We can earn points on just about any products and services these days – insurance, groceries and even meal kit deliveries. But even though most people have a mobile phone and a plan, there are surprisingly no long-lasting tie-ups with telcos and loyalty programs.
As of November 2021, Optus is your best bet for earning points with a phone plan. In fact, you can pocket up to 20,000 Qantas Points or 30,000 Flybuys Points. We also look at Telstra, which has its own in-house Telstra Plus rewards program.
1. Earn Qantas Points with Optus
| Last checked: 23 November 2021 |
With the new Optus/Qantas partnership, you can earn bonus points if you sign up for a new plan. These are SIM-only plans, so be sure to bring your own mobile phone.
- $39/month plan: Earn 5,000 Qantas Points after three months + five points per $1
- $59/month plan: Earn 10,000 Qantas Points over six months + five points per $1
- $79/month plan: Earn 20,000 Qantas Points after 12 months + 10 points per $1
Bonus points are awarded in 5,000-point instalments every three months. So if you take out the $79 plan, you’ll get 5,000 points after three months, six months, nine months and 12 months. These plans are all month-to-month, so you can leave anytime. But keep in mind, you won’t get any more bonus points if you leave early.
20,000 Qantas Points is worth around $380.00 based on our latest valuations. With that bounty, you could fly return in Economy between Sydney and Melbourne, or even one-way in Business Class!
2. Earn Flybuys points with Optus
| Last checked: 23 November 2021 |
If Flybuys and Velocity are your preferred points programs, then Optus still has you covered. These plans are tweaked to the slightly more budget-conscious – and do have a 12-month minimum term. Once again, you’ll need to BYO mobile phone.
At the top end, 30,000 Flybuys Points is worth 15,000 Velocity Points, or $150 at the checkout. That’s almost enough to fly return Economy between Melbourne and Hobart, or one-way in Business.
3. Earn Telstra Plus points with Telstra
Telstra Plus is a different beast altogether. Firstly, it’s not a frequent flyer program. But that doesn’t stop us from talking about it! Any Telstra customer (18+) with an eligible business or consumer account can join.
You earn 10 points per $1 on eligible payments, including prepaid recharges and plan fees. You can be elevated to Silver status with a $1,500 annual spend, and Gold status if you drop more than $3,000 on services.
Hot tip: Budget prepaid carrier Boost Mobile is part of the Telstra network, and you can earn Telstra Plus points while saving money. Win-win!
Telstra Plus points can be redeemed for rewards – mainly tech. Shop the latest mobiles, gadgets, accessories and more. The program often has sales of 50% off or more, so keep your points handy for those occasions.
Summing up
It’s a shame we don’t have more opportunities to earn points on what is (almost) an essential expense in today’s digital world. Having said that, Optus has two active partnerships right now, which are certainly worth checking out.
In the past, Vodafone partnered with Qantas Frequent Flyer, while Telstra offered Flybuys points. You could also previously earn Velocity Points with Optus!
It seems in this landscape, the telcos and frequent flyer programs are shuffling around continuously. Who knows what they’ll come up with next?
You will need to assess your own financial situation and personal travel behaviour to determine whether this offer is suitable for you, however, do note that applying for a mobile plan does create a credit check on your credit report, so that is something you should definitely consider if you are not planning on actually using the plan.
Imagine I buy for example the $79 month to month plan SIM only for each member of my family and myself, which would be 5 sim cards. I keep all of them at least 89 days and I buy all of them under my name and my Velocity number. Do I get 5 times the 30 000 points i.e. 150,000 points in total?
Reading the conditions of the offer it seems to be the case, but prefer to double check. If you could help, it would be great.
There doesn’t seem to be a limit per customer. However, what I would suggest you do to be safe is make sure all of your family members have separate Velocity numbers. Set up family pooling. Activate one service under each name. If you’re the head of the Velocity family pooling, then you’ll receive all the points.