American Express and Qantas Frequent Flyer are running a 20% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards cards like the Amex Platinum Edge and Platinum Charge.
Qantas run these promotions every three months or so. However, the last time we saw a promotion was just last month.
For transfers of under 500,000 points, this is the best offer we’ve seen since August 2018. For transfers of over 500,000 points, this offer is below average.
These bonuses help to offset some of Qantas’ higher points redemption pricing compared to their competitors like Asia Miles. They’d also be good for transferring over if you have one of the best uses of Qantas Points in mind, such as for Emirates First or Business Class.
The current bonus offer
- 20% flat bonus on transfers of all amounts
The offer runs until 30 December. There is no public offer page. I got an email about it, so check your inbox to make sure you’re eligible.
Bonus points may take up to 15 days after the promotion ends to credit to your account, i.e. first half of January, so keep that in mind if you have a specific redemption to book.
Learn how to connect your Qantas account to Membership Rewards, and how to transfer points.
These transfer bonus promotions are targeted (sort of)
The transfer bonus offer is usually targeted to members who have previously made a transfer. Qantas does not tend to publish the deal details online (maybe due to the limited potential uptake for it).
Emails (or snail mail) are usually sent to everyone who is eligible, and members that receive them are usually those who have made a transfer to Qantas Points from their credit card in the past.
Emails usually explicitly state something to this effect:
This offer is available to members who have previously transferred reward points earned on a credit or charge card to Qantas Points and received an email and/or letter with the above offer and should not be shared.
If you have an American Express Membership Rewards card, it might be worth making a small transfer to Qantas outside of a bonus period so you have a greater chance of being included in the next promotion. No guarantees, but it is worth a shot.
Cards that can transfer—not sweep—points to Qantas
Firstly, some definitions— direct-sweep cards move your points earned each month over to Qantas on a regular basis. This is the case for Qantas-linked credit or debit cards like the legacy ANZ Qantas cards, and the Qantas Cash Card.
Points transfers are initiated by you to the bank, made on-demand, and credit your Qantas account within a couple of days. There are two cards on the market in NZ that allow this functionality – the American Express Platinum Edge and American Express Platinum Charge.
The American Express Platinum Edge earns points into the American Express Membership Rewards programme, and offers triple points at major supermarkets and double points at major petrol stations – so there are plenty of opportunities to fast track your points earn through your everyday spend.
The American Express Platinum Charge is going to be out of reach for most people with a $1,250 annual fee but can earn you a heap of points—with Qantas or otherwise—if you can put a lot of spend through it.
Offer history
| Dates | Offers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| December 2019 | 20% bonus on all transfers | |
| November 2019 | 15% bonus up to 499,000 points 25% bonus over 500,000 points | |
| October 2019 | 20% bonus on all transfers | Not targeted |
| June 2019 | 15% bonus up to 500,000 points 20% bonus over 500,000 points 30% bonus over 2 million points | |
| April 2019 | 15% bonus up to 500,000 points 25% bonus over 500,000 points 40% bonus over 2 million points | |
| January-February 2019 | 15% bonus up to 500,000 points 25% bonus over 500,000 points 40% bonus over 2 million points | |
| November-December 2018 | 15% bonus up to 500,000 points 25% bonus over 500,000 points 45% bonus over 2 million points | |
| August 2018 | 20% on all transfers | |
| June 2018 | 15% bonus up to 350,000 points 25% bonus over 350,000 points 40% bonus over 1.25 million points | |
| March 2018 | 15% bonus up to 350,000 points 25% bonus over 350,000 points 40% bonus over 1.25 million points | |
| November 2017 | 15% bonus up to 100,000 points 25% bonus over 100,000 points 35% bonus over 1 million points | |
| September 2017 | 15% bonus up to 100,000 points 20% bonus over 100,000 points 30% bonus over 1 million points | |
| May-June 2017 | 25% bonus up to 1,250,000 points 40% over 1,250,000 points | |
| March 2017 | 15% up to 350,000 points 25% over 350,000 points 30% over 1 million points | |
| December 2016 | 30% on all transfers | |
| November 2016 | 15% up to 350,000 points 25% over 350,000 points 30% over 1 million points | |
| August 2016 | 10% up to 100,000 points 15% over 100,000 points 20% over 500,000 points 25% over 1 million points | |
| June 2016 | 15% up to 100,000 points 20% over 100,000 points 25% over 500,000 points 30% over 1 million points | not known if targeted |
| March 2016 | 15% up to 350,000 points 20% over 350,000 | not known if targeted |
| December 2015 | 15% up to 350,000 points 20% over 350,000 points | not known if targeted |
| September 2015 | 15% up to 300,000 points 20% over 300,000 points | not known if targeted |
| June 2015 | 15% up to 300,000 points 20% over 300,000 points | |
| March 2015 | 15% on all transfers | |
| August 2014 | 15% on all transfers |
Summing up: should you take advantage of the transfer bonus?
Each time this offer comes around it seems to be on a short-term basis, and with little predictability. Either way, it’s useful for those who have points balances they can transfer to Qantas – and another great reason to grab yourself an American Express.
The deal is particularly useful for those who have recently acquired a premium card like the American Express Platinum Charge and received the 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards points – this offer boosts their value by 20% if transferring these to Qantas.
However, there are better-value redemptions available from other programs like KrisFlyer and Asia Miles if you are willing to go looking.
