Best Credit Card for points having never owned one?

[NSE123]

Hi,

I'm completely new to obtaining credit card benefits and points upon signing up. I'm interested in taking advantage of the sign-up bonuses to gain FF points as I visit the UK once or twice per year.

My question is - there are dozens of cards to choose from - does anyone have any recommendations for the best new offers that I should take advantage of?

Have previously only flown with Qatar, would it be best to simply get a Velocity credit card with the best sign up bonus, meet the card requirements, then use the points to book Qatar?

Aplogies for the vague information, its a lot to learn and i'm just scratching the surface.

 

[Mattg]

As a starting point, I'd recommend taking this course from the AFF training:

Course 02: Credit Cards & Airport Lounges

AFF's Credit Cards & Airport Lounges course shows you how to maximise your points and enhance your travel experience with credit cards.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

This is free for all AFF members, you just need to be logged into your account when you access the page.

 

[Human]

Welcome to AFF @NSE123 !

I must sheepishly admit that I've never done the above course but I'm certain that it will contain a wealth of great information and advice. My only advice would be to lean towards flexible points currencies (ie. credit card points which can be transferred into one of several FF programmes) rather than cards which only earn Qantas or Velocity points.

As I've written countless times here, you want to avoid the situation where you find reward flight availability in a FF programme that you don't/can't have points in!

Personally, my flexible points currency of choice is American Express Membership Rewards. My first AmEx card was the AmEx Explorer which I still think is a great first choice for people starting out. AmEx Membership Rewards points transfer to Qatar Avios too, and if you're looking at flying Qatar there are three benefits to this:

First, you'll need fewer points (you only need 90,000 Qatar Avios to fly off-peak to Europe in Business class, versus almost 160,000 Velocity points). Second, flights on Qatar are available to be booked with Avios almost a month earlier than Velocity, so availability is much better. Third, carrier charges are a little lower.

 

[NSE123]

As a starting point, I'd recommend taking this course from the AFF training:

Course 02: Credit Cards & Airport Lounges

AFF's Credit Cards & Airport Lounges course shows you how to maximise your points and enhance your travel experience with credit cards.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

This is free for all AFF members, you just need to be logged into your account when you access the page.

Ah never noticed this at all! Thank you I will read through this course for sure.

 

[NSE123]

Welcome to AFF @NSE123 !

I must sheepishly admit that I've never done the above course but I'm certain that it will contain a wealth of great information and advice. My only advice would be to lean towards flexible points currencies (ie. credit card points which can be transferred into one of several FF programmes) rather than cards which only earn Qantas or Velocity points.

As I've written countless times here, you want to avoid the situation where you find reward flight availability in a FF programme that you don't/can't have points in!

Personally, my flexible points currency of choice is American Express Membership Rewards. My first AmEx card was the AmEx Explorer which I still think is a great first choice for people starting out. AmEx Membership Rewards points transfer to Qatar Avios too, and if you're looking at flying Qatar there are three benefits to this:

First, you'll need fewer points (you only need 90,000 Qatar Avios to fly off-peak to Europe in Business class, versus almost 160,000 Velocity points). Second, flights on Qatar are available to be booked with Avios almost a month earlier than Velocity, so availability is much better. Third, carrier charges are a little lower.

Thanks for the info this is really helpful. After reading your reply it definitely sounds like it makes more sense to take advantage of Amex Membership rewards.

I’ve looked in to the explorer card as you mentioned and it sounds great. I have a couple of questions I can’t really seem to find straight answers for if you or anyone can help:

1. the reason I’ve been looking into all this to begin with is because I plan to fly home to the UK during Christmas/new year time ( I know, terrible time to fly). Return flights are looking at ~3500 AUD.
If I got the Amex explorer, would it be possible / make sense to use the card to pay for this flight straight away leaving just 500 AUD left to meet the minimum spend requirement of 4000 AUD? Or does it make sense to just use the card for regular expenses to meet the 4000 requirement? How would you go about obtaining the flight I need at Christmas time?

2. also, if I meet the min spend after 3 months, get the 100k bonus Amex points, then cancel the card, I presume I will no longer have access to the 400$ travel credit? Therefore I should book this whilst I’m still paying the min spend requirement? Same question I guess for access to the centurion lounge.

3. this may be a silly question but I noticed it mentions there is an interest free period of 55 days. Obviously I’d be looking to pay 0% interest - does this mean I have to spend the 4K within 55 days before I get charged interest?

4. Is there any real benefit to keeping the card open after receiving the bonuses? Amex points earned appear to be 2 for every $ spent. So it doesn’t look like you’d then be earning much points just by spending regularly (assuming your not spending loads)?

Appreciate any information and help! Thanks

 

[ols]

Best Credit Cards for Frequent Flyers in 2025

Our list compares the best Australian credit cards for frequent flyers in terms of the points earned, travel benefits and overall value.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Human]

Thanks for the info this is really helpful. After reading your reply it definitely sounds like it makes more sense to take advantage of Amex Membership rewards.

I’ve looked in to the explorer card as you mentioned and it sounds great. I have a couple of questions I can’t really seem to find straight answers for if you or anyone can help:

1. the reason I’ve been looking into all this to begin with is because I plan to fly home to the UK during Christmas/new year time ( I know, terrible time to fly). Return flights are looking at ~3500 AUD.
If I got the Amex explorer, would it be possible / make sense to use the card to pay for this flight straight away leaving just 500 AUD left to meet the minimum spend requirement of 4000 AUD? Or does it make sense to just use the card for regular expenses to meet the 4000 requirement? How would you go about obtaining the flight I need at Christmas time?

2. also, if I meet the min spend after 3 months, get the 100k bonus Amex points, then cancel the card, I presume I will no longer have access to the 400$ travel credit? Therefore I should book this whilst I’m still paying the min spend requirement? Same question I guess for access to the centurion lounge.

3. this may be a silly question but I noticed it mentions there is an interest free period of 55 days. Obviously I’d be looking to pay 0% interest - does this mean I have to spend the 4K within 55 days before I get charged interest?

4. Is there any real benefit to keeping the card open after receiving the bonuses? Amex points earned appear to be 2 for every $ spent. So it doesn’t look like you’d then be earning much points just by spending regularly (assuming your not spending loads)?

Appreciate any information and help! Thanks

To answer your questions...

1. Yes, it makes perfect sense to spend $3500 on your flights, which would then mean that you only have to spend another $500 to get the sign-up bonus.

2. Why not use the $400 travel credit to offset the cost of your flights (assuming the flights cost the same if you book them via AmEx travel)? Otherwise, yes, the travel credit will only be available to you while the card is open; if you cancel and you haven't used it, you'll lose the credit. Yes, you'll lose lounge access if you cancel the card.

3. Put simply, you'll receive a credit card statement/bill at the end of each month. You'll have 24 or 25 days from the statement date to pay the statement in full, before you'll be charged interest. So "55 days interest free" means that if you spend something on your credit card on day 1 of your statement period, 29 days later you'll receive your statement and you'll have to pay 25 days from your statement date: 55 days interest free. If you buy something the day before your statement date, you'll effectively have 26 days interest free for that purchase.

4. You'd be surprised how many points you can accumulate from everyday spending. My AmEx cards are just about the only cards that I don't churn. But it depends on how much you're spending. You might decide that it's best to cancel and either wait 18 months to apply for an AmEx again, and/or take out other cards. But that's really your decision. Remember that your annual $400 travel credit offsets the card's annual fee, so you're not losing anything by keeping the card.

 

[NSE123]

To answer your questions...

1. Yes, it makes perfect sense to spend $3500 on your flights, which would then mean that you only have to spend another $500 to get the sign-up bonus.

2. Why not use the $400 travel credit to offset the cost of your flights (assuming the flights cost the same if you book them via AmEx travel)? Otherwise, yes, the travel credit will only be available to you while the card is open; if you cancel and you haven't used it, you'll lose the credit. Yes, you'll lose lounge access if you cancel the card.

3. Put simply, you'll receive a credit card statement/bill at the end of each month. You'll have 24 or 25 days from the statement date to pay the statement in full, before you'll be charged interest. So "55 days interest free" means that if you spend something on your credit card on day 1 of your statement period, 29 days later you'll receive your statement and you'll have to pay 25 days from your statement date: 55 days interest free. If you buy something the day before your statement date, you'll effectively have 26 days interest free for that purchase.

4. You'd be surprised how many points you can accumulate from everyday spending. My AmEx cards are just about the only cards that I don't churn. But it depends on how much you're spending. You might decide that it's best to cancel and either wait 18 months to apply for an AmEx again, and/or take out other cards. But that's really your decision. Remember that your annual $400 travel credit offsets the card's annual fee, so you're not losing anything by keeping the card.

Thanks for taking the time to answer really appreciate it. Wish I opened myself up to all this a long time ago

 

[DC3]

I'm completely new to obtaining credit card benefits and points upon signing up

Welcome to AFF

 

[Mattg]

Thanks for taking the time to answer really appreciate it. Wish I opened myself up to all this a long time ago

No time like the present to get started on this journey