee, then lowest ongoing purchase rate, then alphabetically by provider/product name.

We may earn a commission from product providers if you are issued with a credit card via a link from this page. Cards marked as ‘sponsored’ are not selected or positioned on the page based on their product attributes. However, in our comparison tables, products are displayed based on the relevant default sort order and filters applied for that card type, or the sort order and filters selected by a user. We do not sort or filter comparison tables based on whether or not we will make money from a particular card, but we may earn a commission if you are issued with a card via a link from our organic comparison tables.

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