Credit cards are one of the easiest ways to earn frequent flyer points on the ground. You can earn points when buying almost anything by paying with a points-earning credit card! But the real value is found in credit card sign-up bonus points…
About Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses
Credit card sign-up bonuses make it so easy to earn tens – even hundreds – of thousands of frequent flyer points, for minimal outlay. By simply applying for a credit card and paying the annual fee, you could earn up to 150,000 frequent flyer points. That’s more than enough points to fly to Singapore in Business class, or even for a round-the-world trip in Economy class (which costs 132,400 Qantas points)! By taking advantage of credit card sign-up bonus offers, you may never pay full price for a flight again.
The Australian credit card market is a competitive space. So banks regularly offer incentives in the form sign-up bonus points when taking out a credit card. To receive the bonus points, some banks require you to spend a minimum amount on the card within the first 3 months. Other banks have no minimum spend requirements, and some will even waive the credit card’s annual fee in the first year!
Once the bonus points have credited to your frequent flyer account, you can choose to cancel the card to avoid paying any more annual fees. Banks will no longer offer to waive your credit card’s annual fee if you threaten to cancel, but there is no harm in calling to ask if they have any offers available to encourage you to retain your card.
Current Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus Offers
Most of the current Australian credit card sign-up bonus point offers are discussed on the Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) forum. On AFF, you can also benefit from the community by using and posting referral offers.
To help you get started, Australian Frequent Flyer publishes monthly lists of the top Qantas Frequent Flyer & Virgin Australia Velocity credit card sign-up points offers:
Credit Card Churning
If you really want to maximise the bonus point offers, you can apply for multiple credit cards. This strategy is sometimes known as “churning” credit cards. But there are some risks involved.
Applying for too many cards in a short time could negatively impact your credit rating. It’s also important to always pay off your credit card bills in full every month. Accumulating credit card debt can result in high interest repayments and can significantly damage your credit score. This can make it difficult to obtain finance (or even a mortgage) in the future. If you’re unsure about your credit rating, you can apply for a free credit check report from Equifax or Get Credit Score.
Some banks will only award credit card sign-up bonus points to new customers. This generally means customers that have not had a credit card with that bank for the past 12-18 months.
Disclaimer: Be sure to seek professional advice before applying for credit cards, or any kind of credit for that matter.
