Best Rewards Cards to Cover Upcoming Airfares

ninnypoop on 03/07/2023 - 16:13
Last edited 03/07/2023 - 16:34

HI all,

Ive read the OzB credit card wiki and a bunch of articles on pointhacks and am still unsure. Hoping some people on here can provide some insight.

Use case:
- I travel internationally once per year for work. My flights are covered but we need to pay for my partners flights.
- I travel domestically ~3 times per year. Work seems to always book virgin, so a card that works with the velocity program would be ideal.

So ultimately, the objective of having this card would be to pay towards international flights.

Whatever card we get we will use it to pay for major expenses (rent, bills, shopping, big ticket items, etc.) as to build up points over the year. I estimate this to be about $3500 spending per month.

I have a trip to Europe coming up in ~2months and am hoping to get a card to offset my partners return airfare. Im guessing our best bet for this would be to grab whatever card is currently providing the biggest sign-up bonus and dumping it after using the points?
Currently, the card with highest signup bonus looks to be the ANZ rewards black card.

I also think it would be best for me to get the Amex platinum edge card to build up points over the year. I like the sound of Amex since it is not tied to any specific airline. Is this valid? Or is it worth going with something like a Qantas frequent flyer card?

Then I suppose the smartest move would be to also churn other cards that come out over the year to further build points and hopefully combine with the points Ive gained over the year.

I guess my question is, does anyone think there is a better way of gaining points in the next month to contribute to out our upcoming trip? Is the ANZ rewards black card a good option?

Thanks for any help!

Financial Credit Card

Comments

  • sumyungguy on 03/07/2023 - 16:24
    +3

    You need to agree on your objective (e.g. merch or international/domestic flights) then choose a tribe (Qantas FF or Velocity). I collect mainly QFF points and redeem exclusively on Qantas Oneworld Classic Flight Rewards.

    • ninnypoop on 03/07/2023 - 16:35

      Thanks for your reply. I edited my post for more clarity as I can see where the confusion would have originally been.

      The objective of the card will be international flights. Im leaning towards velocity only because it ties in with domestic work travel.

      • sumyungguy on 03/07/2023 - 16:53

        It depends on where you want to travel internationally. With Qantas you can redeem points on the extensive OneWorld network; Virgin probably works better for single destination return. How does the points yield from the three return flights stack up against the rest of your spending?

  • ChaseTheSun on 03/07/2023 - 16:35

    Sometimes it's hard to find a card that will give you all that you want and it's better to get one or more cards of each VFF and QFF, if your credit rating is good.

  • Drakesy on 03/07/2023 - 18:10
    -1

    Firstly,

    A churner never limits themselves to 1 program.

    Secondly,

    The Qantas rewards black is very good though but you've already taken that out.
    If travelling definitely go for a Qantas frequent flyer black (ANZ) or platinum (any other bank) - can have this on top of your ANZ Rewards Black as they're different schemes. NAB's platinum is a decent card for the money.

    Building up points organically tbh is a waste of time, churn and burn is the only way and make the most of the 12 month cooldown period.

  • benny082 on 03/07/2023 - 18:22

    Don't forget to check out what complimentary travel insurance is attached to the card.

  • Stewardo on 03/07/2023 - 18:53

    Don’t forget to check availability of flights for points redemption for the dates you want in 2 months.

  • howtocreditcardchurn on 03/07/2023 - 19:05
    +1

    Get the ANZ Rewards black. It has one of the best signup bonuses and gives you cash back. As it looks like you churn cards, you will be able to ask for the monthly fee back as well.

    Another option is the AMEX Explorer as you can use the MR points for converting or as credit on your card and use the $400 travel credit to use for booking flights. This way you are not pigeon holed into one airline program.

    • tbard on 08/07/2023 - 09:06

      Do you mean the current ANZ Quantas Black ($425 annual fee, $100 cashback, 90k points)? I think that bonus has reduced from what it was recently… do you still recommend as the best atm?

      • howtocreditcardchurn on 08/07/2023 - 20:03

        Oh wow it is reduced. Looks like every bank is reducing its bonuses. Still is probably the best card as you can also ask for the annual fee to be refunded when you have received your points and ready to cancel

        • tbard on 09/07/2023 - 10:48

          Well, I just applied for it, and was also eligible for the extra 20k points with the Qantas promo… so I guess that makes up for the points reduction :) Will keep it until next February for free travel insurance, and then cancel for pro-rata fee refund.

        • timhn on 16/07/2023 - 09:58

          How did you get the fee refund? I’ve tried this last year but CS said they are not allowed to do that.

          • howtocreditcardchurn on 17/07/2023 - 06:51

            @timhn: Just call up as you cancel and ask for the annual fee to be refunded on a pro rata basis. I've never owned a credit card for longer than 4 months so have never had an issue getting my annual fee refunded. If you have owned it for longer they may not want to refund the annual fee.

    • ohrehman on 14/07/2023 - 09:41

      Sorry, what do you mean by asking for the monthly fee back?

    • povo7 on 05/08/2023 - 17:44

      Pro rata refund on AF or whole sum?!

      • howtocreditcardchurn on 05/08/2023 - 17:55

        Pro rata on annual fee. What did you mean by the whole sum?

        • povo7 on 06/08/2023 - 22:25

          so if you cancel it after 2 months, do they refund 10/12 months or would you get the full $375 back? some ppl have said you get the full amount.

          • howtocreditcardchurn on 06/08/2023 - 22:38
            +1

            @povo7: I have always received the full refund back. The longest I have held a credit card for is 4 months with Westpac and still received the full annual fee back.

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