The BOQ Specialist credit cards are niche card offerings exclusively available to doctors, dentists and vets, as well as students or graduates within these professional fields.
The BOQ Specialist cards come in both a Signature and Platinum variety. This guide looks exclusively at the Platinum offering, with a separate guide available for the Signature card.
The Platinum card comes with additional perks seen in many mid-tier credit cards, such as complimentary insurances and concierge services.
Cardholders can choose between two reward programs and earn either Qantas Points or Velocity points.
BOQ Specialist Platinum Card – earning and redeeming points
Earning rates are based on whether your transactions are domestic or international, and there is no difference in earn rates between the Qantas- and Velocity-earning cards.
The earn rates are:
- 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible domestic purchases
- 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible international purchases
For those who opt for the Qantas Frequent Flyer Points, the following also applies:
- 1 additional Qantas Point for every $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services
Selected Qantas products and services include Qantas flights (with a QF flight number) along with Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qantas Club joining and annual fees. It does not extend to Jetstar flights, Qantas Holidays, Qantas branded non-airfare products, or any product or service not purchased directly from Qantas.
The key benefit of this card is that there is no points cap, effectively allowing you to earn a substantial number of points per month should your personal circumstances allow.
The options available to redeem your points are aligned with your frequent flyer program of choice. In other words, anything that is available to be redeemed in the Qantas or Velocity Frequent Flyer programs is available for redemption, as you will be using Qantas or Velocity points to make the redemption. This includes redeeming for flights, upgrades, entertainment, hotels and more.
Features of the BOQ Specialist Platinum card
Card Details
| Card | BOQ Specialist Platinum Card |
| Loyalty Program | Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity Points |
| Qantas or Velocity points earned from spend | 1 point for every $2 spent on eligible domestic purchases uncapped 1 point for every $1 spent on eligible international purchases uncapped Additional 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services |
| Included insurances | A range of complimentary insurances including up to 90 day overseas travel insurance (PDS) |
| International transaction fee | 3.2% |
| Annual fee | $150 p.a. |
| Mobile wallet | Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay |
Cardholders also receive Concierge and Front Line Access provided by Visa. A concierge can assist you with obtaining hard-to-get entertainment tickets, travel bookings, advice on restaurants and more. Visa Front Line Access allows you to reserve tickets and purchase them online prior to general public release.
Further information regarding the insurances available to BOQ Specialist cardholders can be found here.
This guide references some of the benefits of insurance policies provided with this card. You should read the PDS and obtain independent professional advice before obtaining this product.
Notes on applying for a BOQ Specialist card
To apply for a BOQ Specialist card, you’ll need to confirm you are a medical, dental or veterinary professional.
You’ll also need to be over 18 and an Australian resident, and agree to BOQ Specialist capturing and storing your personal information, which may be provided to third parties as required and outlined in their Privacy Policy, and understand the terms outlined in the BOQ Specialist Credit Card Key Fact Sheet.
Apple Pay, Google Pay & Samsung Pay Support
BOQ Specialist cards support Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, meaning you can use this card on your smartphone for easier payments.
Read the Point Hacks guide to using Apple Pay or for using Google Pay and Samsung Pay, including instructions on how to add your card to those services.
With this feature set up, it means you could still use your NFC-enabled phone to make purchases with your BOQ Specialist card, even if your physical card is lost or stolen and pending replacement.
Summing Up
While the earn rate for the BOQ Specialist Platinum card is in line with most of its direct competitors, this card stands out by the fact that there is no points cap imposed on cardholders. This is definitely a strength of the card, given that most holders of this card are in well-paid professions that can make good use of this feature.
The card’s complimentary insurances are comprehensive with up to 90 days worldwide travel insurance and nice touches such as golfers insurance and a generous global car hire excess waiver that should cover any standard excess plus additional costs such as a single accident supplement with ease.
The BOQ Specialist Platinum card is tailored more towards frequent buyers rather frequent flyers. No points capping means that frequent buyers can accrue an unlimited number of points on their purchases, however, for frequent flyers, there is a lack of travel-friendly features on this card such as lounge access. If you are a frequent flyer, you may consider the BOQ Specialist Signature version.
If you are a professional working or studying in one of these fields, and are likely to put all or most of your purchases on this card, then it should be worth considering. However, please remember that if you follow this strategy, to pay your credit card off in full, otherwise, any gains arising from points earned may well be eaten up by interest costs.
Community