Compare the Best Frequent Flyer Credit Cards to earn more Points

Frequent Flyer Credit Card

Compare the Best Frequent Flyer Credit Cards. All the deals on earn rates, sign up bonuses, low rates & fees.

Our Frequent Flyer Credit Card comparison is designed to help you select the best Frequent Flyer Credit Card where point earn rates, introductory point offers, redemption opportunities and point capping all contribute to identifying the best credit card option for you. Our Frequent Flyer Point calculator ranks the frequent flyer credit cards on the points you could earn for any given monthly credit card spend, so identifying the best frequent flyer credit card to earn points from your preferred airline is simple.

The Best Frequent Flyer Credit Card is that which provides a balanced combination of a high point earn rate per $ of spend, generous introductory points, low credit card fees and competitive interest rates. Our guide to selecting the best frequent flyer credit card (below the table) considers each of these credit card features and provides direction on how to find the best frequent flyer credit card for your financial circumstances and credit requirements.

Estimates suggest that over 15 million Australians have a Frequent Flyer Membership, with the Qantas and Velocity Frequent Flyer Programs accounting for the majority of these members.

As a means of extending members ability to earn Frequent Flyer Points pretty much all the Airline Loyalty Programs have partnered with Credit Card companies to issue Frequent Flyer Credit Cards. By using these credit cards for everyday purchases cardholders typically earn 1 frequent flyer point for every $1 spent, with the point earn rates per $1 spent rising to as much as 3 points for the prestige level platinum and black credit cards

If you are a current member of a Frequent Flyer Program or have a preferred program use our quick links to compare the frequent flyer credit cards within your frequent flyer program of choice: Qantas Credit Cards, Velocity Credit Cards, Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer Credit Cards, Emirates Skywards Credit Cards

Compare the Best Frequent Flyer Credit Cards

The costs associated with using and holding a frequent flyer credit card, including interest rates, annual card fees and transacting costs should be at the forefront when making your frequent flyer credit card comparison as no amount of frequent flyer points will pay off the debts incurred on your credit card. In conjunction with this assessment of the costs of holding and using a frequent flyer credit card your comparison should also include a detailed analysis of the credit cards frequent flyer point earning power. This point earn power is heavily influenced by 5 factors which are considered here:

1. The Frequent Flyer Point earn rate

The Point earn rate of a frequent flyer credit card determines the number of frequent flyer points awarded by the credit card provider for every $1 spent on eligible purchases (more on this later) using your frequent flyer credit card. So if your credit cards earn rate is 1 Point for each $1 spent using your frequent flyer credit card and you spend $150, you will earn 150 frequent flyer points.

The point earn rates offered on frequent flyer credit cards tend to fall in the range of 0.5 to 3 points for each $1 spent using your frequent flyer credit card, with the higher point earn rates being reserved for Platinum and Black Frequent Flyer Credit Cards. Most frequent flyer credit cards feature different Point earn rates when purchases are made from Partner companies, whom offer promotional Point earn rates as much as 3 times higher than the standard Point earn rates. For example if you use your American Express Velocity Escape credit card to purchase a flight from Virgin Australia, the Velocity Points earned will be calculated relative to the “partner point earn rate” which is 2 Velocity Points per $1 of spend, which is double the standard point earn rate.

2. Introductory Bonus Frequent Flyer Points

There are over 80 Frequent Flyer credit cards available in Australia with many of the credit cards offering very similar features, benefits and rates so to differentiate their frequent flyer credit cards the credit card providers frequently include introductory offers of frequent flyer points to entice new card holders, to choose their frequent flyer credit card over a competitors. These introductory point offers range from 5,000 up to 100,000 points and are only available to ne customers of the card provider, where anew customer is defined as not held a credit card provider in the last 6 months, though this period does vary by provider. Increasingly these introductory points are awarded once the new card holder has used the credit card at a stated level within the 1^st few months of holding the card. So for example a sign up bonus of 10,000 points maybe offered, with the points only being lodged into your nominated frequent flyer account after you make a purchase within 3 months of receiving your new frequent flyer credit card.

The Best Introductory Point Offers for Qantas and Velocity Points

American Express Qantas Discovery Credit Card

Full Card Details >>

$0 p.a. annual card fee, No Qantas Points cap, low minimum income eligiblity of $35,000 p.a.

American Express Qantas Ultimate Credit Card

55,000 Bonus Qantas Points Full Card Details >>

$450 p.a. annual card fee, No points cap, 0% p.a. on Balance Transfers for 12 months, complimentary travel insurance.

American Express Velocity Platinum Credit Card

50,000 Bonus Velocity Points Full Card Details >>

$375 p.a. annual card fee, No points cap, complimentary insurances.

American Express Qantas Premium Credit Card

30,000 Bonus Qantas Points Full Card Details >>

Annual Fee $249, No Points cap, 0% p.a. Balance Transfer for 12 months, Up to 44 days interest free on purchases.

3. Purchases eligible to earn frequent flyer points

Frequent Flyer points are only awarded when you use your frequent flyer credit card to pay for eligible purchase, the definition of eligible purchases varies slightly by credit card provider but generally includes everyday purchases and excludes balance transfers, utility bills and ATO transactions. Some Premium level cards do reward ATO and Insurance payments, though generally it is at a lower earn rate that the cards standard rate.

4. Frequent Point Points Expiry periods

Some frequent flyer points have an expiry date, which is generally in the range of 24-36 months. Having earned the points you should look to select a frequent flyer credit card that will allow you to redeem your points in a timeframe acceptable to you.

5. Capping of the frequent flyer points you can earn from credit card spend

Many frequent flyer credit cards feature a Points Cap that is the maximum number of points that can be earned from credit card usage across a stated period.. Once this “cap” is reached any purchases made using your frequent flyer credit card will not be rewarded with frequent flyer points. Frequent Flyer Credit Cards with Uncapped Point earning do exist, but are limited in numbers, with Qantas Credit Cards with No Points Cap and Velocity Credit Cards with No Points Cap well worth consideration when you are seeking to be rewarded for every dollar of spend on your frequent flyer credit card.

Which Frequent Flyer Programs offer Frequent Flyer Credit Cards

Qantas - Qantas Rewards (Qantas Frequent Flyer Program)

Qantas has partnered with many of the credit card issuers and is the most active in the frequent flyer credit card category with over 50 Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards, available from providers including American Express, Westpac, nab and ANZ. With over 400 Qantas Rewards partners participating in the Qantas Rewards program the opportunities to earn bonus points for spending with partners is extensive, and compliments the bonus point opportunities available on any travel booking with Qantas Holidays and Qantas Airways.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Virgin Australia has relationships with each of the major credit card issuers who offer over 40 Velocity Credit Cards, providers include American Express, Virgin Money and nab.

The redemption opportunities with Velocity Rewards are extensive and as you'd expect include flights, to over 600 global destinations, with tickets starting at just 7,000 points. The Velocity eStore features hundreds of merchandise choices from electronics to gift cards and even charity donations. Velocity Points can also be transferred to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program at the rate of 1.35 Velocity Points for 1 KrisFlyer Mile.

Emirates - Skywards

Emirates in partnership with Citi and American Express offer SkyWards Frequent Flyer credit cards aligned with the Emirates Skywards Rewards program. Skywards Miles can be redeemed for a variety of rewards and can be earned from flights, promotions and partner offers, notably it is free to join with no annual membership fee.

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines has partnered with Westpac and American Express to offer KrisFlyer Frequent Flyer Credit Cards aligned with its KrisFlyer program. Cardholders can redeem their KrisFlyer miles for award flights to more than 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries as well as upgrades on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and world-class airline partners in the Star Alliance. Both Citi Rewards and Velocity Points can now be transferred to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles.

Westpac Altitude Credit Cards

If you are not loyal to a single airline and would prefer the flexibility of transferring your points to a range of Airline Frequent Flyer Programs the Westpac Altitude Program is worth consideration. Westpac Altitude Rewards key feature is it's versatility to transfer your Altitude Points to a wide choice of frequent flyer partner programs including Qantas Rewards, Velocity Frequent Flyer Rewards, Malaysia Airlines Enrich, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Air NZ Airpoints.

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards

With the opportunity to transfer your American Express Member Rewards points to one of 9 Frequent Flyer Programs the American Express Credit Cards featuring Membership Rewards are a good option when you are not loyal to any one airline and prefer to have complete flexibility on how you use your points with any of the available frequent Flyer Programs. The Frequent Flyer Programs American Express currently partners with for points transfer are: Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Air New Zealand Airpoints, THAI Royal Orchid Plus, Malaysia Airlines Enrich and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

Citi Rewards

Citi Rewards Credit Cards offer you the choice of earning Qantas Frequent Flyer Points on your Citibank Signature credit card or Citi Prestige credit card by joining Citibank Qantas Rewards. Your points will automatically be transferred to your Qantas Frequent Flyer program each month which enables you to use your points to redeem from over 2,000 products, vouchers or experiences through the on-line Qantas Frequent Flyer Store or any available Classic Award flight with Qantas, Jetstar and participating partner airlines.

ANZ Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards

ANZ Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Cards are offered as companion credit cards, so cardholders hold both an American Express and a Visa Card to provide acceptance across the globe, combined with the ability to maximize all Qantas Point earning opportunities, by using the credit card with the highest Qantas Point earn rate when paying for goods and services.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Point earn rates

Qantas Frequent Flyer Credit Card	Visa/Mastercard Qantas Points per $1 spent	American Express Qantas Points per $1 spent	Annual Card Fee
American Express Discovery Credit Card	0	1.0	$0
Citi Qantas Signature Credit Card	1.0	0	$299
NAB Qantas Rewards Premium Credit Card	0.5	1.5	$250
NAB Qantas Rewards Credit Card	0.5	1.0	$95
American Express Qantas Ultimate Credit Card	0	0.5 - 3.0 depending on purchase type	$450

Velocity Frequent Flyer Point earn rates

Velocity Frequent Flyer Credit Card	Visa/Mastercard Velocity Points per $1 spent	American Express Velocity Points per $1 spent	Annual Card Fee
American Express Velocity Escape Credit Card	0	1.0	$0
Virgin Australia Velocity Flyer Credit Card	1.0	0	$129
American Express Platinum Velocity Credit Card	0	0.5 - 3 points depending on purchase type	$349
NAB Velocity Rewards Credit Card	0.5	1.5	$95

I don’t fly frequently so are frequent flyer credit cards relevant to me?

Probably not, as to maximize your points earning with a frequent flyer credit card you will need to be travelling relatively frequently on the airline providing the frequent flyer program. If you are looking to be rewarded for your credit card spending a more general Reward Credit Card should be considered which is not tied to a Frequent Flyer Program.

I’m a frequent flyer but not loyal to a single airline - are frequent flyer credit cards relevant to me?

Many frequent travellers choose their airline based on the price of the ticket offered, which may mean the end up using multiple airlines to fulfill their travel requirements.

A number of Rewards Credit Cards cater for this type of traveller by offering frequent flyer credit cards that are aligned to a number of Airline partners, as opposed to just one. With this flexibility points earned on credit card purchases can be transferred to any of the airline partners participating in the Reward Program, an example of this type of program is the Altitudes Reward Program, operated by Westpac Group that is aligned with about 10 airlines.

Which Frequent Flyer Program should I choose?

All Frequent Flyer Credit Cards are aligned to a frequent flyer program, so firstly you will need to decide which airline is your preferred provider. This maybe an easy answer, as you may already be a member of a frequent flyer program for which you have earned points from using the Airline.

If you are not a member of a Frequent Flyer Program you should consider the following when deciding on the best frequent flyer credit card for you:

Does the Airline I normally fly with have a frequent flyer program?
Does this Frequent Flyer Program offer the types of rewards that are attractive to me?

Do Frequent Flyer Points earned on credit card spend expire?

The expiration conditions of any points earned from a Frequent Flyer credit card vary by credit card provider, and should be checked closely as a short expiry period for points will impact your ability to accumulate a volume of points required to acquire, through redemption long haul flights or merchandise of real merit.

How competitive are the Purchase Rates offered by Frequent Flyer Credit Cards?

Frequent Flyer credit cards typically feature purchase rates at the higher end of the range, which means if you do not pay of your balance in full each month the value of the rewards you have accrued through card usage will soon be eroded away by high monthly interest charges. Consequently Frequent Flyer credit cards are most suitable for customers who can pay off their balance each month in full and avoid any interest charges.

Do I have to be a member of the Airlines Frequent Flyer Program to benefit from the Frequent Flyer credit card rewards?

Yes, you will need to be a member of the Frequent Flyer program that your frequent flyer credit card is aligned to. Membership of these programs usually attracts an annual fee, so check this when comparing the frequent flyer credit cards on your shortlist. Frequently the credit card providers waive this membership fee for the first year, as an additional incentive to apply for their frequent flyer credit card.

Each Frequent Flyer Program operates a tiered membership system with the most frequent flyers attaining the highest platinum level status which translates to access to premium airport lounges, priority check in and larger luggage allowances. These higher tiers also have higher frequent flyer point earn rates for flying with the Airline.

Will I earn reward points for every dollar I spend on eligible purchases using my frequent flyer credit card?

This depends on whether your frequent flyer credit card has a points cap or not. If it has a points cap, this means that the amount of points you can earn over a specified period (usually a month) is capped at stated level, and any eligible purchases made once you have reached this cap will not earn any rewards points. Some cards feature both monthly and annual caps that could potentially significantly curtail your points earning potential.

When accessing the impact any point caps might have on your frequent flyer rewards compare your forecast monthly and monthly credit card spend with the point cap values the frequent flyer credit card places across the cap periods. Credit cards with uncapped point earning do exist but are few in numbers, Qantas Credit Cards with No Points Cap and Velocity Credit Cards with No Points cap should be considered when you are seeking to be rewarded for every dollar of spend your frequent flyer credit card.

What are Introductory Bonus Point Offers?

Frequent Flyer credit card providers are aware that potential card holders are eager to build their frequent flyer points balances and have responded to this by offering frequent flyer points as an incentive to apply for their respective credit card. Introductory Frequent Flyer Bonus point offers of up to 100,000 are promoted by the credit card providers, often to attain the full quantity of bonus points offered certain spend thresholds must be met within the 1st few months of holding the frequent flyer credit card.