CARD FACT SHEET · AMERICAN EXPRESS
Qantas Ultimate
Qantas Frequent Flyer
The short answer
The American Express Qantas Ultimate carries a $450 annual fee, with no separate rewards programme fee published, and advertises a 120,000-point sign-up bonus of which 70,000 is paid on $5,000 of spend within 90 days.
Of the 5 spending patterns published here, 5 clear that minimum-spend hurdle inside the window. 50,000 of the 120,000 requires a further $5,000 of eligible purchases in the first 3 months of the second year of Card Membership. The stated $5,000 in the first 3 months from approval earns 70,000. Issuer states the window in months, not days.
- Annual cost, all in
- $450
- Sign-up bonus, advertised
- 120,000
- Paid on the stated spend
- 70,000
- Minimum spend
- $5,000
- Base earn rate
- 1.25 / $1
The record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Issuer | American Express |
| Card fee (AUD) | $450 |
| Rewards programme fee (AUD) | The issuer publishes none |
| Annual cost, all in (AUD) | $450 |
| First year, all in (AUD) | $450 |
| First-year terms | — |
| Sign-up bonus, advertised total (points) | 120,000 |
| Paid on the stated minimum spend (points) | 70,000 |
| Deferred to a later instalment (points) | 50,000 |
| How the bonus is paid | Split across instalments — see the note above |
| Bonus currency | Qantas Frequent Flyer |
| Minimum spend for bonus (AUD) | $5,000 |
| Spend window (days) | 90 |
| Earn thresholds | Published ladder held — see the bands below |
| Foreign transaction fee | — |
| Published offer end date | 17 November 2026 |
Earn rates by category
| Category | Points / $ | Currency | Cap notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everything else | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Supermarkets | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Dining out | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Fuel | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Utilities & insurers | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Overseas spend | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Travel | 1.25 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. |
| Government & ATO | 0.5 | Qantas Frequent Flyer | Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. Government bodies earn the reduced rate shown rather than the standard rate. |
Where the rate steps down
The rates above are what the first slice of a period earns. Past the threshold the issuer pays less, so a heavy month earns proportionally fewer points than the headline suggests. Every months-to-a-seat figure on this site is computed through these bands.
| Points earned this year | Points per dollar | Spend it governs |
|---|---|---|
| First 100,000 points | Published category rate | All eligible spend |
| Beyond 100,000 points | 1 / $1 | All eligible spend |
A step-down lowers a rate and never raises one, so a category the issuer excludes outright keeps earning nothing above the threshold as well as below it.
- Re-sourced to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne), which states the rate and the cap; the earlier aggregator source is superseded. The everyday rate of 1.25 applies to the first 100,000 Qantas Points earned in a calendar year.
- Secondary source: after 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Government spend stays at its published 0.5 because a step-down never raises a rate.
Does the bonus hurdle clear?
A published bonus is only real if the spending gets there. This compares the minimum spend against each pattern over the card’s own window. Clearing the hurdle releases the first instalment; where the advertised total is split, the rest is governed by a separate date rather than by this spend.
| Spending profile | Clears the hurdle? | Monthly points on this pattern |
|---|---|---|
| The Corporate Consultant | Yes | 8,000 |
| The Inner-North Couple | Yes | 7,250 |
| The Light Spender | Yes | 2,375 |
| The Overseas Regular | Yes | 6,000 |
| The Suburban Family | Yes | 8,625 |
Questions these rows answer
- Does the American Express Qantas Ultimate charge a rewards programme fee on top of its card fee?
- No such line appears in the issuer's own fee table, so the $450 card fee is the annual charge this site publishes for it.
- Is there a cap or an earn threshold on the American Express Qantas Ultimate?
- American Express publishes a threshold rather than a hard cap. Across a calendar year, the first 100,000 points of a calendar year earn at the category rates published above, then every point past 100,000 earn at 1 points per dollar. Every months-to-a-seat figure on this site is computed through those bands.
- Is the 120,000-point bonus on the American Express Qantas Ultimate paid in one go?
- No. $5,000 of spend within 90 days pays 70,000 points; the remaining 50,000 arrive on a separate condition the issuer sets, which is why this site scores the first-year position on the first instalment alone.
- Does the American Express Qantas Ultimate earn points on government charges?
- American Express publishes 0.5 points per dollar on government & ato. Issuer structure: 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on eligible everyday purchases, 2.25 on selected Qantas products and services in Australia, 0.5 at government bodies. After 100,000 Qantas Points are earned in a calendar year the everyday rate falls from 1.25 to 1. Re-sourced from pointhacks.com.au to the issuer's own product page on 10 September 2026 (Melbourne); the page now serves 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday purchases excluding government bodies, 0.5 at government bodies, 2.25 on eligible Qantas products and services, and the 100,000-point calendar-year step-down to 1 per $1 — identical to the figures already held. Government bodies earn the reduced rate shown rather than the standard rate.
FIGURES COLLECTED 8 SEPTEMBER 2026 · SOURCE: PROVIDER PAGE
FINAL HUMAN VERIFICATION PENDING · CONFIRM FIGURES WITH THE PROVIDER BEFORE ACTING
UNTRACKED LINK · NO COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIP. LIVE TERMS SIT WITH THE ISSUER.
View at issuerWHERE THESE FIGURES LEAD
Seats this card reaches soonest
- MEL to Auckland, economy3 mo on the Corporate Consultant pattern
- MEL to Denpasar, economy3 mo on the Corporate Consultant pattern
- MEL to Hong Kong, economy4 mo on the Corporate Consultant pattern
Other cards earning Qantas Frequent Flyer
Run it on your own spending
- Months to a seat, on your monthly figuresThe same engine, your allocation
- Where these points transferEvery ratio, dated
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