Points Guru: Are Qantas or Virgin credit cards better?

If you're looking to maximise your points, should you get a Qantas or Virgin credit card?

Escape’s points expert, Sabine Leroy, answers your questions about frequent flyer programs.

I'm thinking about getting a credit card to start earning points. Are Qantas or Virgin points more valuable? Does one offer better rewards? My goal is to use points to get cheaper flights.

Value is a tricky concept when it comes to points. It comes down to how you use them. Among point enthusiasts, there’s a slide scale of best to worst value. You’ll never see them buying a blender or Christmas present from the airline stores with their points. Instead, they save their points for flights and upgrades.

Qantas Frequent Flyer has over 15 million members and Virgin Australia’s Velocity has 12 million. The programs are by far Australia’s most popular in the airline game. Comparing the two on paper, Qantas has an edge in terms of its loyalty program, especially when you consider its network.

By that I mean all the main ways members can earn points, like through banks and Qantas frequent flyer credit cards, and the number of partners across shops and services. The airline also has a larger fleet and bigger range of destinations.

When deciding which team to side with, it comes down to two things: your shopping habits and where you want to travel.

Qantas has an edge in terms of its loyalty program, especially when you consider its network.

Typically the biggest expenses after housing are groceries and transport. Based on the area you live in, you probably shop at either a Woolworths or Coles supermarket, or both. Practically speaking, the reason this is a big factor is because Woolies is team Qantas and Coles is team Virgin. With Finder research showing the average household spends $190 per week on groceries, this is a nice expense to use your frequent flyer credit card on.

Next, let’s look at fuel. You can earn Qantas points directly at BP or through Woolworths Everyday Rewards at Ampol. Velocity points can be earned by fueling up at Coles Express with Flybuys or by earning directly at 7-Eleven.

Your upcoming travel plans will narrow down which airline to choose as you’ll need to check they can get you there.

The second biggest factor is where you want to travel. Is there a city or country you regularly visit to see friends or family? Is there a particular trip you’re aiming for? Your upcoming travel plans will narrow down which airline to choose as you’ll need to check they can get you there.

While both airlines are part of a wider alliance – Qantas is affiliated with oneworld and Virgin has key partners including Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines  – which allow you to get to most places in the world, it’s always best to use points directly with the airline to maximise value.

It’s a good idea to do a bit of homework and get to know where else you can earn points.

How to supercharge your points balance

Once you’ve picked between the two programs, it’s a good idea to do a bit of homework and get to know where else you can earn points. That way you’ll be double dipping on everything you buy with your frequent flyer credit card. For example, if you choose Velocity and shop at Coles, you’ll earn points through your credit card and by scanning your flybuys card (which you can automate to transfer into your Velocity account).

There are loads of ways to earn points without even setting foot on a plane like hitting your daily steps through the Qantas Wellbeing App, switching health insurers, buying wine, upgrading your mattress, hotel stays, getting a cup of coffee at 7-Eleven and more.

Generally airlines award members with one point per dollar spent, but stay in the loop of special offers and bonus points deals by visiting Velocity and Qantas’ dedicated pages about earning points.

Originally published as Points Guru: Are Qantas or Virgin credit cards better?