A frequent flyer credit card is a form of loyalty/reward program whereby you earn points on every purchase you make on the card. The two main frequent flyer programs are Qantas Frequent Flyer and the Emirates Skywards Miles programs and both offer a great range of travel and shopping benefits to the card holders. If you regularly spend a large amount on your credit card per month then a frequent flyer credit card would be a great option. Below are the frequent flyer credit cards from the banks and providers within Australia. Use the table to find the best card for your needs. If you would like more information on frequent credit cards, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
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Credit Card |
Interest Rate |
Balance Transfer Rate |
Interest Free Days (up to) |
Annual Fee |
Rewards |
|
|
Qantas American Express Classic Card
|
20.49% p.a.
|
N/A
|
0% 44 days
|
$149 p.a.
|
Qantas Frequent Flyer
|
|
- Enrollment into the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program
- Free Purchase and Refund Protection
- Manage card online
- You must have an income of over $35,000
Up to 44 interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.49%.
There is no introductory balance transfer offer on this card and any balance transfers will incur an interest rate (per annum) of 20.49%.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 44. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.49% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $149 p.a.
You can earn up to 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every dollar you spend and your points do not expire or capped as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for Qantas travel services and shopping offers.
|
|
ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum
|
19.74% p.a.
|
N/A
|
0% 55 days
|
$295 p.a.
|
Qantas Frequent Flyer
|
|
- Earn up to 1 Frequent Flyer point for every dollar you spend
- 24/7 monitoring of suspicious transactions
- If you are a non-permanent Australian resident you must have an income of $50,000
Up to 55 days interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 19.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 20.99%.
There is no introductory balance transfer offer on this card and any balance transfers will incur an interest rate (per annum) of 19.74%.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 55 days. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 19.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $295 p.a.
You can earn up to 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every dollar you spend and your points are not capped as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for Qantas travel services.
|
|
Bank of Queensland Gold Visa Card
|
20.74% p.a.
|
1.9% p.a.
6 months
|
0% 55 days
|
$120 p.a.
|
Travel, Shopping
|
|
- Enrollment into the Q Rewards® program
- Free International Travel Insurance
- Free Purchase Cover Insurance
Up to 55 interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 21.74%.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 1.9% on balance transfers for up to the first 6 months. Once the 1.9% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.74% on the transferred balance.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 55. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $120 p.a.
You can earn up to 1 reward points for every dollar you spend and your points do not expire as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for travel services and shopping offers.
|
|
Bank of Queensland Platinum Visa Card
|
20.74% p.a.
|
1.9% p.a.
6 months
|
0% 55 days
|
$99 half price for life of the credit card
|
Travel, Shopping
|
|
- Enrollment into the Q Rewards® program
- Free International Travel Insurance
- Free Purchase Cover Insurance
Up to 55 interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 21.74%.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 1.9% on balance transfers for up to the first 6 months. Once the 1.9% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.74% on the transferred balance.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 55. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $99 half price for life of the credit card
You can earn up to 2 reward points for every dollar you spend and your points do not expire as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for travel services and shopping offers.
|
|
NAB Qantas Platinum Card
|
20.24% p.a.
|
4.99% p.a.
6 months
|
0% 44 days
|
$290 p.a.
|
Qantas Frequent Flyer, Shopping
|
|
- Enrollment into the Qantas Frequent Flyer program
- Large range of free insurances
- No reward points cap and no expiry
- No balance transfers between NAB
Up to 44 interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.24%.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 4.99% on balance transfers for up to the first 6 months. Once the 4.99% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 21.74% on the transferred balance.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 44. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.24% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $290 p.a.
You can earn up to 1.5 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every dollar you spend and your points do not expire as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for travel services, entertainment and shopping offers.
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Suncorp Clear Options Platinum Credit Card
|
20.74% p.a.
|
N/A
|
0% 55 days
|
$199 p.a.
|
Qantas Frequent Flyer
|
|
- 24/7 access to the Personal Concierge Service
- Credit limits of up to $30,000
- Free International Travel & Purchase Cover Insurance
- You must have an income of over $50,000
Up to 55 days interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 20.74%.
No balance transfer available
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 55 days. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $199 p.a.
You can earn up to 1 reward point for every dollar you spend and for an additional $19 per annum you can join the Suncorp Qantas Frequent Flyer and earn 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every $1 spent. You can redeem points for travel services, entertainment and shopping offers.
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|
Westpac Singapore Airlines Platinum Card
|
19.24% p.a.
|
0.99% p.a.
6 months
|
N/A
|
$125 for the 12 months, $250 p.a. standard.
|
Travel
|
|
- Receive 10, KrisFlyer miles after your first purchase
- Comprehensive range of insurance policies
- Balance transfer only available to new customers and no balance transfers between Westpac
You will be charged an annual interest rate of 19.24% on all purchases and 20.49% on all cash advances.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 0.99% on balance transfers for up to the first 6 months. Once the 0.99% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 19.24% on the transferred balance.
There is no introductory purchases offer on this product and any purchases will incur 19.24% interest rate.
This credit card has an annual fee of $125 for the 12 months, $250 p.a. standard.
You can earn up to 1.5 KrisFlyer miles for every dollar you spend and you receive 10,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles on your first purchase. You can redeem points for travel services and shopping offers.
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St.George Amplify Credit Card
|
18.74% p.a.
|
0.99% p.a.
6 months
|
0% 55 days
|
$79 p.a.
|
Amplify Rewards
|
|
- Enjoy all the benefits of this card and pay a low annual fee of $79
- Range of discounts through St.George Instant Benefits
- 24/7 monitoring of suspicious transactions
- No balance transfers between St.George or BankSA
Up to 55 days interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 18.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 20.74%.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 0.99% on balance transfers for up to the first 6 months. Once the 0.99% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 18.74% on the transferred balance.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 55 days. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 18.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $79 p.a.
You receive instant discounts and added extras with St.George Instant Benefits such as entertainment and shopping vouchers.
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|
ANZ Frequent Flyer
|
19.74% p.a.
|
N/A
|
0% 44 days
|
$95 p.a.
|
Qantas Frequent Flyer
|
|
|
Up to 44 days interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 19.74%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 20.99%.
There is no introductory balance transfer offer on this card and any balance transfers will incur an interest rate (per annum) of 19.74%.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 44 days. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 19.74% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $95 p.a.
You can earn up to 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every dollar you spend and your points are not capped as long as your card stays active. You can redeem points for Qantas travel services.
|
|
Virgin Flyer Credit Card
|
20.99% p.a.
|
1.9% p.a.
9 months
|
0% 44 days
|
$99 p.a.
|
Travel, Shopping
|
|
|
Up to 44 days interest free from the date the purchase is made, after this period you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.99%. Cash advances have an annual interest rate of 20.99%.
Enjoy an interest rate (per annum) of 1.9% on balance transfers for up to the first 9 months . Once the 1.9% period ends you will be charged an annual interest rate of 20.99% on the transferred balance.
You will not be charged interest on any purchases for the first 44 days. Once the 0% period ends you will be charged an interest rate (per annum) of 20.99% on any purchases you make.
This credit card has an annual fee of $99 p.a.
Earn 1 Velocity Point per $1 spent up to $1,500 per month and then 1 Velocity Point for every $2. Buy a Virgin Blue seat with your new card and we'll give you a second seat for free, up to 4 times a year including Blue Saver fares.
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What are frequent flyer credit cards?
Frequent flyer programs such as Qantas Frequent Flyer and Emirates Skywards allows the card holder to earn frequent flyer points each time they make purchases on the card. The frequent flyer points can be redeemed for domestic and international flights and a range of shopping goods and vouchers.
Most of the gold and platinum frequent flyer cards provide additional benefits such as increased reward point earnings, free travel insurance and even personnel concierge services.
A frequent flyer credit card can provide great benefits and savings to the card holder however, due to the high annual fees of the card and a typically higher interest rate it is really only worth obtaining a frequent flyer credit card if your monthly spend is great enough to outweigh these expenses.
Available Frequent Flyer Programs
The top Australian credit card providers use the following frequent flyer programs: -
- Qantas Frequent Flyer – the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is the most popular with Australian credit card providers. This program allows card holders to redeem their points on international and domestic flights and a wide range of retail goods, electronics and vouchers.
- Skywards Miles – The Skywards Miles is an Emirates frequent flyer program and is available through a select few credit card providers. The “miles” you earn through making purchases on the card can be used for international and domestic Emirates and other airline partner flights and on a range of other travel related services, such as hotels and car rentals.
How to earn frequent flyer points
You can earn frequent flyer points on all purchases you make on your credit card, which can then be redeemed for flights or other shopping/travel products. It is worth noting that you cannot earn frequent flyer points on balance transfers or cash advances.
Sign-up bonus frequent flyer points
Various providers offer bonus frequent flyer points if you sign up to their credit card before a certain date. These offers are well worth waiting for as they can amount to literally thousands of dollars worth of points.
How to earn more points
The standard rate you can expect to earn from frequent flyer points is 1 point per dollar spent, however, it is worth noting that different card types offer different earn rates. Gold and Platinum credit cards offer up to 1.5 reward points per dollar spent. These credit card types do incur a larger annual fee so you will need to work out if the additional points will actually end up benefiting you. Also, choosing the American Express or MasterCard version of the provider’s card can also affect the amount you earn; typically the American Express version will earn you more points.
Another way you can increase your frequent flyer point earnings is through purchasing specific products or services that the provider grants additional rewards for. For example, with the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, some credit cards offer up to 2.5 points per dollar spent on selected Qantas services.
Redeeming frequent flyer points
The Qantas Frequent Flyer and the Emirates Skywards Miles program points can be redeemed for: -
- International and domestic flights – find a flight from Emirates or Qantas or any of their partner airlines, such as Jetstar and British Airways. Work out how many frequent flyer points you’ll need with the Skywards Miles Calculator and the Qantas Points Calculator.
- Qantas Frequent Flyer online store – choose from over 1,300 products ranging from electronic goods to beauty products.
- The Emirates High Street online store – spend Skyward Mile points on a range of electronic and household goods.
- Gift vouchers – receive vouchers for a large range of products such as fashion, furniture, sports and books.
- Travel vouchers – receive vouchers covering services such as car hire, hotels and cruises.
- Qantas Club Membership – access to Qantas clubs and partner airline lounges.
Advantages of a frequent flyer credit card
- Obtain free or discounted flights – this is the main benefit of the frequent flyer credit card program. Earn enough points and you can obtain a free fight or even if you don’t have enough points you can usually redeem the points to obtain a flight discount.
- Range of airlines – the Qantas Frequent Flyer program allows you to spend your frequent flyer points on a range of airlines such as British Airways, Jetstar, American Airlines and more.
- Shopping, hotels and other benefits – the frequent flyer reward programs are not limited to just flight discounts. Each program offers a number of ways to use your points such as gift and shopping vouchers, hotels and car rentals. You should work out what you want to spend your frequent flyer points on before deciding on a program.
- Extra perks – If you decide to sign up to a Gold or Platinum credit card then you will benefit from additional perks such as free travel insurance, extended warranty, purchase security, priority check-in, extra baggage allowance and even a personnel concierge service; just remember that these additional services come at an additional annual fee.
- Earn frequent flyer points on all types of purchases – you don’t need to spend money on travel related purchases to earn reward points, you’ll actually earn points on all purchases.
- Online access to frequent flyer account – in most cases, you will be able to check the amount of points you’ve accumulated online, allowing you to instantly work out what your points can get for you. The Qantas Frequent Flyer point account login can be found here.
Disadvantages of a frequent flyer credit card
- Does the benefit outweigh the cost – each frequent flyer credit card incurs an annual fee, which can reach over $400 per year. With such a high annual fee, it is important that you work out how much you expect to spend on the card (purchases only) and the predicted points and benefits you’ll earn. Even if you think the rewards you earn from frequent flyer points outweigh the annual fee, you should also include the interest fees that you will incur if you don’t pay your balance in full each month.
- Additional annual fee – some of the reward programs come at an additional annual fee on top of the standard annual fee of the card. It is worth reading the fine print on the credit card to determine this fee and to work out if the total annual fee will outweigh the benefits of the frequent flyer credit card.
- No frequent flyer points – you do not earn frequent flyer points on balance transfers or cash advances, so if you require these services then you might want to consider a different card feature.
- Capped frequent flyer points – if you’re planning on spending a lot of money on your frequent flyer credit card then make sure you read the terms and conditions on capped points. You don’t want to find out that you’ve reached your point limit after making purchases on the card.
- Frequent flyer point expiry – it is possible that your frequent flyer points expire so it is highly recommended that you find out if this is applicable to your credit card and make a plan to use any frequent flyer points you’ve accumulated before the expiry period is up.
- Limited flights – some of the more popular airline routes do not allow certain frequent flyer programs. You should read the terms and conditions of these limitations before committing to a frequent flyer program.
- Minimum annual income – some of the frequent flyer credit cards can have a minimum annual income of up to $75,000.
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