How to earn points from energy and utilities

There are considerable ways to earn points outside of travel. Day-to-day expenses, like topping up fuel, buying groceries and shopping online can net you points on purchases you were going to make anyway.

Services and utilities can help you earn points as well. There are numerous providers in Australia that award points for signing up or holding plans, or both. In this article, we’ll run through your options for earning points from your gas and electricity bills in Australia.

This is intended as a neutral guide, and we will not be doing any price comparisons given how personal the options can be. You will need to explore the different providers and determine if they meet your personal needs.

Earn Qantas Points with Red Energy

Up to 15,000 Qantas Points, plus 2 points per $1 spent ongoing

Red Energy partners with Qantas Frequent Flyer to offer up to 15,000 bonus Qantas Points when you sign up for a new plan and pay your first gas or electricity bill in full.

You’ll also earn an ongoing 2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on energy bills. However, points earned through usage are only awarded if the bill is paid on time, so be sure to set a reminder.

Plus, if you add 100% GreenPower to your Qantas Red electricity plan, you could be one leaf closer to unlocking Green Tier status.

Not a Qantas Frequent Flyer member yet? Sign up through Red Energy for free (instead of paying $99.50). Or, check out our article on how to sign up for Qantas Frequent Flyer membership for free. 

Earn Velocity Points with AGL

Up to 35,000 Velocity Points over 12 months when you join AGL energy

AGL partners with Velocity Frequent Flyer to offer bonus Velocity Points on new eligible plans.

With the AGL Velocity offer, new and moving customers could pocket 20,000 Velocity Points for electricity and 10,000 Velocity Points for gas. You’ll also receive 5,000 bonus Velocity Points when you keep the plan for 12 months.

If you opt for electricity only under this offer, you could receive 20,000 Velocity Points plus 2,500 bonus points after 12 months.

Similarly, you’ll receive 10,000 Velocity Points and an extra 2,500 points for an eligible gas plan when you keep the plan for 12 months.

Existing AGL customers who switch to the AGL Velocity offer could receive up to 6,000 Velocity Points (3,000 for electricity and 3,000 for gas.)

Also read: Ten great ways to use 80,000 Velocity Points

Earn Everyday Rewards points with Origin

Up to 5,000 Everyday Rewards points for existing customers, or up to 19,000 Everyday Rewards points for new customers, plus 1 Everyday Rewards point per $1 spent ongoing

Origin partners with the Everyday Rewards program. New and existing Origin customers who sign up for an eligible Origin Everyday Rewards Plan can enjoy generous bonus points offers, plus points awarded for ongoing spend.

When you sign up for a new eligible plan, you could earn up to 19,000 bonus Everyday Rewards points. This is split between 5,000 for electricity, 5,000 for natural gas, and 5,000 for internet, plus a bonus of 2,000 for opting in for carbon offset.

Existing Origin customers who sign up for the Origin Everyday Rewards Plan can earn up to 5,000 Everyday Rewards points, split across 2,500 for electricity and 2,500 for natural gas.

You’ll also earn an ongoing 1 Everyday Rewards point per $1 spent on usage and supply.

Everyday Rewards points can be used to offset your shopping at Woolworths (2,000 Everyday Rewards points = $10). Alternatively, you could convert your Everyday Rewards points to Qantas Points at a 2:1 rate.

Honourable mentions

Appliances Online and Velocity Frequent Flyer

It’s not a utility provider, but Appliances Online is worth a mention, as you might want to update your whitegoods when moving house or changing plans too.

You can earn 2 Velocity Points per $1 spent at Appliances Online through the Velocity e-Store.

Solargain and Qantas Frequent Flyer

If you’re considering switching to solar energy, it might be worth getting a quote from Solargain as part of your research. You can earn from 500 to 5,000 Qantas Points on eligible orders, which include routine maintenance to solar hot water systems. Eligible Solargain purchases count as a Green Tier activity for three Qantas membership years.

See the full earning list through Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Pay bills using the right credit card and other payment options

You should aim to pay your bills with a points-earning credit card to earn additional points on top of those that you earn with your electricity or gas provider.

Most cards will allow you to earn points at the same rate as other purchases, while some offer a reduced rate for utility payments.

Summing up

Take time to shop around and verify that you are getting good value from a plan before you commit to earning points.

In particular, you should check if going for a competitive non-points earning plan might save you more money than one with bonus points included, as it’s generally not a good idea to spend more than you need to in your quest for more points.

Also read: How to earn frequent flyer points from your pet expenses