Compare frequent flyer credit cards

Frequent flyer rewards credit cards are a specific type of reward card, in which cardholders are rewarded with travel and international spending-related perks and rewards. Frequent flyer rewards cards can be standard rewards cards as well as platinum cards. They are often popular with frequent travellers or those planning long holidays, such as young Australians on a gap year. 

Traditionally, frequent flyer programs let you build up 'miles', or frequent flyer points, when flying with a specific airline, which you can use to get free or discounted tickets.

A frequent flyer rewards credit card combines these two ideas. A frequent flyer card will typically be linked to your frequent flyer account with your chosen airline. By using your frequent flyer credit card on eligible purchases, you can build up points without having to set foot on a plane until you're ready to fly.

Some of the benefits you may be able to trade your points for include:

• Discounted flights
• Travel insurance
• Hotel bookings
• Concierge services
• Airport lounge access and lounge passes
• Flight upgrades
• Baggage upgrades and priority delivery
• Extended warranty
• Gift cards
• Other complimentary insurances 

You may be able to earn these frequent flyer reward points by:

• Flying with the airline your card is linked to and their partner airlines;
• Using your frequent flyer rewards credit card for your everyday spending; and
• Spending money at partner supermarkets and stores.

There are a multitude of airlines travelling to and from Australia, but only so many airlines are linked to Australian frequent flyer credit cards. 

Qantas

Australia's biggest airline, Qantas, is generally the most common airline you'll find connected to a frequent flyer card. 

Your spending may earn you Qantas points for the Qantas Rewards program and will be linked to your Qantas frequent flyer account - meaning you'll need to be a member before you join. You may be able to earn bonus Qantas points upon signing up on some credit cards, which can be exchanged for complimentary Qantas flights and upgrades, Qantas Club lounge access and more. 

Qantas frequent flyers can also exchange their Qantas points for any of the 15 linked airlines, including Jetstar, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Emirates Skywards, Cathay Pacific and more. 

You can find Qantas frequent flyer credit cards from the big four banks, including NAB Qantas Rewards Signature card, Westpac Altitude Platinum Qantas card, ANZ frequent flyer black card or the CommBank Platinum Awards card to name a few. Qantas rewards can also be found in competitor banks, credit unions and online lenders, so you’re never too far from a Qantas rewards credit card provider.

Jetstar

Qantas’s budget offshoot, Jetstar, offers a standard Visa credit card for its Jetstar members that may help them to grow their frequent flyer points.  

The Jetstar Visa Credit Card is the standard credit card product. Cardholders can earn Jetstar Dollars or Qantas Points on eligible purchases and these can be redeemed later as Jetstar travel vouchers or flights with Qantas and its partners. 

The benefits of an affiliated Jetstar credit card may include:

• Earn Jetstar dollars. You may earn 1 Jetstar Dollar for every $200 spent. 
• Qantas frequent flyer program. The Jetstar credit cards offer you the chance to clock up rewards with the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. You can redeem your points for flight rewards with Qantas and its airline partners and also have access to products from the Qantas store which includes Qantas Hotels and Qantas Insurance. 
• Accessibility. Using a Jetstar Visa Credit Card may give you accessibility to over 30 million merchants in over 200 countries and about 1.5 million ATMs.     

Emirates

If you prefer to travel with Emirates, using an Emirates credit card can help you earn points (known as Emirates Skyward Miles) that can be redeemed for flight upgrades, airport lounge access, hotel accommodation or transport. Some credit cards with Emirates points also offer benefits such as complimentary travel insurance, and rental car insurance. 

You can earn Emirate Skywards Miles in three ways:

• Flying with Emirates or partner airlines Air Mauritius, Alaska Airlines, easyJet, flydubai, GOL, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, JetBlue, Jetstar, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, S7 Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal and Virgin America.
• Making purchases with non-flight partners including InterContinental Hotels, Hertz, Citibank and others.

Etihad 

Etihad points is the currency of the Etihad frequent flyer program, Etihad Guest, one of the many frequent flyer programs on the market. It is similar to many other frequent flyer programs around the world and is aimed at rewarding travellers, shoppers and frequent flyers with benefits and other perks for your loyalty.

There are a range of different ways to collect Etihad points:

• Signing up to a credit card rewards program that allows you to collect points is one of the most popular ways to accumulate Etihad points. 
• You can also collect points through travel by booking flights through Etihad and earning points as you fly. You can also earn points on selected partner airliners. 
• Globe-trotters may be able to earn points on hotel bookings, restaurant reservations or international car rental as well.

Cathay Pacific 

Cathay Pacific points are earned through the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program. Unlike other frequent flyer programs, there is no dedicated credit card available in Australia that will earn you Cathay Pacific Asia Miles specifically. 

However, there are several Australian banks that offer credit cards with the Asia Miles program as a transfer partner. This means that you can “exchange" the reward points you have earned on your credit card for air miles, which can then be redeemed via the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines points are benefits earned when you travel on Singapore Airlines or one of their partners. You can also earn points on eligible purchases made on an affiliated credit card. Airline points can be redeemed for free flights, travel upgrades and a variety of other deals across Singapore Airlines and their airline partners.

Several financial institutions offer credit cards with a Singapore Airlines rewards program, including ANZ and American Express. Singapore Airlines has 31 airline partners, including Virgin Australia, Virgin America, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, SilkAir and Vistara.

Points can be earned in a number of ways:

• Accruing airline miles on Singapore Airlines flights
• Accruing airline miles through partner airlines
• On eligible purchases made on your credit card, e.g. hire cars or accommodation booked at one of Singapore Airlines’ hotel partners.

Malaysian Airlines

Malaysian Airlines offers an incentive program called Enrich. Members of Enrich are able to collect Malaysian Airlines points (or ‘Enrich Miles’), which can be used to book discounted flights on Malaysian Airlines and their One World Alliance airline partners. Members can also use their Enrich points for free excess baggage or access into airport lounges. 

One of the easiest ways to build up points is through using a credit card with Malaysian Airlines points. There are several cards that can earn you Malaysian Airlines miles, such as an American Express credit card. The American Express card will reward you with Membership Rewards Points, which can be converted into Malaysian Airlines points.

Thai Airways

Thai Airways has a customer loyalty points-based program called Royal Orchid Plus that provides members with a variety of travel benefits which increase in line with the number of points accrued.

One of the easiest ways to grow points is by having access to a credit card linked to the airline partner members of the Star Alliance, which includes Thai Airways and Thai Smile. These points can be accumulated and then converted into frequent flyer miles that can be used for travel with Thai Airways.

There are range of benefits of using frequent flyer rewards credit cards:

• Flight rewards. The main benefit of frequent flyer rewards credit cards is the chance to get discounts on flights, free tickets, seat upgrades and much more. This could potentially save you a lot of money if you're a globetrotter.
• Overseas travel insurance. Another handy perk of having a frequent flyer card is that you're generally afforded access to complimentary insurance covers, including medical, rental car and more. This can also save cardholders money, as you won't need to buy separate travel insurance coverage.
• Waived foreign transaction fees. Some frequent flyer rewards credit cards will also allow cardholders to avoid those pesky overseas fees by waiving them, whether you're shopping online on an international website or shopping on a holiday overseas. 

Travel reward credit cards often benefit big spenders who use the frequent flyer program to reward their normal spending behaviour. The more you spend, the more rewards you could earn. Keep in mind that annual fees tend to be higher for these types of cards, as they help to pay for the rewards programs. 

It’s also important to be careful not to spend too much money while you’re chasing reward points. For those rewards to remain valuable, you should always aim to pay your card off on time, so you’re not ‘buying’ rewards with high interest charges. It’s important to maintain personal financial discipline, just as you would with a regular credit card – perhaps even more so.

Before you sign up for a frequent flyer rewards credit card, there are a few points to keep in mind:

• Frequent flyer rewards credit cards tend to have higher interest rates and fees than more basic credit cards. Try to work out if the value of the rewards you may earn will be worth more than these extra costs, so the card can effectively “pay for itself”.
• Read the product disclosure statement and any T&Cs so you know if there are restrictions on how you can use your points, what the earn rate and eligible purchases are, as well as the eligibility criteria to apply.
• Check your credit history, as applicants with bad credit are less likely to be approved.

To compare frequent flyer rewards credit cards, try to look at the following:

• What is really being offered? What kind of travel rewards do you get with each card? Is the affiliated airline one you'll travel with regularly, or one you already have a frequent flyer membership with? 
• What is the purchase rate? What interest rate will you be charged on outstanding balances after your statement period's due date? What about cash advance rates? 
• How efficient is the point system? What is the spend criteria to earn frequent flyer points? Is it more difficult to earn rewards with some cards than it is with others? Is there a points cap, or expiry date on any points earned? Ensuring your potential card suits your financial situation and spending habits is a must.
• Do any cards offer generous introductory rates? What interest rate will the card revert to after this introductory period - for example, is the standard variable rate much higher after the first year?
• Is the card a Visa, Mastercard or American Express (AMEX)? Different frequent flyer rewards cards will offer different card types. 
• What fees are involved? Does it waive foreign transaction fees, annual card fees or account keeping fees? 
• Do you shop at the card’s partner stores? If you're rarely going to spend at any stores that earn you rewards points, it may not be worth the hassle.