If you run a business or work as a sole trader, you can choose from a range of credit cards that offer both frequent flyer rewards and money-management features. This includes Qantas business credit card options, which are linked to your personal frequent flyer account or a Qantas Business Rewards account.
There are also Velocity Frequent Flyer business credit cards and cards with rewards you can transfer to partnered frequent flyer programs. Interested? Let's take a look at the key details and how to choose a card that works for you.
How do business frequent flyer credit cards work?
Just like other frequent flyer cards, these cards earn points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases. They may also come with introductory bonus point offers and perks such as lounge passes.
The difference is that many personal frequent flyer cards don’t consider business spending as part of the eligible purchases that earn points, while business credit cards do – including some that earn points for ATO payments.
Who can get a business credit card?
Business credit cards are usually designed for small to medium sized businesses, but there are also some corporate cards for larger organisations.
To apply for one of these cards, you usually need to have an Australian Business Number (ABN), meet a minimum annual turnover and provide details about your business. You also usually need to be the business owner or someone authorised to apply on behalf of the business.
How to compare frequent flyer credit cards for your business
If you’re deciding which frequent flyer credit card will boost your business rewards, these are some of the questions to ask yourself before you apply:
Which frequent flyer program is the card connected to?
Depending on the card, you could earn Qantas Points, Velocity Points or get a card that's linked to a flexible rewards program such as American Express Membership Rewards or CommBank Awards. These reward programs usually let you transfer your points to frequent flyer program partners, such as Velocity, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Emirates Skywards (although it does vary between reward programs).
Qantas business credit card options
If you want a business credit card that earns Qantas Points, there are two main options:
Cards linked to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account. These cards are linked to your individual Qantas Frequent Flyer account, similar to most personal frequent flyer credit cards.
Cards linked to Qantas Business Rewards. These cards earn Qantas Points through the Qantas Business Rewards program, which you can redeem for flights or transfer to any personal Qantas Frequent Flyer account. This gives you the flexibility to use Qantas Points for your business, yourself or someone else (like an employee).
How many points can I earn?
When you're comparing cards, keep in mind that an earn rate of at least 1 point per $1 is competitive. The number of points you’ll earn per $1 may also vary based on the transaction. For example, you might be able to earn 1.25 points on everyday eligible purchases and only 0.5 points per $1 spent on your ATO bill or other government transactions.
Take it further: Some business frequent flyer credit cards also offer thousands of introductory bonus points when you meet a spend requirement. You can compare cards by the bonus point offers and the spend requirements you need to meet to score these points, as they’re an easy way to boost your business rewards balance.
How many additional cards does the account offer?
If several of your employees require a credit card for work spending, you can request additional credit cards that are linked to the one account. This can help keep track of business spending and save time on expense-reporting. It also gives you a way to earn more points – or offer points as a perk to your employees.
While some cards offer an unlimited number of cardholders, others have a limit of how many cards you can get for employees. Some also charge annual fees for additional cards. So check these details before you apply to make sure you get a card that suits your business.
What is the annual fee?
Business credit cards that offer Qantas Points or other frequent flyer rewards usually have an annual fee. This can vary from $150 to $450 (or more) depending on the card.
You should make sure that your business can afford the annual fee and that the monetary value of the points and the extra perks can justify this cost.
What is the credit limit?
As well as earning points on business spend, a higher credit limit is another perk of choosing a business credit card with frequent flyer points.
Your approved credit limit will depend on a number of factors including your annual turnover and credit history, but you can compare cards by the minimum and maximum credit limits to get an idea of whether they will be a good fit for your business.
Is it a credit card or a charge card?
When you're comparing business cards that earn frequent flyer points, you'll see a mix of credit cards and charge cards. If you get a credit card, you'll be able to carry a balance from month to month (with interest charges) as long as you meet the minimum repayment requirements.
If you get a charge card, you have to pay it off in full each month. But you do get a set number of "cash flow days" in each statement period and won't have to pay interest on the account. So when you're looking at different business cards, think about which type of card will fit with how you manage work expenses.
What are the extra perks?
Frequent flyer business credit cards often include other benefits, such as complimentary lounge passes or complimentary international travel insurance. You might also be able to use a complimentary concierge service for everything from booking a restaurant for a business meeting to organising a corporate trip.
Some business cards also come linked with reporting software (such as MYOB, QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel), which you can use to monitor and download your balance sheets and transaction details.
Pros and cons of a business credit card with frequent flyer points
Pros
Rewards for business spending. Unlike other business credit cards, these cards reward you for every $1 you spend on eligible purchases. You can use these rewards to cut costs on regular business expenses (such as business travel) or to reward yourself and your employees.
Extra perks. These cards also come with extra features like lounge invitations, complimentary travel insurance and concierge services which could help justify the cost of the card.
Access credit. These cards usually offer higher credit limits than personal cards and can help your business manage its expenses with a line of credit.
Business reporting. You can monitor your business spending under one account and link it with business reporting systems to help simplify the way you manage your finances.
Cons
Higher annual fees. While some business cards come with low or $0 annual fees, these cards usually come with higher annual fees.
Liability. If you link additional cards to the account, the primary cardholder or the business will be liable for any expenses made on the supplementary cards.
Interest charges. If you opt for a business credit card and carry a balance from month to month, you’ll likely collect high interest rates on your purchases.
How to apply for a business frequent flyer credit card
Once you’ve compared your options and decided on a card, you can apply for a frequent flyer credit card for your business online, over the phone or in a branch.
Before you begin the application, make sure that your business meets the eligibility requirements and has the necessary information:
Eligibility criteria
Business requirements. You'll usually need to have an ABN (Australian Business Number) for your business and may need to be registered for GST. You may also need to meet an annual revenue requirement (such as $75,000 per year).
Australian residency status. Depending on the card, you may need to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident to apply.
Credit history. You’ll usually need to have a good credit history with no evidence of bad debts or payment defaults.
Personal details. You’ll need to provide personal information including your full name, contact number and email address. You must also provide the details of your personal pre-tax income.
Business details. This will include your business name, contact details, ABN and other business financial information.
Frequent flyer account. This could be your personal frequent flyer account, or details of a business account if you're a member of Qantas Business Rewards.
Once you have completed the application, the bank or card provider will be in touch with details about the assessment process and outcome. If you're approved, you should get your card within 5-10 business days.
Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio
Amy's expertise
Amy has written 584 Finder guides across topics including:
If you’re a business owner that travels or spends overseas, Airwallex Borderless Cards give you a way to save on fees and manage employee spending. Weigh up the features and costs here.
Cape’s all-in-one expense platform gives you a way to track and manage business spending, with virtual and physical cards and no foreign transaction fees.
Designed for businesses that want to manage all their spending from one place, Weel offers virtual cards, expense management tools and transaction insights.
Live eftpos black is a wireless, handheld EFTPOS option from Australian payment service provider Live eftpos – and it gives you a way to earn Qantas Points for card transactions.
Learn how you can accept credit card payments online, compare a range of online payment solutions, including merchant accounts, payment gateways and extras such as Apple Pay acceptance.
Need to accept credit card payments for your business? Here's a look at options including traditional EFTPOS machines, portable card readers and online credit card processing platforms.
Hi there, I know these cards don’t give you points for Bpay. Do they give you points for “electronic funds transfer” or “internet or phone banking (pay anyone)”?
Thanks
Whitney
Currently, Westpac is the only provider that we list that offers frequent flyer points when you make an eligible purchase. According to the Westpac Altitude Business Rewards terms and conditions, currently, no points are awards for BPAY transactions. You will not earn points on the following transactions.
‘Government charges (other than GST payable in connection with the purchase of goods or services on which you earn points).
Interest and other bank fees and charges (including any GST payable on any of these).
Cash advances (any transaction treated by us as a cash advance as further explained in the ‘Interpretation’ section – clause 18 below).
Balance transfers.
Bpay payments; i.e. bill payments and other payments made through the Bpay® Electronic Payments Scheme.’
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
MorriceNovember 8, 2013
Which business credit card excluding American Express allows use for purchasing stock for the business and earns uncapped frequent flyer points?
Finder
JacobNovember 8, 2013Finder
Hi Morrice,
Thanks for your question.
Please have a look at the ANZ Business One Visa Rewards Card. At the time of writing it offers uncapped rewards points earning. You can transfer ANZ Rewards to a frequent flyer program if you wish, more details are covered in the guide for you to read through.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
MiriamJuly 29, 2013
Hi Jacob. As you know Westpac has put a points cap on cards used for business. I have a $50,000 credit limit on two cards used for business but in my name. I usually spend around $500,000 a year. I don’t want to miss out on points. I was offered the Black Altitude card for personal stuff but not my “business” cards. I am switching banks but which bank offers what I have had before with no capping on points. Last time we spoke you said HSBC. Now that we are 4 months older, what bank offers more. I don’t mind having an American Express companion card but most companies we deal with don’t accept Amex, so please help. I have looked at the tables and am confused. I don’t care how much card costs as it is a tax deduction.
Finder
JacobJuly 29, 2013Finder
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for your inquiry.
You may refer to our business credit cards comparison page that list the cards that reward you for business spending. You can find out which cards offer uncapped points earning by selecting through to the cards review page from the comparison table. A number of the business credit cards we compare are offered by American Express and Westpac is the only provider listed in our business comparison tables to provide a companion Mastercard and American Express credit cards.
Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
MiriamJuly 29, 2013
I wish to change from a westpac card as i am really angry that they are so greedy and have changed the rules. I can’t use the black altitude card for business purchases. The card I want is like the Westpac Business Gold card that is no longer available.I don’t necessarily want a business card but I am making legitimate business purchases. In fact the 2 I have for 2 businesses are in my personal name.What replaces the Westpac card? Amex cards are not accepted by my suppliers. Do you know whether HSBC plan to copy the greed of Westpac and cap their points too??
Finder
JacobJuly 29, 2013Finder
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for your comments.
While it is not certain whether HSBC plans to cap their points since credit card providers do change their products from time to time, you may refer to our guide for information on the rewards and frequent flyer credit cards.
Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
carmenApril 23, 2013
do you have to have your business account with the bank that you want to get a business CC with?
Finder
JacobApril 23, 2013Finder
Hi Carmen. Thanks for your question. So banks do require that you have an account with them already, while others do not. You can find information about this on the application page once you go to apply for a card. Jacob.
RobertApril 17, 2013
My business credit card is going to start to apply a cap to points earned in a billing period.
What business frequent flier credit cards do not have a cap in place?
Finder
JacobApril 17, 2013Finder
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your question. Please have a look at our business credit card comparison page. On that page, the cards that offer rewards and do not have a cap on points earning are ANZ Business One Rewards, American Express Velocity Business Card, American Express Gold Business Card, NAB Qantas Business Credit, and the American Express Platinum Business Credit Card. Please keep in mind, although, the American Express cards do not directly earn frequent flyer products, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Points to airline partners.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Hi there, I know these cards don’t give you points for Bpay. Do they give you points for “electronic funds transfer” or “internet or phone banking (pay anyone)”?
Thanks
Whitney
Hi Whitney.
Thanks for your question.
You can find some general information on credit cards offering rewards for BPAY transactions.
Currently, Westpac is the only provider that we list that offers frequent flyer points when you make an eligible purchase. According to the Westpac Altitude Business Rewards terms and conditions, currently, no points are awards for BPAY transactions. You will not earn points on the following transactions.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
Which business credit card excluding American Express allows use for purchasing stock for the business and earns uncapped frequent flyer points?
Hi Morrice,
Thanks for your question.
Please have a look at the ANZ Business One Visa Rewards Card. At the time of writing it offers uncapped rewards points earning. You can transfer ANZ Rewards to a frequent flyer program if you wish, more details are covered in the guide for you to read through.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
Hi Jacob. As you know Westpac has put a points cap on cards used for business. I have a $50,000 credit limit on two cards used for business but in my name. I usually spend around $500,000 a year. I don’t want to miss out on points. I was offered the Black Altitude card for personal stuff but not my “business” cards. I am switching banks but which bank offers what I have had before with no capping on points. Last time we spoke you said HSBC. Now that we are 4 months older, what bank offers more. I don’t mind having an American Express companion card but most companies we deal with don’t accept Amex, so please help. I have looked at the tables and am confused. I don’t care how much card costs as it is a tax deduction.
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for your inquiry.
You may refer to our business credit cards comparison page that list the cards that reward you for business spending. You can find out which cards offer uncapped points earning by selecting through to the cards review page from the comparison table. A number of the business credit cards we compare are offered by American Express and Westpac is the only provider listed in our business comparison tables to provide a companion Mastercard and American Express credit cards.
Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
I wish to change from a westpac card as i am really angry that they are so greedy and have changed the rules. I can’t use the black altitude card for business purchases. The card I want is like the Westpac Business Gold card that is no longer available.I don’t necessarily want a business card but I am making legitimate business purchases. In fact the 2 I have for 2 businesses are in my personal name.What replaces the Westpac card? Amex cards are not accepted by my suppliers. Do you know whether HSBC plan to copy the greed of Westpac and cap their points too??
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for your comments.
While it is not certain whether HSBC plans to cap their points since credit card providers do change their products from time to time, you may refer to our guide for information on the rewards and frequent flyer credit cards.
Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility criteria and read through the details of the needed requirements as well as the relevant Product Disclosure Statements/Terms and Conditions when comparing your options before making a decision on whether it is right for you.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jacob
do you have to have your business account with the bank that you want to get a business CC with?
Hi Carmen. Thanks for your question. So banks do require that you have an account with them already, while others do not. You can find information about this on the application page once you go to apply for a card. Jacob.
My business credit card is going to start to apply a cap to points earned in a billing period.
What business frequent flier credit cards do not have a cap in place?
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your question. Please have a look at our business credit card comparison page. On that page, the cards that offer rewards and do not have a cap on points earning are ANZ Business One Rewards, American Express Velocity Business Card, American Express Gold Business Card, NAB Qantas Business Credit, and the American Express Platinum Business Credit Card. Please keep in mind, although, the American Express cards do not directly earn frequent flyer products, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Points to airline partners.
If you wish to learn more and check transfer rates, please read our guide about transferring frequent flyer points.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Jacob