Best Credit Cards for Airline Miles in Australia - Earn rate, fees, requirements and more

The joy of flying to new destinations is a reward in itself, but you can extract even more value from travelling by racking up valuable airline miles or points. Most airlines in Australia offer a frequent flyer program that lets you use these points on flights and other rewards. It’s a great way to cut the cost of your trips.

In this blog, we will compare features, fees, pros and cons of 6 popular credit cards for frequent flyer points across various providers. We'll also touch on how the Wise debit card can help you save money when spending on your travels.

Table of contents
How does an airline miles credit card work? What is the best credit card for airline miles in Australia? American Express Platinum Citi Premier Card Qantas Premier Platinum Westpac Altitude Rewards Black ANZ Rewards Black NAB Rewards Platinum Black

How does an airline miles credit card work?

An airline miles credit card makes your money go further. When making purchases on the card, you also earn points, which can be transferred to frequent flyer programs and redeemed on flights, hotel bookings, and other travel experiences.

There are three common types of credit cards that offer airline miles.

• Co-branded cards linked to specific airlines. Points must be used exclusively with that airline and its partners, like cards for Qantas points.
• Multi-airline cards are more flexible. While the bank typically has its own rewards program, the points can be transferred to multiple airlines.
• General travel reward cards that allow you to earn flexible rewards, which can then be transferred to an airline program of your choosing. These are great if you don’t want to be locked in.

👀 Looking for a travel credit card? Check out Best Travel Credit Cards in Australia

Key things to consider in choosing an airline miles credit card

When looking for the best frequent flyer credit card, you must balance your own financial circumstances, spending habits, and travel preferences with the unique features of each card.

The main factors that you need to keep an eye on include:

• Earn rate: The higher the rate, the faster you accumulate miles. However, always check to see which purchases are eligible.
• Sign-up bonus: Many cards offer welcome bonuses when meeting a minimum spend. A larger bonus can give your annual earnings potential a major boost.
• Annual fee: Cards with a higher fee may offer better rates and perks but you need to balance these benefits against the cost.
• Eligible airlines: Make sure you pick a card for an airline rewards program that you’re interested in.
• Additional perks: Look for perks that are relevant for your travel preferences.

How you weigh these factors depends on your priorities. However, a good place to start is deciding whether you will get value from the points you expect to earn and the travel perks available when balanced against the upfront cost. A card with a big fee and luxury perks might not be best if you’re not a huge spender, for example.

You should also consider whether you want to be locked into a single airline or rewards program, or prefer flexibility and the ability to pick and choose based on the best deals for flights and destinations.

Now, let’s look at some of the best credit cards for frequent flyer points.

What is the best credit card for airline miles in Australia?

Before we delve deeper into each provider, here's an overview of the key details

	Earn Rate per $1 spent	Sign up bonus	Annual Fee	Eligible Airline Programs	Additional Perks
American Express Platinum Card	2.25 points	275,000 points	$1,450	12 major airlines including Velocity and Qantas	$475 travel credit, up to $400 dining credits, airport lounge access
Citi Premier Card	Up to 2 points	Up to 150,000 points	$300	Velocity (and partner airlines)	Complimentary travel insurance and lounge access
Qantas Premier Platinum	Up to 1.5 points	Up to 80,000 points	$399 ($349 for first year)	Qantas	Discounted companion fares, 2 lounge invitations per year
Westpac Altitude Rewards Black	Up to 2 points	Up to 150,000 bonus points	$295	Velocity, Qantas	Complimentary travel insurance, 2 airport lounge passes per year
ANZ Rewards Black	Up to 2 points	180,000 points + $150 cashback	$375	Velocity, Asia Miles, Singapore Airlines	Travel insurance, personal concierge
NAB Rewards Platinum Black	Up to 2 points	Up to 100,000 points	$195	Velocity, KrisFlyer, Asia Miles	Complimentary travel insurance, concierge service

American Express Platinum

Best for: Frequent flyers looking for the best earning rates and perks

• Earn up to 2.25 points per $1 spent on purchases
• Up to 44 days cash free period
• Travel perks including dining credits, travel credit, and lounge access

The American Express Platinum¹ isn’t cheap. The $1,450 annual fee makes it the most expensive card on our list. However, it offers incredible points-earning potential with an impressive 2.25x for every $1 spent on all purchases. Only government spends are excluded from the higher rate. You can then transfer your points to 12 qualifying airline reward programs.

There’s a laundry list of rewards and benefits too. You get annual travel credit to spend on both domestic and international trips, dining credits at home and abroad, and access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally. That’s in addition to a few entertainment and shopping perks.

You’ll still have to pay a 3% foreign transaction fee when making purchases abroad, but that’s not unusual for a card like this. There’s currently a generous $275,000 bonus offer when signing up, which is triggered after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases in the first 3 months.

Pros	Cons
Excellent earning rate on everyday purchases Great list of perks and rewards 275,000 point bonus offer	Very high annual fee High foreign transaction fee

Citi Premier Card

Best for: Online spenders who want a flexible rewards program

• Earn up to 2 reward points per $1 spent on purchases
• Travel perks including luxury escapes, flight discounts, and lounge access
• $10,000 minimum credit limit and 22.49% interest rate

The Citi Premier Card² might be enticing if you are a big online spender. There are 2 points on offer for every $1 spent for online transactions outside of cash advances, balance transfers etc. You can also get the same rate for international spends. For all other domestic purchases, the rate drops to 1 point per $1.

One thing to note is that the card has a 200,000 point cap over a 12-month period. However, you can trigger a substantial 120,000 point bonus by signing up and spending $7,000 in the first three months. There’s another reward of 30,000 points if you keep the card open for 12 months.

Travel perks include complimentary travel insurance and airport lounge access. There’s also discounts on luxury hotels and international flights. To get all of this, you must have a regular income and be a permanent Australian resident. The $300 annual fee is competitive compared to rival cards.

Pros	Cons
Excellent earn rate for online spending Free to add more cardholders	Per year points cap High interest rate of 22.49% 3.4% foreign transaction fee

Qantas Premier Platinum

Best for: Travellers who want a great Qantas frequent flyer credit card

• Earn up to 1.5 reward points per $1 spent on purchases
• 0% for 6 months on balance transfers
• Up to 44 days interest free and 20.99% interest rate

If you’re a frequent flyer with Qantas, look no further than their Premier Platinum Card³. This lets you rack up as many points as you want at a rate of 1.5 points per $1 on international spend and 1x for everything else. You pay a reduced fee of $349 for the first year. To apply, you must earn at least $35,000 a year and be a permanent resident in Australia.

The travel perks include 2 single-entry lounge invitations per year and discounts on companion fares. After signing up, you can get 50,000 bonus points by spending $3,000 within 3 months, plus another 30,000 if you haven’t earned Qantas points elsewhere in the last year.

Pros	Cons
1 year interest-free balance transfer Complimentary travel insurance	Lower bonus compared to others $50 per year for additional cardholders

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Westpac Altitude Rewards Black

Best for: Earning points on flights

• Earn up to 6 reward points per $1 spent on eligible purchases
• Up to 45 days interest free period
• Travel perks include complimentary insurances and lounge passes

The Westpac Altitude Rewards Black⁴ is only $99 for the first year if you already bank with them. The standard annual fee is $295. This card offers a huge 6 points per $1 spent on flights with partner airlines bought in Australia. There’s also a solid 2x rate on purchases from Uber, Uber Eats, Airbnb, and Spotify, and a 1.25x rate on everything else.

When travelling, you can get 2 priority lounge passes per year and complimentary insurances. There’s also 100,000 bonus points on offer after signing up and spending $6,000 within 3 months. You get 50,000 more in ‘year 2’. Eligibility requirements include an income of at least $75,000 per year.

Pros	Cons
Excellent earn rate when purchasing flights Complimentary travel insurance	3% foreign transaction fee No premium travel perks

ANZ Rewards Black

Best for: Earning points on everyday spending

• Earn up to 2 rewards points per $1 spent on purchases
• $15,000 minimum credit limit and 20.99% interest rate
• Travel perks include insurance, personal concierge and digital wallet compatibility

The ANZ Rewards Black⁵ is great for everyday purchases with its 2x earn rate per $1 spent. However, the higher rate is capped at $5,000 per month, dropping to 1x thereafter. There’s no strict income requirements for this one. You only need to be over 18 and a permanent resident in either Australia or New Zealand to pay the $375 annual fee.

After signing up, you can get 180,000 points by spending $3,000 in 3 months. ANZ will also put $150 back on your card. There’s travel insurance and a round-the-clock personal concierge service for help with overseas hotel and restaurant bookings. The Rewards Black has a $15,000 minimum credit limit and 20.99% interest rate.

Pros	Cons
Excellent earn rate on everyday purchases Generous bonus offer	Foreign transaction fee rising to 3.5% in May 2025

NAB Rewards Platinum Black

Best for: Solid earn rates and complimentary travel insurance

• Earn up to 2 reward points per $1 spent on purchases
• $6,000 minimum credit limit and 20.99% interest rate
• Travel perks include concierge service

The NAB Rewards Platinum⁶ has a very modest $195 annual fee. For this, you get a solid earn rate of 1.5x for grocery store purchases and 1x for everything else. There’s also a 2x rate for flights and hotels booked online at Webjet. All points are uncapped so you can rack up as many as you like every month.

The travel perks are more modest but you do get complimentary international travel insurance and a concierge service. You can also add cardholders at no extra cost. There are several partner airlines with the NAB Rewards Platinum Black but Qantas is excluded. The interest rate is 20.99%.

Pros	Cons
Affordable annual fee Good earn rate Free to add cardholders	Cannot be used to redeem Qantas Points

Travelling with your airline miles? Bring along the Wise card to maximise your foreign currency transactions

While credit cards offer great rewards, spending overseas or shopping with international retailers often comes with extra fees. Avoid those costly foreign transaction fees by bringing along Wise, the debit card that can help you save money while traveling.

With your Wise account, you can hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and all currency conversion uses the mid-market rate, with low, transparent fees. You can also get some free ATM withdrawals every month to make it easier and cheaper to get cash overseas.

Use this guide to pick the right credit card for airline miles, and while you’re thinking about your trip to use your miles on, sign up for Wise to do more with your money when you’re away.

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This material has been prepared by Wise Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 38 616 463 855) (AFSL 513764). The material presented is factual information only. The material is not intended to provide you with financial advice and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

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Sources:

1. American Express Platinum
2. Citi Premier Card
3. Qantas Premier Platinum
4. Westpac Altitude Rewards Black
5. ANZ Rewards Black
6. NAB Rewards Platinum Black