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
- 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹ , when you spend $5,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date. Offer ends 1 July 2025. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply
- 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.
- Notable Benefits
-
- $450 Qantas Travel Credit each Card Member year³
- 2 The Centurion® Lounge and 2 Qantas Club lounge invitations each year⁴
- Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium Membership (valued at $99 per year)⁵
- Travel Insurance, Card Purchase and Card Refund Cover
- Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
- 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 until 1 July 2025 is 50,000 Qantas Points1 when you spend at least $5,000 on the card within the first 3 months of approval date.
The $450 annual fee is fully offset with an annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit3 that you can use towards Qantas domestic or international flights. You’ll also receive two complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations4 and two visits to the Amex Centurion Lounges4 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 cards
- Card type
- American Express
- Signup bonus
- 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹ , when you spend $5,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date. Offer ends 1 July 2025. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply
- 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
- $3,000
- International transaction fee
- 3.0%
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 1 July 2025 to earn 50,000 bonus Qantas Points1!
A minimum spend of $5,000 on eligible transactions on your card is needed within the first 3 months of approval date to receive the bonus. T&Cs apply. New American Express Card Members only.
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 invitations4 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 Points2 – 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 Lounges4 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 Credit3 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 Points2 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.
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.
Using Qantas Points
You can use your Qantas Points towards a wide range of rewards including reward flights, upgrades, wine, hotel bookings, car rentals, Ticketek tickets and Qantas Rewards Store purchases.
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, 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 membership5, 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
- 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹ , when you spend $5,000 or more on eligible purchases in the first 3 months of approval date. Offer ends 1 July 2025. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply
- 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.
- Notable Benefits
-
- $450 Qantas Travel Credit each Card Member year³
- 2 The Centurion® Lounge and 2 Qantas Club lounge invitations each year⁴
- Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium Membership (valued at $99 per year)⁵
- Travel Insurance, Card Purchase and Card Refund Cover
- Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay
- 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.
American Express Terms & Conditions
¹ Bonus & Eligibility.
Receive 50,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply online by 1 July 2025, are approved, and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months from the Card approval date. Eligible purchases do not include Card fees and charges, for example annual fees, interest, late payment, cash advances, balance transfers, traveller’s cheques and foreign currency conversion This offer is only available to new American Express Card Members. If you previously held a David Jones American Express Card and have not held any other American Express Card(s) in the past 18 months, you will be eligible for the offer. All other Card Members who currently hold or who have previously held any Card product issued by American Express Australia Limited in the past 18 months are ineligible for this offer. Qantas Points are earned in accordance with and subject to the Qantas American Express Card Points Terms and Conditions. 50,000 bonus Qantas Points will be awarded to the eligible Card Member’s account 8-10 weeks after the spend criteria has been met. Qantas Frequent Flyer membership and the earning and redemption of points are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program available at qantas.com/terms. The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card has an annual Card fee of $450. This advertised offer is not applicable or valid in conjunction with any other advertised or promotional offer.
² Qantas Points.
You must be a member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program to earn and redeem Qantas Points. A joining fee may apply. Membership and the earning and redemption of points are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program available at qantas.com/terms. Qantas Points and bonus Qantas Points are earned in accordance with and subject to the Qantas American Express Cards Points Terms and Conditions, and exclusions apply. Eligible purchases do not include annual Card fees, cash advances, interest, fees and charges for traveller’s cheques and foreign currencies – these do not earn Qantas Points. For the full list of exclusions, please refer to the Qantas American Express Cards Points Terms and Conditions. You will earn 0.5 point per dollar spent with Merchants classified as ‘government’, including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation (Australia Post), Federal/State and Local Government bodies, including where you use a payment account, payment aggregator, services of a third party or online retailers that sell goods for another merchant.
³ Qantas Travel Credit
Qantas American Express Ultimate Primary Card Members are eligible for an annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit, subject to the full Qantas Travel Credit Terms and Conditions at amex.com.au/qantasultimate-travelcreditterms. The Qantas Travel Credit can be redeemed through American Express Travel Online on a single eligible travel booking for Qantas Flights (i.e. a QF flight number on your ticket) by selecting the Qantas Travel Credit when you checkout. All Qantas Flight travel is subject to Qantas Conditions of Carriage. To redeem the Travel Credit, the full value of the Travel Credit (or more) must be charged to the eligible Primary Card. The Qantas Travel Credit can be used for 365 days from the benefit anniversary date and cannot be used past the expiration date. To check the expiration date of your Qantas Travel Credit if you have not already redeemed it, please visit americanexpress.com.au/travel; log in and click ‘Travel Credit’. If your booking is cancelled, and your Qantas Travel Credit has already been used and associated statement credit applied to your account, you will forfeit your annual Qantas Travel Credit benefit and American Express may reverse the statement credits issued. You need to be able to spend on the Card to access the Qantas Travel Credit benefit and it should be credited to your Card Account within 3 business days but may take up to 30 days. Your account must be in good standing and you must have paid the annual fee and minimum payment by the due date. If you cancel your Card, change your rewards program or Card type, you will no longer be eligible for the Qantas Travel Credit.
⁴ Airport Lounge Access
The Centurion® Lounge
Entry into The Centurion® Lounge is governed by the full Terms and Conditions available at amex.com.au/airportlounge. All entrants must adhere to the General Conditions of Entry. Qantas American Express Ultimate Card Members are entitled to a total of two (2) entries into The Centurion® Lounges in Australia per calendar year (1 January to 31 December). Complimentary access is available for the Card Member’s children 17 years and younger. Card Members wishing to bring additional guests may be subject to a charge that is to be processed on the Card Member’s American Express Card.
Qantas Club Lounge.
Provided you are a Qantas Frequent Flyer and have registered your Qantas Frequent Flyer number with your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card, you are eligible to receive two Qantas Club Lounge Invitations each anniversary year of your Card Membership after purchasing on selected Qantas products and services using your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. Selected Qantas products and services are Qantas passenger flights with a QF flight number purchased directly from Qantas.com.au; Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qantas Club membership joining and/ or annual fees. Subject to Qantas American Express Card Points Terms and Conditions. Within 2 weeks of purchasing selected Qantas products and services, you will receive an email from Qantas confirming the Qantas Club Lounge Invitations are available for use. Login to the Complimentary Invitations Portal using your Frequent Flyer details to access your invitation, link it with an eligible Qantas flight booking or find out more information. Qantas Club Lounge Invitations are valid for a single visit by one guest to a Qantas Club Lounge and must be used prior to their expiry. Invitations are subject to the Qantas Club Terms and Conditions and are not valid for Qantas International First Class Lounges, the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge, Qantas Domestic Business and or oneworld® alliance partner or associated lounges. Qantas Club Invitations cannot be carried forward to any subsequent year and must not be sold, they may only be transferred as allowed by Qantas. Invitations may be revoked or withheld if your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card account is not in good standing, if the selected Qantas products and services are refunded in full or if you have not complied with these Qantas Club Invitation Conditions, the Credit Card Terms and Conditions or the Qantas Club Lounge Access Terms and Conditions.
⁵ Qantas Wine.
Qantas Wine Premium Membership and its benefits are subject to the Qantas Wine Terms and Conditions. To join or purchase from Qantas Wine, you must be a Qantas Frequent Flyer member aged 18 years or older and have an Australian delivery address. An annual Membership fee usually applies for Qantas Wine Premium Membership, but this will be waived so long as you continue to hold your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. Complimentary joining gift is not available with this offer. Qantas Wine Premium Membership will be automatically applied within 2 weeks of Qantas Points being credited to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account from your first spend on your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. You will receive email confirmation from Qantas about your Qantas Wine Premium Membership enrolment. Qantas Wine Premium members will earn 3 Qantas Points per dollar on qantas.com/wine. Liquor Act 2007: It is an offence to sell or supply to or to obtain liquor on behalf of a person under the age of 18 years. Licence Number: LIQP770016736.
