This is the first part of a two-part series on how to double your Qantas and Velocity frequent flyer points. Watch out for part two: you can earn Virgin Velocity points in unexpected places.
Holidays have been knocked off the agenda for many Australians as the cost of living continues to soar. But what if I told you it’s easier to do than you think? Because you can earn Qantas Frequent Flyer Points in all kinds of unexpected places without spending a dime more than usual.
where to earn extra frequent flyer points
First off, we all know the frequent flyer credit card trick – earning frequent flyer points for every applicable purchase. It’s important to note that you need to be debt disciplined and pay off your balance in full within 55 days to avoid interest charges.
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But if you can get something for nothing, why not? And, why don’t you double the points for it? Because you can…just shop in certain places or use certain services.
Here’s the definitive list of all the outlets and suppliers that have now secured deals with Qantas – and there are hundreds of them – to get you back in the air sooner.
Below I’ve listed five unexpected places you might not even realize you can earn points.
1. Service station
Saving gas prices? Then get smart and add extra frequent flyer points. For example, BP service stations are linked to the Qantas program – you can earn 2 points per liter on BP Ultimate Unleaded and 1 point per liter on all other fuels for every $1, simply by scanning your Qantas frequent flyer card at checkout Earn 1 point for eligible in-store items.
2. Department store
Qantas has partnered with David Jones to offer points – usually a $1 point – for online purchases when you click through from Qantas Shopping (which leads to the regular David Jones website where you can shop and pay as usual).
3. Other retailers/e-tailers
As mentioned above, you can earn Qantas Points on over 450 brands through Qantas Shopping. Partners are, for example, adairs, Adidas, adorebeauty, Apple, ASOS…these are “A”s! Other big brands include Bonds, Country Road, eBay, Kathmandu, lululemon, rebel. Like your David Jones store, you’re just one click away from Qantas Shopping. Note that extra points are often offered in promotions as well.
4. Health Fund
It’s all about one of Qantas’ direct customers: Qantas Health Members. But not only do they get dollar-for-dollar premium points (as does Qantas Travel Insurance), but they’re currently offering 110,000 bonus points for new customers who sign up before May 28. Each year, a family can collect approximately 12,000 points.
5. Hotels
There are also several hotel chains that allow you to earn (and sometimes redeem) Qantas Points during your stay, including Airbnb, Accor Live Limitless, Hilton Honors, luxuryescapes.com, Marriott Bonvoy, Radisson Hotel Group and World of Hyatt.
Huge Daily Reward Opportunities
Finder research tells us that 28% of Australians collect Qantas Frequent Flyer points and 21% collect Virgin Velocity points (I’ll tell you about points in my next column).
Among them, Finder research shows that three-quarters of Australians collect Woolworths Everyday Rewards, which can be converted into Qantas points (two-thirds use Coles’ FlyBuys scheme, which can be converted into Virgin Velocity points). Overall, 13 per cent of Australians (approximately 2.2 million people) took the opportunity to exchange their supermarket rewards points for a frequent flyer programme.
With Everyday Rewards, every time you reach 2,000 points, you can get a $10 discount in future stores or 1,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points. And if you can afford to forego alternative shopping “discounts,” you’ll be better off. Think about it: 16,000 Everyday Rewards points, and you could get an $80 cash rebate, or 8,000 frequent flyer points.
That’s usually enough for a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane or Melbourne, which usually costs much more than $80. You can also earn everyday rewards through Woolworths affiliates and partners such as BWS, Big W, Ampol and EG Ampol, Origin Energy (when you sign up), Super Pharmacy, PetCulture, Healthylife, Marley Spoon, Dinnerly and MyDeal.
Back to private health insurance, Bupa has a neat way of tying health: If you link your Bupa account with your Everyday Rewards account, you can earn triple your points on fresh fruit and vegetables for 60 days.
Don’t forget, your Qantas Frequent Flyer points also allow you to redeem your points for travel on their oneworld partner airlines including Air France, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airlines, Japan Airlines, etc.
Continue: Let Your Dollars Go Farther…or Should It “Fly” Higher?
Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon is the author of How to Get Mortgage-Free Like Me, available at www.nicolesssmartmoney.com. Follow Nicole Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
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