Qantas frequent flyer credit cards: 490,000 points up for grabs this March

It’s 'March Madness' at Qantas' bank partners, with a large number of banks practically giving Qantas frequent flyer points away to customers who sign up for a new credit card.

Between them all there's almost half a million points on the table.

Of course, there’s no need to apply for every credit card that carries a sign-on bonus… we see this more a chance for self-reflection on your own credit card portfolio and a great opportunity to earn some extra points if your needs have changed and other options in the market are now a better fit.

(In fact, we’d outright suggest that readers don’t get greedy with these deals, as applying for too many credit cards in a short period makes you appear ‘desperate for credit’ in the eyes of the banks, and can make larger loans, such as for your house or car, much more difficult to attain.)

But if your wallet is due for a makeover or it’s time to add a new piece of plastic to join your stable, here are ten of the best credit card sign-up deals available this month, arranged alphabetically.

1. American Express Qantas credit cards

American Express’ own range of Qantas credit cards are serving up bonuses of between 7,500 points right through to a solid 50,000 frequent flyer points for new customers applying by June 30.

Opt for the fee-free Discovery card and spend just $300 over the first three months for an easy 5,000 points, or aim for the Premium card and its $249/year fee for 5,000 points right off the bat, and another 22,500 after spending at least $500 by the third month.

At the top is the $450/year Ultimate card, returning a greater 42,500-point bonus on that same $500 spend and also with the free welcome gift of 5,000 points. All three cards earn a further 2,500 when first spending directly with Qantas on flights or Qantas Club membership.

2. ANZ Frequent Flyer American Express + Visa

Look to ANZ for 50,000 bonus frequent flyer points across its range of Qantas Frequent Flyer cards – just apply by May 5 and use the card at least once within 30 days of being approved.

You’ll pay $95 for the basic Frequent Flyer card, $295 for the Platinum or $425 for the Black, so if you’re choosing a credit card for the long-haul, check out how many points you’ll earn on your everyday transactions and the cards’ other features before making a final call.

3. Bank of Melbourne/Bank SA/St. George Amplify

This Westpac-backed trio is offering 10,000 bonus points with new $79/year Amplify credit cards; 30,000 bonus points with the $99/year Amplify Platinum and 60,000 bonus points with Amplify Signature and its $279 annual fee.

Whichever bank you choose as the card issuer, simply apply by March 31 and spend at least once on your card before 30 April to pocket those easy points.

4. Bankwest Qantas MasterCards

Bankwest has its own tiered deal, with 20,000 points up for grabs with its basic ($100/year) and Gold MasterCards ($150/year), and 50,000 points on offer with the Platinum MasterCard at just $10 more per year than the Gold card.

This one’s a little harder to achieve – apply by May 31 and spend at least $2500 over the first three months, but that’s within reach if switching all of your everyday transactions to Bankwest.

5. Citibank Qantas Signature Visa & Citi Prestige

Temping with 50,000 frequent flyer points is the $348/year Citibank Signature Visa with the Qantas Rewards add-on, while the $749 Citi Prestige card with Qantas Rewards offers the highest bounty of them all – 70,000 bonus frequent flyer points.

This one isn’t as urgent as the others… to claim either prize, open your account by New Year’s Eve and use your new Citibank card at least once in the first three months.

6. David Jones American Express cards

Just $99 gets you 22,500 bonus points with the David Jones American Express Card, or you can round that up to 30,000 points for its $295 Platinum counterpart.

Just remember to choose Qantas as your preferred AMEX frequent flyer program, and then use your shiny new card three times or more with merchants other than David Jones within a month of approval to earn your points.

There’s no published expiry date for this one, but if these cards are right for you, we’d act sooner rather than later.

7. HSBC Qantas Platinum Visa

As one of the better points-earning credits cards for use on home soil and when travelling abroad, HSBC’s Qantas Platinum Visa delivers a cool 20,000 bonus points against a $199 annual fee.

Unlike the David Jones AMEX cards, HSBC only requires one purchase to trigger the bonus points – that can made at any time in the first three months – for new customers who apply before April 30.

8. NAB Qantas Rewards AMEX + Visa/MasterCard

With no annual fees in the first year, NAB’s Qantas Rewards cards could hit the spot with the same 20,000-point bonus, or aim for the Qantas Rewards Premium cards for twice that – again with no upfront annual fee.

Apply by April 19 and use either your NAB American Express or its companion Visa or MasterCard once and you’ll be swimming in points, then it’s a mere $65/year for the Rewards duo or $250/year for Rewards Premium.

Just to note: while NAB's own website lists these points promos at half the number of points, applying via the Qantas credit card selection tool delivers the full bonus.

9. Westpac Altitude AMEX + Visa/MasterCard

Grab 10,000 points with the $100/year Westpac Altitude Rewards combo, 30,000 points from Altitude Platinum ($150/year) or a whopping 60,000 points thanks to Altitude Black, yours with a $395 annual fee.

This deal’s on the cards until April 19, and like most Qantas-earning credit cards, points from your everyday transactions automatically appear in your frequent flyer account each month like clockwork.

10. Woolworths Money Qantas Platinum Visa

Last but certainly not least, the Macquarie-issued Woolworths Money Qantas Platinum Visa churns out 10,000 bonus frequent flyer points to new cardholders who are approved by May 31 and use their card at least once by July 31.

You’ll pay a reduced annual fee of $99 in the first year – climbing to $139 thereafter – and the chunk of bonus points on offer isn’t affected by Woolworths’ recent changes to reduce frequent flyer earning rates for high-spenders.

But wait, there’s more!

Not forgotten are the Jetstar MasterCards and the Qantas Credit Union Platinum Visa, but with slightly more complex requirements in exchange for their bonus points, they didn’t make our top ten.

Jetstar requires $3,000 of spend on the Platinum card by April 30 for its full 20,000-point deal – that’s just six weeks away, minus the time it takes to process your application and receive the card.

Over at QCU, there are up to 30,000 points on offer, but the credit union gives you only 5,000 points upfront and trickles the rest out over the following five months – and if you don’t happen to use your QCU card in one particular month, you’ve ended your chance at any further bonus points in those that follow.

Also read: Five credit card strategies to maximise your points

Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: we're @AusBT