American Express Qantas Ultimate Credit Card

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New offerApply by 31 October 2023

American Express Qantas Ultimate Credit Card

Highlights

  • Receive 75,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply online by 31 October 2023, are approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months. T&Cs apply. New Card Members only.
  • Earn 1.25 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on card purchases, except spend at government bodies in Australia where you will earn 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent.
  • Get 2 complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations each year.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Earn 75,000 bonus Qantas Points when you meet the criteria.
  • Excellent earn rates on everyday spending. Earns points on payments to the ATO.
  • Access to The Centurion® Lounge. after your first card spend on the card for Qantas products and services each anniversary year.
  • 2 complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations each year.
  • $450 Qantas Travel Credit each year (conditions apply).
  • Add cards for up to four family and friends at no cost.

Cons

  • The annual fee of $450.
  • There is no concierge service, even though it's a high end card.
  • Balance transfers are not possible.
  • Transactions in a foreign currency attract a fee.

The basics

  • Additional cardholders. Give up to 4 of your friends and family an additional card at no extra cost, helping to maximise the rewards-earning potential. The main account holder will need to manage the credit limit and make sure repayments are on time.
  • Digital wallets. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay are all compatible with this card.
  • Gambling transactions. Transactions classified as gambling will be blocked.

Rewards and benefits

  • Complimentary travel insurance. Cardholders have access to complimentary international travel insurance for you, your partner, and dependents up to 25 years old. Valid for domestic and international travel when you pay for the trip using your card. Also includes medical emergency expenses cover up to $2,500,0001, transport accidents cover up to $400,000, travel cancellations cover up to $12,500, up to $10,000 cover for loss or damage to baggage, money, or documents, and travel inconvenience cover up to $200 if your flight is delayed.
  • Concierge services. The American Express Qantas Ultimate Credit Card does not include a concierge service.
  • Insurances. Comes with purchase and refund protection, plus a fraud protection guarantee from unauthorized transactions.
  • Lounge access. Get two passes for The Centurion® Lounge airports each year. Cardholders also get two complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations after your first Card spend each anniversary year when you use your card to pay for selected Qantas products and services in Australia.
  • Rewards points. Cardholders can earn 2.25 Qantas points per $1 spent on eligible Qantas products and services, then 1.25 Qantas points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. Payments to government bodies in Australia earn 0.5 Qantas points per $1 spent. Annual fees, cash advances, interest, fees, and charges for traveler's cheques and foreign currencies will not earn points.
  • Sign-up bonus. Receive 75,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply online by 31 October 2023, are approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 3 months.
  • Travel credit. Get $450 of Qantas Travel Credit to book eligible domestic and international Qantas flights. Bookings must be made via American Express Travel.

Rates and fees

  • Annual fee. This card has an annual fee of $450.
  • Balance transfers. There is no balance transfer offer on this card at this time.
  • Cash advances. Cash advances will be charged interest at the cash advance interest rate of 23.99% p.a. An additional fee will also be incurred. Cash advances will begin accruing interest from the date of the transaction.
  • Foreign exchange fee. Purchases made in a foreign currency while shopping online or when travelling overseas will incur a 3% foreign transaction fee.
  • Interest-free period. This card offers an interest-free period of up to 44 days on purchases — except cash advances — if you have paid off your previous balance in full.
  • Purchases. The interest rate for purchases is 23.99% p.a., which can be avoided by paying the balance off in full. There is no introductory offer.

User reviews

Convenience

Customer service

Rates and fees

Rewards

Trust

Bonus points and excellent rewards

Reviewed by Alicia

The American Express site is easy to navigate, and the one question I had was answered immediately over the phone.

While the fees are on the higher side you do get one free domestic flight per year, which is excellent. 75K bonus points on sign-up was the main incentive.

Great value rewards and service, free flight

Reviewed by Mark

Direct American Express cards are excellent. This card comes with first class Australian customer service with quick response times. In addition the support given on disputed transactions is paperless and the agent works hard to resolve it quickly.

Rewards are excellent with a good earn rate, and if you regularly travel, the free Qantas return flight makes the high cost of the card worthwhile. In fact, on its own, for Perth residents the card pays for an east-west flight that is more often cheaper than what you would spend on a flight with Qantas.

The only downside is the high fee, but this comes with some major perks. The free flight is caveated as well. There is selected routes it will only work on (with the best value being cross-country flights). It also requires an advance Qantas spend before it activates the free flight (but you can get around this by paying for the fare difference by opting for a higher fare bracket).

Finally, the general lack of acceptance of AmEx in general (which is getting better) means you can’t solely rely on this card for all your spending.

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