Frequent flyer bank cards reward you with free flights, upgrades and different journey perks only for doing all your on a regular basis spending. There’s a card for all the pieces: you may select from primary, no-frills choices to playing cards that dish out large factors and large options.
Loads of frequent flyer bank cards include epic sign-up bonus factors to kickstart your rewards stash, and a few have steadiness switch options if you wish to shift your debt to a brand new card for 0% curiosity and to pay it off sooner.
Or, when you’re simply saying “present me the factors!“, search for bank cards that pay out the very best variety of frequent flyer factors for each greenback you spend.
We’ve made it simple by summarising the options of every card proper right here. You possibly can click on the cardboard to see the cardboard’s full particulars on the financial institution’s web site, and apply from there too.
Listed below are the highest frequent flyer bank cards for February 2025
Try our prime frequent flyer offers for this month. Click on ‘go to supply’ for a full rundown of the cardboard’s options, and to use.
Qantas Premier Platinum Credit score Card – as much as 80,000 bonus Qantas Factors
The Qantas Premier Platinum Credit score Card is filled with journey advantages and bonus factors, together with a reduction on the primary 12 months’s annual price.
- Bonus factors: As much as 80,000 bonus Qantas Factors – 50,000 if you apply and spend $3,000 or extra on eligible purchases inside 3 months from card approval, plus an extra 30,000 when you haven’t earned Qantas Factors with a bank card within the final 12 months.
- Factors on spending: 1.5 factors per $1 spent on worldwide purchases, 1 level for home spending (as much as $10,000 per assertion interval, then reverts to 0.5 factors) and a bonus level if you purchase chosen Qantas services.
- Journey extras: 24/7 concierge service, discounted flights for as much as 8 companions and airport lounge entry.
- Cash-saving perks: $50 low cost on the annual price for the primary 12 months (then $399), plus 0% p.a. on steadiness transfers for 12 months with a 2% steadiness switch price.
Qantas American Categorical Final – 100,000 bonus Qantas Factors plus $450 Qantas Journey Credit score
The Qantas American Categorical Final Credit score Card is a premium card that provides a great deal of journey advantages and factors.
- Bonus factors: 100,000 bonus Qantas Factors if you apply on-line by 18 March 2025, are accepted, and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases in your new card throughout the first 3 months.
- Factors on spending: As much as 1.25 Qantas Factors on on a regular basis purchases, 0.5 Qantas Factors on authorities spend, and an extra 1 level per $1 on eligible Qantas services with no factors capping.
- Journey credit score: Every year you’ll obtain a $450 Qantas Journey Credit score for eligible home or worldwide Qantas flights when booked by way of American Categorical Journey.
- Extra journey advantages: As much as 4 airport lounge passes, and complimentary home and abroad journey insurance coverage.
Qantas Premier On a regular basis Credit score Card – as much as 8,000 bonus Qantas Factors
The Qantas Premier On a regular basis Credit score Card provides a variety of advantages for a comparatively low annual price.
- Bonus factors: 2 bonus Qantas Factors per $1 spent on eligible purchases, on prime of the usual earn charges for the primary 4 months from card approval (as much as 8,000 bonus Qantas Factors).
- Journey extras: Complimentary worldwide journey insurance coverage and rental automobile extra cowl.
- Stability switch: 0% p.a. for 12 months with no steadiness switch price.
- Annual price: $99 The cardboard includes a low annual price, , and a 0% p.a. rate of interest on steadiness transfers for 12 months with 2% steadiness switch price.
ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum Credit score Card – 75,000 bonus Qantas Factors and $100 again
ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum Credit score Card supplies loads of platinum perks together with cashback.
- Bonus supply: 75,000 bonus Qantas Factors and $100 again to your card if you spend $2,500 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from approval.
- Factors on spending: 0.75 Qantas Factors per $1 spent on eligible purchases as much as $3,000 per assertion interval, then 0.5 Qantas Factors per $1 spent on eligible purchases above $3,000 per assertion interval.
- Journey extras: Complimentary worldwide and home journey insurance coverage, plus rental automobile extra insurance coverage in Australia.
- Annual price: $295
American Categorical Qantas Enterprise Rewards Card – 170,000 bonus Qantas Factors
In the event you’re searching for alternatives to earn extra on your online business transactions, you possibly can make the most of the American Categorical Qantas Enterprise Rewards Card present supply.
- Bonus supply: 170,000 bonus Qantas Factors if you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in your card within the first 3 months from approval.
- Factors per greenback: 1.25 Qantas factors per $1 on on a regular basis purchases (after a complete of 500,000 Qantas Factors is earned in a calendar 12 months, the on a regular basis enterprise earn fee will change from 1.25 to 0.75 Qantas Factors per $1 spent), and 0.5 factors on authorities spending.
- Bonus factors: Earn an extra factors on eligible Qantas services.
- Journey extras: 2 home Qantas Membership lounge passes per 12 months, complimentary journey insurance coverage and 10% off eligible Qantas flights along with your free Qantas Enterprise Rewards membership.
- Enterprise perks: Add as much as 99 worker cardholders free, and use 51 days interest-free to handle cashflow.
Observe: It is a cost card which comes with versatile spendng energy, also called no-pre-set spending restrict. Which means that the quantity you may spend is dynamic and may adapt primarily based in your transaction patterns, your companies credit standing, and different elements. The best way you utilize your Card will help your spending energy develop, notably within the first few months. To assist maximise your spending energy, make common transactions and don’t miss any funds.
ANZ Frequent Flyer Black Credit score Card – As much as 130,000 bonus Qantas Factors and $200 again
The ANZ Frequent Flyer Black Credit score Card is a high-earning rewards card with an enormous bonus supply that features factors and cashback.
- Bonus supply: as much as 130,000 bonus Qantas Factors – 90,000 bonus Qantas Factors and $200 again to your new card if you spend $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from approval plus 40,000 bonus Qantas Factors if you hold your card for a 12 months.
- Factors per greenback: 1 Qantas Level per $1 spent as much as $7,500 per assertion interval, then 0.5 Qantas Factors per $1 spent above $7,500 per assertion interval, uncapped.
- Journey extras: yearly Qantas Membership lounge invites, complimentary home and worldwide journey insurance coverage plus rental automobile extra cowl.
- Annual price: $425
Discovering the Finest Credit score Card Provides on Frequent Flyer Playing cards
Frequent flyer factors (and the redemption packages they’re connected to) is usually a complicated world to dive into, however they’re additionally a few of the finest perks a bank card can supply.
You’ll earn rewards factors only for doing all your day-to-day spending, and convert these factors into journey freebies and privileges, and even retail merchandise.
Now positive learn how to discover your finest card? We’ve acquired you lined. Under is a straightforward information on frequent flyer factors, how they work, and learn how to discover the bank card that’ll provide the most bang on your buck.
Step 1: Issues to look out for when evaluating frequent flyer bank cards:
- The frequent flyer program it’s connected to
- Whether or not the factors will be transferred to different frequent flyer packages
- Introductory bonus factors you get for signing up
- Any expiration dates in your factors
- The earn fee (factors you earn per greenback spent)
- Caps on the factors you may earn
- Annual charges
- Different bonus options of the cardboard
Introductory Bonus Factors
Some frequent flyer playing cards provide you with bonus rewards factors on sign-up, as much as the tune of 120,000 factors (or much more).
However there’s a small catch – you’ll want to satisfy the eligibility standards to get your factors, which normally means spending a minimal quantity in your card inside a sure timeframe.
Test the quantity required and ensure you can meet it – it’s usually within the neighborhood of $3,000 spent inside 90 days of approval, however will be kind of.
What number of factors you possibly can earn
Rewards factors are handed out for the {dollars} you spend on eligible purchases. Some issues received’t earn rewards factors, like Bpay transactions, money advances (the place you withdraw cash out of your bank card) and a few authorities funds.
Most occasions, rewards additionally received’t apply on steadiness transfers, the place you progress your steadiness remaining from one bank card to a brand new one which has 0% or low curiosity utilized to the transferred quantity. Test the cardboard’s PDS and the TMD to ensure.
The quantity of factors you may earn will depend on just a few issues:
- The earn fee. That’s what number of factors per $1 you spend. 1 frequent flyer level per greenback is pretty normal, though some playing cards supply 0.5 or 0.75 factors per $1.
- Tiered factors. Generally the earn fee modifications relying on what you purchase and the place. As an example, a card would possibly pay 1 level per $1 for eligible purchases as much as a specific amount per thirty days, after which it drops to 0.5 factors per $1 after that. You would possibly earn extra factors for worldwide purchases, or for purchasing merchandise by way of an affiliate enterprise or airline.
- Factors caps. Some playing cards put a restrict on the quantity of frequent flyer factors you may earn in a 12 months (for example, 100,000 factors yearly). Nevertheless, in some circumstances, factors which can be earned for purchases made with explicit companies are uncapped factors and don’t depend in direction of your complete factors depend. So you possibly can earn, for instance, 125,000 factors in a 12 months even when the cap is 100,000, as a result of 25,000 had been earned from uncapped purchases at sure shops.
- Membership standing. Relying on the cardboard, it’s possible you’ll earn standing factors along with your spending that transfer you up into extra prestigious tiers, doubtlessly providing extra factors per $1, and unlocking extra journey options like additional checked baggage, flight upgrades and lounge entry.
To take advantage of factors out of your spending, you may take into consideration how a lot you spend in your card every month, and select a proposal with uncapped factors or a better spending tier so that you don’t lose out on beneficial rewards by hitting the factors incomes restrict.
Additionally, contemplate the stuff you purchase usually. 🛒 In the event you use your card for grocery store spending, search for a card with the most effective earn fee on these purchases. ✈️ Or, when you use your card for journey, discover a card that rewards spending on flights, lodging and automobile leases.
Annual charges and ongoing prices (and the trifecta candy spot)
The balancing act of discovering an awesome frequent flyer card for you is weighing up the annual price, the earn fee and the introductory supply.
Tremendous helpful tips about annual charges:
- A card with an enormous introductory supply is more likely to have a better earn fee, but in addition a better annual price.
- A card with a reasonable introductory supply will normally have a decrease earn fee, and a decrease annual price to go well with.
Discovering a card that hits your trifecta candy spot means wanting on the worth you’ll get from the frequent flyer rewards, and deciding if it outweighs the annual price.
For instance, when you earned 45,000 factors per 12 months on a Qantas frequent flyer bank card that provided 1 level per $1 spent, and had an annual price of $350, you would need to weigh up in case your factors earn was definitely worth the barely larger yearly price.
Contemplating 36,000 factors can get you to Christchurch and again from Sydney utilizing Qantas factors (plus any regular taxes and airline charges), and including in some other perks the cardboard provides like free journey insurance coverage, the cardboard may fit out properly in your favour even with a better annual price.
And naturally, that instance doesn’t embody any bonus supply factors if you join.
On that time, some playing cards supply lowered annual charges for the primary 12 months, or decrease ongoing annual charges when you spend a minimal quantity per 12 months. Test for the most recent frequent flyer bank card annual price offers utilizing the ‘annual price’ toggle on our one-click comparability software.
The curiosity you’ll be charged
Whenever you use your bank card and don’t repay the steadiness (the quantity you owe) earlier than the due date or inside any interest-free durations the cardboard provides, you’ll need to pay curiosity on the steadiness.
It’s additionally known as the acquisition fee, and frequent flyer bank cards are likely to have larger buy charges as a result of they’re a high-value card.
Test the acquisition fee and ensure you’re assured you may carry on prime of your repayments so that you’re not slugged with excessive curiosity expenses, as a result of that can scale back the worth of your journey rewards.
Expiration dates on frequent flyer factors
Some frequent flyer factors by no means expire, however some expire inside a sure timeframe, or when you don’t use your card for a specified period of time. It’s usually simple to maintain your account energetic since you’ll be incomes factors each time you spend in your card.
Frequent Flyer program | Factors expiry coverage | Find out how to hold factors energetic |
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Velocity Factors | Sure, after 24 months of inactivity |
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Qantas Factors | Sure, after 18 months of inactivity in your account |
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American Categorical Journey Factors | No expiry, however factors can be misplaced if all playing cards linked to this system are cancelled |
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At all times test the wonderful print of the frequent flyer program for expiration insurance policies, and any conditions the place they might cancel the rewards program.
Step 2: Unpacking the most effective frequent flyer program for you
Every frequent flyer bank card is linked to a particular frequent flyer program which you can redeem the factors by way of.
Right here’s a snapshot of the frequent flyer packages accessible that cowl Australian and worldwide airways:
- Qantas – Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Virgin – Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Singapore – Airways Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Cathay Pacific – Marco Polo Membership
- Etihad – Etihad Visitor
- Emirates – Skywards
- Malaysia Airways – Enrich
- British Airways – British Airways Govt Membership
- American Airways – AAdvantage Frequent Flyer
- United – Mileage Plus
As you’re evaluating playing cards, you’ll discover most hyperlink up with Qantas Frequent Flyer, Virgin Velocity Frequent Flyer or American Categorical packages. Nevertheless, you should still use your frequent flyer factors for different airways throughout the identical community, like Singapore Airways Krisflyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Air New Zealand Airpoints, Emirates Skywards and Etihad Visitor.
Becoming a member of a frequent flyer program
Whenever you apply for a bank card connected to a frequent flyer program, you’ll have to turn into a member to begin incomes and spending factors.
Most packages are free to affix, or provide you with alternative to affix without cost by way of different partnerships.
For instance, becoming a member of Qantas Frequent Flyer normally prices $99.50, however some bank cards supply free membership, or you may be a part of through your Woolworths On a regular basis Rewards card.
Earlier than you apply, it’s a good suggestion to test the small print on the cardboard to learn how and when the factors you earn are transferred to your frequent flyer account. Some playing cards supply direct switch, others switch factors on the finish of every month, whereas others solely supply handbook switch on the cardholder’s request – with a minimal switch quantity required.
Try how one can maximise your points-earning potential in your chosen card. This may occasionally imply utilizing your card with sure companions throughout the journey trade, equivalent to motels and automobile rent firms, or with sure retailers.
Sure, it’s a bit tedious, however studying a bit about your frequent flyer card can actually give your factors incomes a lift.
What are you able to redeem frequent flyer factors on?
It’s an awesome concept to test the frequent flyer program and its retailer, so can select one that provides the stuff you need (and, it’s extra enjoyable if you’ve already chosen the reward you need to get without cost!).
Sometimes, you should utilize frequent flyer factors for:
- Journey. That features flights, upgrades, motels and lodging, and automobile rental.
- Buying. Go to this system’s on-line rewards retailer to seek out and redeem your factors at fashionable shops.
- Present playing cards. You possibly can redeem frequent flyer factors for present playing cards, however sometimes you’ll get extra worth utilizing them for journey.
- Enjoyable eating extras. Some packages supply freebies and reductions on eating. For instance, Qantas Factors will be redeemed on Qantas wine.
In the event you don’t have sufficient factors to cowl your complete value of the acquisition, many playing cards supply points-and-pay, the place you may pay money to cowl any shortfalls in your factors.
Step 3: Trying out your card’s different options
Many bank cards supply a bunch of different options in addition to rewards factors, and frequent flyer playing cards – particularly the fancier, dearer ones – are sometimes choc-full of them.
Options you would possibly discover on a frequent flyer bank card:
- Complimentary journey insurance coverage (could possibly be home, worldwide, or each)
- Airport lounge entry
- Airport transfers
- Journey credit score
- Concierge companies
- Reductions with partnering companies
- Cashback provides
- VIP entry to occasions
All the additional ‘dazzle’ on a card will help offset the upper annual price, particularly when you like to journey, dine and revel in social occasions.
In the event you’re after factors to spend on retail, you would possibly need to have a look at the most effective rewards-earning bank cards, that are linked to financial institution rewards packages (not particular frequent flyer memberships) and have decrease annual charges.
Different provides to look out for
Introductory provides are one large advantage of frequent flyer bank cards, however you too can search for reductions on annual charges and any cashback provides.
Some playing cards waive the annual price for the primary 12 months, or when you hit a minimal spend yearly.
There are additionally cashback or journey credit on supply, the place you’ll have a nominal quantity paid again to your account, or earn a journey voucher to spend every year. Each options assist offset any ongoing charges on the cardboard.
Some lenders supply 0% curiosity on steadiness transfers, which is the place you progress the debt from a bank card to 1 that received’t cost curiosity for a sure timeframe.
Earlier than you ask, you received’t earn factors if you switch a steadiness. Which suggests combining a steadiness switch (the place the purpose is to repay debt) with a card that’s about incomes rewards on large spending will not be the most effective mixture.
In the event you’re eager to get forward of your bank card steadiness, use our one-click comparability software to discover a steadiness switch card that can provide help to most.
FAQs
What’s an ‘eligible transaction’ for incomes factors?
An eligible transaction normally means common spending on on a regular basis objects, like groceries, consuming out and reserving tickets (together with flights). Usually, you received’t earn factors on money advances (the place you withdraw cash out of your bank card) and any balances transferred from a special card.
Usually, you received’t earn factors on authorities transactions both, like paying your charges invoice.
The bank card’s PDS will define which transactions are eligible for incomes factors.
Are all frequent flyer factors price the identical quantity?
No, every frequent flyer program has their very own worth system. For instance, a $100 Bunnings present voucher will value 23,170 Qantas Factors, or 21,800 Velocity Factors.
If you wish to get probably the most out of your factors, you may search the completely different rewards packages and select the one with the higher factors redemption on stuff you’re most definitely to purchase.
Can I add further cardholders?
Including members of the family to the account is an effective method to bump up your factors earnings sooner, however not all playing cards permit further cardholders, and a few make you pay.
The extra cardholder price is likely to be minimal, like $10 per 12 months, however can also require a price to affix the membership program.
At all times test the phrases for including additional cardholders to ensure it’s not going so as to add ongoing bills that outweigh the advantages.
How do I select my card as soon as I’ve selected my Rewards Program?
If you understand which frequent flyer program you need to be a part of, you may evaluate the playing cards connected to your program by utilizing our one-click comparability software:
Evaluate all Qantas Frequent Flyer bank cards.
Evaluate all Velocity Frequent Flyer bank cards.
Or, you may evaluate bonus factors for all rewards playing cards, together with non-frequent-flyer packages, on our bonus factors comparability web page.
In the event you’re nonetheless undecided, you may evaluate all bank cards providing frequent flyer factors and click on every card to learn its execs and cons.
Can I earn factors on authorities funds, like my ATO invoice?
Most bank cards don’t supply factors on authorities transactions, and those who do are most frequently enterprise bank cards. Nevertheless, some American Categorical frequent flyer playing cards supply factors on funds to authorities our bodies.
As all the time, test the cardboard’s particulars to seek out out.