Qantas Frequent Flyer Payment Card

[sarvowinner]

Just received a questionnaire from Qantas on credit card use, it then came up with this statement:

Qantas is considering enhancing your current frequent flyer membership card by enabling it to be also used as a prepaid travel card. We would send you a new frequent flyer card that you would also be able to use to make purchases or withdraw money from an ATM - like any other prepaid travel card offered in the market. You would also be able to earn Qantas frequent flyer points on purchases that you made whilst overseas.

Subsequent questions asked about domestic useage, if a separate card was offered would American Express branding be a deterrent or an inducement, and finally how many cc transactions incurred surcharges and what was my response to the surcharge.

Interesting....

 

[Ricardo]

Air NZ have something similar I believe.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Air NZ have something similar I believe.

Yeah it's called OneSmart,I'm an Airpoints member and I received an email about it late last year.
OneSmart - Air New Zealand - New Zealand Site
Cheers
N'oz

 

[markis10]

Why dont they focus on doing a debit card that earns points?

 

[sarvowinner]

Why dont they focus on doing a debit card that earns points?

I think that was the gist of the survey but an American Express debit card seems to be pushing the envelope a little too far.

 

[markis10]

I think that was the gist of the survey but an American Express debit card seems to be pushing the envelope a little too far.

I mean debit card for everyday use, not a travel overseas currency card.

 

[sarvowinner]

The survey did begin suggesting a travel overseas currency card but then changed direction. This was a later question.: Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.

	16. * This card could also be used within Australia – like any credit or debit card – to pay for goods and services at merchant outlets. However, the main difference being that it would require you to load money onto the card. Loading money onto your card via your bank / savings account could be done either at your request (e.g. via the internet) or on an automatic top-up basis. Would you consider using the Qantas Frequent Flyer card as a payment card for purchases within Australia?
	I would strongly consider I would possibly consider No, I would not consider

 

[sarvowinner]

The previous two questions are also interesting:

14. If this prepaid travel card was separate to your Qantas Frequent Flyer card (i.e an additional card), but still allowed you to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points, would you be:
	More likely to consider Less likely to consider Indifferent

	15. * If the Qantas Frequent Flyer prepaid travel card was an American Express branded card (as opposed to MasterCard or Visa), would you be:
	More likely to consider Less likely to consider Indifferent

 

[samh004]

Why dont they focus on doing a debit card that earns points?

You are my hero… exactly what I need!

 

[flyingfan]

Qantas is considering enhancing your current frequent flyer membership card

That magic word :!: :!: :shock:

I wonder if the overseas exchange rates and the earn rate would be competitive; it seems hard to do better than the redemptions from American Express, which are paid for by much higher merchant fees. I suppose Qantas would have to cut a pretty good deal here to sway us from our Amex and Woolworths cards. Hopefully the QFF Direct fee doesn't apply to this one!

 

[eastwest101]

At least they are thinking about something. In my opinion they would do well to steer clear of Amex due to it not being accepted anywhere, but a pre-loaded or reloadable visa/mastercard debit would be very desirable.

 

[yohy?!]

An interesting proposition, QF becomes the financial product provider instead of just selling points - cutting out the middle man as it were (in this case the banks issuing cards) and dealing direct with the network providers (visa, mc, amex).

It may be another product they'll put out with Macqaurie like the JQ Travelcard.

 

[clifford]

It may be another product they'll put out with Macqaurie like the JQ Travelcard.

I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

 

[nlagalle]

Sounds very interesting..

 

[SteveJohnson]

My 2c is also that a Mastercard or Visa card would be great but not an Amex card. I assume it would also be a multi-currency card which supports a bunch of different currencies, that would make sense but would be great if I could transfer money between those 'accounts' on the card without penalty.

 

[k_sheep]

I got the survey too. One thing it asked was how important a bunch of fees would be to you (annual fee, transfer fee, exchange rate etc etc) so I can't see this being cost effective compared to the tried and true AFF methods!

 

[DeKa]

They may be looking at a rebranded Anex Global Travel Card (which is poor value!)
https://www.americanexpress.com/australia/personal/travel/prepaid_travel_card/index.shtml

 

[Moopere]

Seriously. I had to laugh. All these add-on services that frankly have little to do with flying, but they still can't get the basics of their _actual_ business running ... hello Priority Boarding, I'm looking at you

 

[SteveJohnson]

At least they're asking about the different fees to see where the 'pain points' are, well, I'll be more impressed if Qantas really listens to what people say. In theory that should let the go with a 'shopping list' to the various card companies and see who can cut them the best deal for the right card based on what their research says frequent flyers want. I'd suggest no annual fee, minimal transfer fee for recharging online, and some fee if this is a multi-currency card and you shift money between accounts in the card, say from US dollars to Euros.

 

[Stoopidsteve]

At least they're asking about the different fees to see where the 'pain points' are, well, I'll be more impressed if Qantas really listens to what people say. In theory that should let the go with a 'shopping list' to the various card companies and see who can cut them the best deal for the right card based on what their research says frequent flyers want. I'd suggest no annual fee, minimal transfer fee for recharging online, and some fee if this is a multi-currency card and you shift money between accounts in the card, say from US dollars to Euros.

sounds similar to the combank travel card... commbank.com.au/personal/international/travel-money-card/default.aspx