Best ways to earn Qantas points in Australia

Yadana Chaw

If you fly with Qantas, signing up to the Frequent Flyer programme can mean unlocking extra benefits, including ways to upgrade or even get free flights. Earn as you fly and travel - but it’s also possible to earn (and spend) your points with Qantas partners, allowing you to benefit when you’re still at home.

Double down on your Qantas points earning opportunity by learning the best ways to earn Qantas points. This guide covers some great ideas, including top credit card picks, and how to earn Qantas points without a credit card, simply by spending day to day as you would anyway. You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your dollars when paying in foreign currencies.

Table of contents

What are Qantas points?

Qantas Points are the points you can earn and redeem through the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Earn points when you travel and spend, and redeem them against flights, upgrades, gift cards, purchases, and day-to-day spending.

There may be a fee to sign up for the Qantas rewards programme - but many of the credit cards, partner merchants, and other providers we’ve detailed below offer the sign-up as a complimentary benefit. That could mean you earn points for no additional outlay, which you can then redeem for treats later.

Best ways to earn Qantas points in Australia

Let’s walk through some smart options for earning more Qantas points so you can travel in style on your next trip - often with little or no extra cost to yourself.

Earn Qantas points from credit cards

Using a travel-focused credit card can be a simple choice if you’re wondering how to earn Qantas points quickly - simply pick the optimal card for your needs, and spend as usual, while racking up the points in the background. Here are a few strategies to earn as many points as possible.

Get more in our guide to the best Australian credit cards for Qantas points.

Choose a credit card with a great Qantas points sign up bonus

Many Australian credit cards offer Qantas points as you spend, and quite a few have Qantas points as an enticing bonus offer for new customers. The bonus offers do change frequently - and almost always have conditions attached, so you’ll need to read the small print carefully - but options you might look at can include:

  • Westpac Altitude Qantas Black - you could get 90,000 Qantas Points in year 1 if you spend 6,000 AUD on eligible purchases in the first 4 months, and an extra 30,000 points in year 21
  • Citi Prestige Qantas Credit Card - earn 125,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend 10,000 AUD or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months2

Pick a credit card with the highest overall Qantas points earn rate

Getting a great bonus for opening your card is one thing, but you’ll also want to pick a card that has a great overall earning rate so you benefit on day to day spending as much as you possibly can. Again, earning rates can often have conditions and caps, so read the card information carefully. A good option is to look for a card that doesn’t limit its top earning to specific spending categories - some to consider include:

  • American Express Qantas Ultimate Card - you’ll earn 1.25 Qantas points on everyday purchases, and up to 2.25 points per dollar on eligible Qantas products and services, leaving you with a great overall earning opportunity3
  • American Express Qantas Premium Card - the earning rate is slightly lower, but so is the annual fee - get 1 point per dollar on everyday spend, and 2 when you spend with Qantas4

Match your card pick to your spending patterns

A different tactic you can take is to look for a card which does use spending categories to reward customers more highly, and pick the card that matches the type of transactions you make frequently. If you drive a lot, choosing a card that rewards fuel purchases can be a smart move, for example. Here are a couple of good options, depending on how you typically spend:

  • Citi Prestige Qantas Credit Card - we already touched on this card, but it’s a strong pick on earning, too, with 1.5 points per dollar on spending with airlines, hotel chains, and restaurants in Australia, plus the same on overseas spend2
  • HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card - No annual fee in year 1, with bonus earning opportunities on eligible purchases for the first year, which could see you earning 1.5 points per dollar spent5

Add on supplementary cards to maximise your Qantas points earning

A final thought on using credit cards to maximise your Qantas points earning. Look out for cards where it’s free to add in supplementary cards, like the HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card6 or the NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card - you can pool your points as family members spend, to give you a boost.

Earn Qantas points from travelling

An obvious option is to make use of the ways to earn points as you travel - here are some ideas on how to earn Qantas frequent flyer points while you see the world.

Fly with Qantas

Book your flights with Qantas - or buy a tour package, including hotels and other add-ons, to earn as many rewards as possible. You could get 3 points per dollar spent if you book travel directly with Qantas7.

Fly with Qantas partner airlines

Qantas is a member of oneworld - an airline network with 30+ members (14 full member airlines), which allows you to earn points even when you fly with different airlines. Earn (and use) points on partners like Qatar Airways, American Airlines, and British Airways. The rates at which you earn points can vary depending on the airline - check out the details before you book.

Get Qantas travel insurance

Getting insured when you travel offers peace of mind and means you know you have support if you ever have an emergency while you’re away from home. Arrange your insurance through Qantas and you could stand to benefit from up to 15,000 points, plus extra bonus offers which could boost this total even further. All policies earn Qantas Points, but you need to spend 1,000 AUD or more to get the maximum possible points9.

Earn Qantas points from spending & daily expenses

You don’t necessarily need to have a credit card or be a frequent traveler to earn Qantas points - there are also options to boost your points total as you spend day to day.

Get Qantas points as you shop

Qantas works with some merchants directly to allow you to earn points simply by showing your frequent flyer card, or entering your details online if you’re buying through an ecommerce store10. To give an example, you could get 2 Qantas Points per 1 dollar spent shopping in-store and online with Uggs, or Dickies Australia.

Check out Hello Fresh

If you love to cook but don’t know what to make, HelloFresh could be a great pick with delivered fresh goods ready for you to cook up at home, recipe cards included. If you sign up for a meal plan, you could get up to 10,000 Qantas points, as well as save money on the subscription itself11.

Join Qantas wine

If you’re a wine buff, signing up to the Qantas wine club could be a no-brainer - just add your membership number and you can earn 1 to 3 points per dollar spent, plus get extra rewards towards achieving Green Membership status in some cases12.

Earn Qantas points from bills & services

Nobody likes paying a bill, but what about earning money when you pay your bills, or transact with your Everyday account? Qantas has some exciting links with banking and financial service companies, energy suppliers, and more, which could mean you earn while doing things you’d have to do anyway.

Get Qantas points when you pay your bills

Download the Sniip app to get 1 Qantas Point for every 10 AUD transacted on eligible bills. All you need to do is pay your regular bills through the app to benefit - plus, there’s a sign-on bonus at the time of research, which might mean you get 2,000 extra bonus points when you pay your first few bills13.

Earn Qantas points as you manage your Everyday Account

Some banks have tie-ups with Qantas, which means you can earn points by opening an eligible account and managing your money day to day, as you would anyway. Check out the AMB account as an example. There are no monthly fees for your account, and you could earn 1 Qantas Point for every 10 AUD average monthly balance14.

Get your energy through a Qantas partner

Qantas partners with various energy suppliers so you can earn points as you heat your home. One that stands out is Solargain, which offers renewable energy solutions that can also help move you towards Qantas Green Tier15.

Other ways to earn Qantas points

Let’s round up with a few more quick options to earn Qantas points - you’ll need to be a Qantas Frequent Flyer member already to view and benefit from these extras, but they’re well worth a look, and could help you earn extra points without spending a cent more.

Qantas Green Tier

You can earn Qantas Green Tier points on some activities and purchases, such as signing up for solar energy that we looked at earlier. There are also options to complete activities within your membership app, which can earn you up to 10,000 extra points to help you on the way.

Qantas Points Accelerator

There’s also a Qantas Points Accelerator tool which lets you complete activities to boost your total - again, log into the app to see which activities are open to you, and what you could earn.

Add the Qantas Prompter to your browser

Finally, you might want to install the free Qantas points prompter tool - a browser extension that will let you know if you’re missing out on opportunities to earn points when you shop online. Just download the tool and let it run in the background, to be notified if there are extra ways to grow your points total16.

How to maximise and earn Qantas points quickly

Many of the tips we’ve looked at in this guide can help you maximise and earn Qantas points quickly - here are a few other things to consider:

  • If you’re earning points with a credit card, keep an eye on the points earning opportunities - caps may apply, in which case you might decide it’s worth taking a second card from a different provider to allow you to continue to earn.
  • Use your Qantas credit card for day-to-day spending - as long as you can repay the bill and avoid interest costs, this can help you earn faster with no additional costs.
  • Stack points earning, by using your card when you spend with Qantas partner merchants -you can earn points both from your card provider and the merchant.
  • Look out for Qantas points offers, which can cover anything from health insurance purchases to home loans - if you’ll be buying these products anyway, buying them from a Qantas partner could be a quick way to increase your points.

Naturally, when you’re using a credit card or selecting financial services, there’s more to think about than the points - weigh up the features and benefits carefully to make sure the product suits your needs, and take financial advice if you’re not sure.

Summary

Qantas rewards offer great ways to access flight upgrades and other neat travel and lifestyle perks - so finding ways to earn Qantas points as quickly as possible makes sense. Use this guide to decide which handy hacks might suit your normal spending patterns - and make sure to weigh up any associated risks or costs before you start spending, or sign up for financial products.

Flying Qantas? Maximise your overseas spending with the Wise card.

You’ve figured out how to maximise your Qantas points; now it’s time to ensure your overseas spending is just as smart for when you travel with them. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 7x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up AUD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in AUD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

🚀 Get your Wise card


This general advice does not take into account your objectives, financial circumstances or needs and you should consider if it is appropriate for you. Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected Australian banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more please visit https://income-climb.live/au/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.


Sources:
  1. Westpac Altitude Qantas Black
  2. Citi Prestige Qantas Credit Card
  3. American Express Qantas Ultimate Card
  4. American Express Qantas Premium Card
  5. HSBC Platinum Qantas Credit Card
  6. NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card
  7. Qantas Frequent Flyers
  8. Qantas - earn points
  9. Qantas travel insurance
  10. Qantas retail partners
  11. Hello Fresh
  12. Qantas wine
  13. Sniip - Qantas
  14. AMB Everyday Account
  15. Solargain
  16. Qantas Prompter

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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