Credit card sign-up bonuses are one of the easiest ways to accumulate frequent flyer points quickly and relatively cheaply! By applying for a credit card and paying the annual fee, you can earn tens of thousands of frequent flyer points towards your next trip.
If you’re thinking about applying for a new credit card, why not take advantage of these great sign-up deals and top up your frequent flyer points? To help you out, here is a selection of the top 5 Australian credit card sign-up deals for March 2019:
1. Citi Prestige – 400,000 Citi Rewards points
There are up to 400,000 Citi Rewards points on offer to new Citi Prestige cardholders. That’s equivalent to 200,000 Velocity points, 160,000 KrisFlyer miles or 160,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. Citi Rewards points from this card can also be transferred at a 3:1 rate to a wide variety of airlines including Emirates, Etihad, Air France, Garuda Indonesia and Turkish Airlines – opening up some interesting redemptions that most Australian credit cards do not offer.
This offer does come with a catch, however. You would need to spend at least $1,000 on the card each month for the first 20 months in order to earn the full 400,000 bonus Citi Rewards points. You’ll earn 20,000 points for each month that you reach this target. So this is not an offer to take up if you’re into credit card churning. The card’s annual fee of $700 is also nothing to sneeze at, although that does include unlimited Priority Pass lounge access. This offer expires on 31 March 2019.
2. Qantas Premier Titanium – 150,000 Qantas points
Qantas recently introduced a brand new credit card to its Qantas Premier line-up, the ultra-premium Titanium card. Signing up for a Qantas Premier Titanium card currently comes with 150,000 bonus Qantas points if you spend at least $5,000 on the card within the first 90 days. This is the highest-earning Qantas sign-up deal for March 2019. However, this card has a whopping annual fee of $1,200 and the minimum annual income requirement to apply for this card is $200k. This offer expires on 30 April 2019.
Meanwhile, the $299/year Qantas Premier Platinum card is still offering 100,000 bonus Qantas sign-up points.
3. ANZ Frequent Flyer Black – 120,000 Qantas points + 75 Qantas status credits
The excellent ANZ offer discussed in previous months is still on. You can earn 120,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points by signing up for a new ANZ Frequent Flyer Black card. That’s enough Qantas points for a return Economy flight to Europe, flying Qantas or Emirates. This card has a $425 annual fee, but ANZ is currently offering $150 cashback on this annual fee. To get the bonus points and $150 cashback, you would need to spend at least $7,500 on the card within 3 months of approval.
In addition to this, ANZ is offering 75 bonus Qantas status credits if you apply for the card by 31 March 2019. This will make it easier for you to earn Qantas status. To receive the status credit booster, you would need to book a new return Qantas flight (or 2x one-way flights) using your ANZ Frequent Flyer Black card and travel before 30 June 2019.
This deal is being discussed on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: ANZ QFF Black
4. Qantas Amex Ultimate – 100,000 Qantas points
American Express is offering 100,000 Qantas points if you sign up for a Qantas Amex Ultimate card by 14 April 2019. To receive the bonus points, you would need to spend $3,000 on the card within the first three months. This card has a $450 annual fee but this is offset by a $450 annual travel credit. Qantas Amex Ultimate happens to be one of the best credit cards in Australia for earning Qantas points on everyday spend, although its superior earn rate of 1.5 Qantas points per dollar will be cut to 1.25 points/dollar from 15 April 2019.
5. St George Amplify Signature – 200,000 Amplify points
The popular St George Amplify Signature credit card offer is still available. You can earn up to 200,000 bonus St George Amplify points with this deal, which is equivalent to 100,000 frequent flyer points in the Virgin Australia Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or Malaysia Airlines Enrich programs.
But, like the excellent Citi Prestige offer mentioned above, there are some catches. You’ll only receive 100,000 Amplify points in the first year if you spend at least $12,000 on card purchases throughout the year. You’d then need to spend at least $12,000 again in the second year of holding the card to receive the second instalment of 100,000 points. Although St George is currently offering a reduced annual card fee in the first year, you’d need to pay the full $279 annual fee in the second year to receive the second half of the bonus points. Nonetheless, this is a good offer if you were considering opening a St George Amplify Signature card anyway. This offer expires on 22 May 2019.
Most current credit card sign-up deals are discussed on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Current Credit Card Promotions
Note: This article is not financial advice. Be sure to seek professional advice before applying for credit cards, or any kind of credit for that matter.
