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Qantas American Express® Ultimate Card
The Qantas Amex Ultimate credit card can help you to supercharge your Qantas Points with one of the highest earning rates of any Australian credit card.
- Signup bonus
- 60,000 bonus Qantas Points, when you spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date
- Points Earned
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases; 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia; 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia; After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.* For Card Members who applied for the Card between 1 July 2023 – 9 January 2024, this change will come into effect from 10 July 2024.
- Annual fee
- $450 p.a.
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Why we like the Qantas American Express Ultimate credit card
If you want to maximise your Qantas Points, the Qantas American Express Ultimate credit card is one of the highest-earning options in Australia! You’ll earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases (excluding government payments), up to 100,000 points per year. Plus, earn up to 2.25 Qantas Points per dollar spent on eligible Qantas products and services.
The sign-up bonus is 60,000 Qantas Points, to be received when you spend at least $3,000 on the card within the first 3 months of approval date.
The $450 annual fee is fully offset with an annual $450 Qantas travel credit that you can use towards Qantas domestic or international flights. You’ll also receive two complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations and two visits to the Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney or Melbourne each year.
To top it off, Qantas Amex Ultimate Card Members receive complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership. And of course, all of the Qantas Points earned on this card will count towards Qantas Points Club membership!
Key Information & How to Apply
Key facts about this card
- Card type
- American Express
- Signup bonus
- 60,000 bonus Qantas Points, when you spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date
- Annual fee
- $450 p.a.
- Interest rate
- 23.99% p.a.
- Interest-free days
- Up to 44 days
- Minimum monthly repayment
- 2.5% of the balance or $30, whichever is greater
- Minimum credit limit
- $3000
- International transaction fee
- 3%
To apply for this card, you will need
- To be an Australian citizen, resident or long-term visa holder aged 18 or over
- No history of bad debt or payment default
- Your Australian driver’s licence number and proof of income
- 10-15 minutes to complete your application
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Contents
Sign-up bonus
Apply for a Qantas American Express Ultimate card by 28 May 2024 to earn 60,000 bonus Qantas Points!
You would need to spend at least $3,000 on eligible transactions on your card within the first 3 months of approval date to receive the bonus.
You can then redeem your Qantas Points for a range of rewards including Classic Flight Rewards, upgrades and more.
To give you an idea, it would cost 83,000 Qantas Points + approximately $92 in taxes & carrier charges for a round-trip Classic Flight Reward ticket in Business Class from Brisbane to Perth. Or, fly Qantas Business Class one-way from Sydney to Denpasar or Jakarta for 57,000 Qantas Points + around $198 in taxes & carrier charges.
See our guide to redeeming Qantas Points effectively for more information.
This sign-up bonus points offer is not available to existing Amex Card Members, or if you have been the primary Card Members of an Australian Amex card in the past 18 months.
Travel benefits
Here’s an overview of the travel benefits you can expect…
Airport lounge access
Make a purchase with Qantas to receive two complimentary Qantas lounge invitations during each year that you hold the Qantas Amex Ultimate credit card. These invitations can be used to access domestic Qantas Club and international Qantas Business Lounges when you fly with Qantas or Jetstar. The invitations are transferrable and can be gifted to friends or family members.
If you’ll be spending a large amount of money on your card – and therefore earning lots of Qantas Points – you may also be able to reach Qantas Points Club or Points Club Plus.
You’ll get to Points Club by earning at least 150,000 Qantas Points per year (in total), with at least 130,000 of those from non-flying activities. This gets you an additional two annual Qantas lounge invitations. But if you earn at least 350,000 Qantas Points in a year, you’ll earn Points Club Plus which comes with a complimentary Qantas Club membership for yourself.
You’ll also receive two complimentary visits to the Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, which you can use twice per calendar year when departing from either airport on any international flight (even if you’re not flying Qantas or Jetstar). See the American Express website for locations and opening hours.
$450 annual Qantas Travel Credit
Get a $450 travel credit each year to spend through American Express Travel on any Qantas flight booking. This credit can be put towards Qantas-marketed domestic and international flights in a single booking.
You’ll need to use this travel credit towards a booking worth $450 or more, and the $450 will be credited back to your account after you’ve made your booking.
Complimentary travel insurance
This credit card comes with complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, including some cover for COVID-19. This insurance is underwritten by Chubb and is available when you pay for your return trip using your Qantas American Express Ultimate card.
Before using this insurance, we’d encourage you to read the PDS here.
The Qantas American Express Ultimate card also offers complimentary Card Purchase Cover & Card Refund Cover.
Earning points
With the Qantas American Express Ultimate card, you’ll earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible everyday transactions (excluding government payments). There is no personal credit card in the Australian market that earns Qantas Points for everyday purchases at a higher rate.
You’ll earn a bonus point per dollar (i.e. 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent) when purchasing Qantas products or services with your card.
After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent. For Card Members who applied for the Card between 1 July 2023 – 9 January 2024, this change will come into effect from 10 July 2024.
Points earned from this card will be deposited into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account after the end of each monthly statement cycle. Qantas Points expire if there is no activity in your Qantas Frequent Flyer account for 18 months, but if you’re earning points each month this will keep your account active.
Earning points for ATO & government payments
Payments made directly to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) or other government bodies in Australia with your Qantas Amex Ultimate card will earn points at a reduced rate of 0.5 Qantas Points per $1.
However, you can use a payment service such as pay.com.au or Sniip to pay tax and other bills with this card, and still earn points at the full rate!
Amex Offers
From time to time, American Express Card Members receive exclusive offers of bonus points or cashback when spending at specific retailers. These Amex Offers can be quite lucrative.
Amex also runs Shop Small promotions from time to time, giving rewards for shopping at participating small businesses.
Using Qantas Points
You can use your Qantas Points towards a wide range of rewards including reward flights, upgrades, wine, hotel bookings, car rentals, Qantas Rewards Store purchases and even Classic Rail Rewards.
Arguably, the best value uses of Qantas Points are on Classic Upgrade Rewards and Classic Flight Rewards. You can request an upgrade with Qantas Points on any Qantas operated and marketed flight, or book a Classic Flight Reward seat with Qantas or any of its many partner airlines.
Qantas Classic Flight Rewards start at 6,400 Qantas Points + taxes & carrier charges for flights in Jetstar Economy Class, or 8,000 Qantas Points + taxes & carrier charges for a Qantas Economy Class flight of up to 600 miles (e.g. on the Sydney-Brisbane route). Qantas Business Class reward seats start from 18,400 Qantas Points + taxes & carrier charges (e.g. for a Melbourne-Adelaide flight).
Qantas is part of the Oneworld alliance, meaning you can redeem Qantas Points to fly with any of the other Oneworld member airlines.
In fact, a popular use of Qantas Points is the Oneworld Classic Flight Reward which allows you to travel around the world on Oneworld airlines with up to 5 stopovers. This costs 132,400 Qantas Points in Economy Class or 318,000 Qantas Points for Business Class.
Qantas’ other partner airlines include Emirates, Jetstar, Fiji Airways, El Al, Air France, KLM and LATAM Airlines.
You can check the number of Qantas Points needed on any route for an upgrade or reward flight on the Qantas website.
Classic Flight Reward bookings can be excellent value – especially if you’re booking a seat in Premium Economy, Business or First Class. However, beware that reward seat availability is limited. It can be difficult to find seats on popular routes and peak travel dates, especially if you’re looking for multiple seats.
When redeeming Qantas Points for a Classic Flight Reward redemption, you’ll need to pay any applicable taxes & carrier charges in addition to the Points. On some airlines, such as Emirates, these carrier charges can be quite expensive. However, other Qantas partner airlines have relatively low or no carrier charges including Fiji Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, LATAM Airlines, China Airlines and Air New Zealand.
For more details on redeeming Qantas Points, see our Overview of Qantas Frequent Flyer Redemptions.
Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium Membership
As a Qantas Amex Ultimate Card Member, receive 3 Qantas Points per $1 spent and free delivery on all orders from Qantas Wine. These benefits are offered as part of your complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership, which normally costs $99 per year.
Summary
Pros
- Among the highest Qantas Points earn rate of any Australian credit card
- The annual Qantas travel credit fully offsets the annual fee
- Receive complimentary Qantas Club and Amex Centurion Lounge visits
- Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium membership
- Complimentary domestic and international travel insurance
- Compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay
Cons
- International transaction fees apply
- Points are earned at a reduced rate when spending with government bodies
- American Express cards are not as widely accepted as Visa & Mastercard
- High interest rate (this could be a problem if you don’t think you’ll be able to repay your balance in full each month)
- By earning Qantas Points rather than Amex Membership Rewards points, you forfeit the flexibility to transfer points to other frequent flyer programs
- Signup bonus
- 60,000 bonus Qantas Points, when you spend $3,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date
- Points Earned
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases; 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia; 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia; After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.* For Card Members who applied for the Card between 1 July 2023 – 9 January 2024, this change will come into effect from 10 July 2024.
- Annual fee
- $450 p.a.
The owner of Australian Frequent Flyer may receive a commission from the card issuer for each applicant of this card.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To apply for a Qantas Amex Ultimate card in Australia, you would need to be an Australian citizen, resident or long-term visa holder. Other criteria may apply.
The minimum credit limit is $3,000.
Qantas American Express Ultimate Card Members receive two Qantas lounge invitations to use at domestic Qantas Club and international Qantas Business Lounges for each membership year when making a purchase with Qantas. They also receive two complimentary visits to the international Amex Centurion Lounges in Sydney or Melbourne each calendar year.
Yes, but payments to government bodies including the Australian Tax Office (ATO) will earn points at a reduced rate of 0.5 Qantas Points per dollar (instead of the usual 1.25 points per dollar). You can still earn full points on ATO payments by using a bill payment service such as pay.com.au.
Yes. The Qantas American Express Ultimate credit card earns Qantas Points at one of the highest rates of any Australian credit card.
Qantas Points only expire if you do not earn or redeem any points at all for 18 months. As long as your Qantas account remains active, your points will remain valid and available to use. Regularly using your Qantas Points credit card is one way that you can keep your Qantas Frequent Flyer account active.
This card does not offer Qantas status credits as a standard benefit. However, you can of course use your card (including any travel credits) to purchase Qantas flights and earn status credits for those flights. You’ll also earn bonus points when buying Qantas tickets with your Qantas Amex Ultimate card. Plus, the Qantas Points earned on this card will all count towards Qantas Points Club membership which allows you to earn status credits on Qantas-marketed Classic Flight Rewards.
Yes, this card supports Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. So, you can still use this card to make purchases when you’re out and about without carrying the physical card.
Yes, Qantas Amex Ultimate primary Card Members can add up to four additional Card Members at no cost. Additional Card Members must be at least 16 years old.