The Qantas American Express Discovery is a value-led product that allows you to earn Qantas Points on spend with $0 Annual Fee.
Who’s the Qantas American Express Discovery Card for?
This card will likely suit those:
- who frequently travel on Qantas or Jetstar
- who are averse to cards with high annual fees and are looking for a no or low annual fee card that still earns Qantas points
- who may not meet the income threshold for premium Qantas-earning credit cards
- where the higher cost of a premium Qantas credit card outweighs the benefit of the card’s additional features, due to your income or spending being too low to either use these features or obtain maximum value from them
- those who want to start earning Qantas points from their credit card spend with little risk.
Card Details
| Card | Qantas American Express Discovery |
| Loyalty program | Qantas Frequent Flyer |
| Points earned from spend | 0.75 Qantas Point per $1 spent on eligible purchases 1 additional Qantas Point per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent at government bodies in Australia |
| Points Cap | None |
| Overseas transaction fee | 3% of the converted amount |
| Mobile wallet | Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay |
| Insurances | Card Purchase Cover, Card Refund Cover (PDS) |
| Annual fee | $0 |
Digging into the benefits of the Qantas American Express Discovery Card benefits
Being blunt, there’s not much to ‘dig into’ here! The Qantas American Express Discovery Card is a simple card with few benefits.
With $0 Annual Fee, you’ll get the ability to earn Qantas Points at a decent rate, including 1.75 Qantas Points per dollar with Qantas, 0.75 Point per dollar spent elsewhere with the exception of ATO and other government transactions, which earn 0.5 points per $, which is similar to more expensive American Express cards.
The card is also eligible for Amex Offers, which provide American Express Card Members with rotating promotions and discounts for a variety of products and services.
American Express Plan It
American Express launched ‘Plan It’ in mid-2020, which allows cardholders to create instalment plans that allow for equal payments to be distributed over a 3, 6 or 12 month payment period. There is a monthly fixed fee to access this feature, with up to 10 Plan It plans with a minimum of $150 balance able to be created.
Considering this card for Business-related transactions?
American Express offer a range of both business and consumer charge and credit cards. They do permit business transactions to be made on personal cards, unlike some other banks, but you might find some of the other business-focused benefits of the business cards to be appealing or more appropriate.
So – if you’re a sole trader or a business looking to earn points with your business spend – this card would still work for that purpose.
There’s a full list of business and personal consumer American Express cards which might be suitable for earning points from business-related transactions here.
Mobile wallet integration
American Express 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 American Express card to those services.
With this feature set up, it means you could still use your NFC-enabled phone to make purchases with your American Express account, even if your physical card is lost or stolen and pending replacement.
Summary – Qantas American Express Discovery Card
The Qantas American Express Discovery Card may be a handy product for those who have an aversion to paying annual fees – getting an earn rate of 0.75 Qantas Point per dollar on this card is decent, plus the bonus points for any spend on Qantas flights and travel.
Thank you!
Point Hacks has not run a bonus promotion on this card since August 2018. Did you apply through Point Hacks back then and are now just activating the card, or did you perhaps apply through another provider. If it is the former, I recommend that you contact American Express to get an update on your bonus points. If it’s the latter, best to reach out to that provider of the card.
This card earns Qantas points only.
Also avoid using the card if you are also planning on putting a balance transfer on it if there is a balance transfer offer running – you’ll pay lower interest on the BT, but full interest on purchases until the BT is paid off. Definitely avoid that.