Do you ever see people flying business class, check the prices, and wonder how they can afford it? For many people, including myself, travelling in luxury always seemed out of reach. The cost associated with flying business class—let alone first class—felt like something only my distant future self in a higher tax bracket could afford. That was until I discovered credit card points: the best thing since sliced bread. HA! Suddenly, I realized I could afford to travel business class and didn’t need to wait until I had a multi-six-figure salary.
By using travel credit cards, not only can you save thousands of dollars on flights, but you can also find yourself travelling in luxury!
In this article, there’s no gatekeeping! I’ll be sharing some of Australia’s best travel credit cards so you can save thousands of dollars.
Keep in mind, that this article is general and doesn’t constitute personal financial or credit advice.
🦘Top Travel Credit Cards in Australia
American Express Explorer Card
You can receive 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards points with the American Express Explorer card when you apply online by 2 December 2025. However, to get the bonus points, you’ll need to spend $4,000 on eligible purchases on your new card within the first three months. This card comes with a $395 annual fee. Nonetheless, you get so many benefits that outweigh the annual fee. With an AMEX Explorer card, you’ll get $400 travel credit annually. If you use this travel credit, you’ll essentially make your money back on the annual fee. But that’s not all! You can also get complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, as well as two complimentary entries per year to The Centurion Lounge at Sydney or Melbourne International Airport.
With the recently renovated Centurion Lounge, you’ll find yourself travelling in luxury. At the lounge, you’ll be offered complimentary à la carte meals before your flight and a wide range of buffet options. YUM!
The interest-free period on this card is up to 55 days. However, after the interest-free period, the interest rate on purchases is 23.99%. This is why it’s super important to pay back the full balance owing on your credit card in full AND on time—EVERY SINGLE MONTH. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself paying these exorbitantly high interest rates, which will deplete your savings AND hurt your credit score!
With an Explorer card, you can earn 2 points per $1 spent on your everyday purchases, excluding government bodies in Australia. In addition, you can earn 1 point per $1 spent on purchases at government bodies in Australia. The points you earn with this credit card are American Express Membership Rewards points. One reason why this card is amazing is its flexibility with airline partners—you should never stick with just one airline! With an AMEX Explorer card, you can transfer your Membership Rewards points into eight different airline partner programs, including Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines.
For example:
- 50,000 Membership Rewards points is equivalent to 25,000 KrisFlyer miles (Singapore Airlines points).
- 50,000 Membership Rewards points is also equivalent to 25,000 Velocity points (Virgin Australia points).
The value you get for Singapore Airlines or Virgin Australia points is roughly 1.8 cents per point when redeeming flights for economy seats. This means 25,000 points would give you roughly $450 worth of value.
Another amazing benefit of having this card is smartphone screen coverage of up to $500 for repairs—more than the annual fee. If you use this benefit, you essentially make your money back on the annual fee.
American Express Velocity Platinum Card
The next card is the American Express Velocity Platinum Card. If you apply online by 14 October 2025, you could score a whopping 100,000 bonus Velocity points by spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card approval. This card offers an interest-free period of up to 55 days, but after that, the interest rate is 23.99% on purchases. This is why it’s really important to stay on top of your credit card statements and pay the full balance owing each month on time—I’d hate for you to pay this high interest rate!
The annual fee is $440, but the benefits provided by the AMEX Velocity Platinum Card make it well worth the cost. With an AMEX Velocity Platinum card, you’ll get a complimentary Virgin Australia return domestic economy flight every year. You’ll also enjoy domestic and international travel insurance. You will receive two complimentary Virgin lounge passes, along with access to the Virgin Australia Lounge at select domestic airports when you fly with Virgin Australia domestically.
With this card, you’ll earn:
- 2.25 velocity points per $1 spent on eligible purchases within Virgin Australia
- 1.25 velocity points per $1 spent on card purchases, except spent at government bodies in Australia.
- 0.5 velocity points per $1 spent at government bodies in Australia.
Qantas American Express Ultimate Card
With the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card, you can earn up to 90,000 bonus Qantas points. You can earn 70,000 when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new card within the first 3 months. This is available if you apply online by January 13, 2026. Plus, you’ll receive an extra 20,000 Qantas Points when you spend just $1 on your Card within 90 days of paying your second year’s annual Card fee.
Despite the annual fee being $450, you do get an annual Qantas travel credit for the same amount. This essentially cancels out the annual fee if you decide to use the travel credit every year.
With this card, you’ll also get 2 Qantas Club lounge invitations, 2 complimentary entries into the Centurion Lounge, a complimentary Qantas Wine membership, and complimentary domestic and international travel insurance. It’s safe to say that you do get your money’s worth!
Let’s not forget that this card has an interest-free period of up to 44 days. After this interest-free period, you’ll pay an interest rate of 23.99% if you don’t pay back what you owe on time!
If you decide to get this card, you’ll earn:
- 2.25 Qantas points per $1 spent on eligible Qantas products and services,
- 1.25 Qantas points per $1 spent on everyday purchases. This will change to $1 Qantas points per $1 spent if you earn 100,000 Qantas points in a calender year.
🚀Tips for Maximizing Credit Card Benefits
Here are some helpful tips to help you use your credit card wisely!
Pay Off Balances in Full and On Time
Always remember that credit card money is not synonymous with free money. You’ve heard me say this so many times throughout the article, but I couldn’t say it any clearer: pay back what you owe. Not only that, but pay back everything you owe in full and on time every single month to avoid those nasty interest rates!
Use Cards for Regular Expenses
A caveat to the first tip: make sure you’re spending money you would normally spend. Otherwise, what’s the point of getting a credit card? You sure won’t be saving money—you’ll definitely be spending more!
Evaluate Annual Fees
Another tip is to weigh up the annual fee against the card’s benefits. It’s important to choose a card with benefits you see yourself using. You don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on an annual fee for perks you’ll never use.
Check your Credit Score
It’s also really important to ensure you have a good credit score. Credit card companies take your credit score into account before approving your application. There are plenty of ways to check your credit score for free. You can visit your bank or use apps like WeMoney or Finder.
Credit Cards are Debts
Last but not least, if you’re applying for a home loan, banks consider the full credit limit on your credit cards as a debt—even if you consistently pay off the full balance owing each month on time. It’s super important to keep this in mind when you’re looking to apply for a home loan.
✈️Additional Popular Credit Card Options
Altitude Qantas Black Card
You could earn a whopping 120,000 bonus Qantas Points. You can get 90,000 Qantas Points if you spend $6,000 within the first 3 months of new card approval. In addition, you can also earn an additional 30,000 points after your first eligible purchase in the second year of your card account being active.
The card’s annual fee is $295, plus an additional $75 annual Qantas Rewards fee, bringing the total to $370 per year. However, if you’re a Westpac customer, you’ll get a discounted annual fee of $150 for the first year. After the first year, the annual fee returns to $295 like everyone else.
With an Altitude Qantas Black Card, you’ll get access to various complimentary insurances, including:
- Interstate Flight Inconvenience Insurance,
- Rental Vehicle Excess Cover in Australia,
- Complimentary international travel insurance
- Purchase protection for up to 4 months, and
- Overseas transit accident insurance.
It’s important to note that terms and conditions apply, so make sure you do your research!
Other benefits include two complimentary Qantas Club airport lounge passes each year and access to a personal concierge service that allows you to browse and book experiences online. In addition, Westpac offers personalized cashback deals through their Westpac Extras program and extra bonus cashback offers with Shopback.
The Altitude Qantas Black Card provides an interest-free period of up to 45 days. After this period, the interest rate skyrockets to 20.99% per annum on variable purchase rates or 21.99% on variable cash advance rates. It’s wise to stay on top of your credit card statements and ensure you pay back the total amount owing each month on time to avoid these insanely high interest rates!
This credit card has a high minimum credit limit of $15,000. To be eligible for an Altitude Qantas Black Card, you’ll need to be earning at least $75,000 a year. Your credit score will also be checked, so you must have a good credit score to increase your chances of being approved.
Altitude Velocity Black Card
With the Altitude Velocity Black Card, you can earn up to 120,000 bonus Velocity Points. You’ll receive 90,000 Velocity Points in the first year if you spend $6,000 within the first 120 days, as well as an extra 30,000 points after your first eligible purchase in the second year. The Altitude Velocity Black Card has an annual fee of $295 plus a $75 annual Velocity Rewards Program fee.
With this card, you’ll gain access to a variety of complimentary insurances, including:
- Interstate Flight Inconvenience Insurance,
- Rental Vehicle Excess Cover in Australia,
- Complimentary domestic and international travel insurance
- Purchase protection for up to 4 months, and
- Overseas transit accident insurance.
Additional perks include complimentary Economy X seat Upgrade vouchers and complimentary domestic Virgin Lounge passes.
The Altitude Velocity Black Card offers an interest-free period of up to 45 days. However, once the period is up, the interest rate jumps to 20.99% on variable purchase rates or 21.99% on variable cash advance rates. This is a stark reminder to always pay back what is owed on your credit card—otherwise, you might find yourself losing money to these ridiculous interest rates.
This credit card has a high minimum credit limit of $15,000. To be eligible for an Altitude Velocity Black Card, you’ll need to be earning at least $75,000 a year. Your credit score will also be checked, so it’s vital that you have a good credit score to increase your chances of being approved.
If you decide to get this card, you’ll earn 0.75 uncapped Velocity points per $1 spent on eligible purchases.
Ultimate Awards Card With Qantas Points
With the Ultimate Awards Card, you can earn up to 70,000 bonus Qantas Points. You’ll receive 17,500 bonus Qantas Points each month for the first four months, provided you choose to earn Qantas Points and spend $3,000 or more each month.
The card has a monthly fee of $35, which equates to $420 per year. However, the monthly fee can be waived if you spend at least $4,000 on your credit card within your statement period. In addition to the monthly fee, there is a $90 annual fee if you choose to earn Qantas Points instead of CommBank Awards Points.
The Ultimate Awards Card with Qantas Points offers many benefits. First, you won’t incur international transaction fees on purchases made overseas or online. This is definitely a money win for frequent travellers, as many credit cards charge high international transaction fees, which can really add up. Additionally, you’ll receive international travel insurance, which you can activate before you travel. You’ll also enjoy two complimentary airport lounge passes each year with a Mastercard Travel Pass. Unfortunately, there are limited lounges accessible with the Mastercard, especially within Australia.
Of course, we can’t forget about the nasty interest rates that credit cards carry. Luckily, this card offers a 44-day interest-free period on purchases. However, after this period, the interest rate spikes to 20.99% on purchases. Additionally, if you miss a payment, you’ll be charged a $20 late payment fee—YIKES! This is why it’s essential to always pay back the money you owe on time AND in full. Remember, credit cards are not free money!
If you decide to get this card, you’ll earn:
- 1.2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on eligible purchases, up to and including $10,000 in a statement period
- 0.8 Qantas Points per $1 spent on purchases at Australian supermarkets, department stores, petrol stations, dining and utilities
- 0.4 Qantas Points per $1 spent for all other purchases
- 0.2 Qantas Point per $1 spent for any spend over $10,000
NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card
With the NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card you can earn up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points. You can earn $90,000 when you spend $5,000 on everyday purchases within the first 90 days. You’ll get an extra 40,000 bonus Qantas Points when you keep your card open for over 12 months. The annual fee for this card is $420, however if you are an existing NAB customer, you’ll only have to pay $320, thanks to a $100 discount!
The NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card offers many benefits. As a cardholder, you’ll gain access to complimentary insurance, including international travel insurance. You’ll also have access to a 24/7 NAB Concierge, which can assist you with travel and lifestyle bookings.
Like all credit cards, you will need to pay interest if you do not pay back the amount owed on time and in full! However, this card provides a 44-day interest-free grace period on business purchases. After this grace period, you’ll face an interest rate of 20.99% on variable purchase rates, 0% on balance transfers, or 21.74% on variable cash advance rates.
Please note that this card comes with a high minimum credit limit of $15,000
💫In Closing
I hope this article has been really helpful in learning more about the best travel credit cards in Australia and their benefits. You’ll be travelling for cheap and in style in no time! Remember to use your credit cards responsibly—it’s not free money, after all. Pay everything you owe on time AND in full to avoid those nasty interest rates! Don’t forget to also maximise those rewards for travel savings. We want to travel smart!
This article is not financial advice, so it’s always important to do more research and tailor your choices to your financial situation!
The AMEX Explorer card is a great credit card for beginners in Australia. You can earn up to 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards points. There are so many benefits, including complimentary domestic and international travel insurance and complimentary entries to The Centurion Lounge. Additionally, you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to eight different airline partner programs, including Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines.
Yes! You can earn rewards points on everyday purchases such as groceries, utilities, petrol, and dining.
You can easily do this through the airline account. Simply log into your account, navigate to the Transfer Points page, select who you want to transfer the points to, choose the number of points, and submit.
With an AMEX Explorer card, you’ll get $400 travel credit annually. If you use this travel credit, you’ll essentially make your money back on the annual fee.
This all depends on how you manage your multiple credit cards. To maintain a good credit score, you need to pay off the full balance owing each month on time.
