• expired

Commbank Ultimate Awards Card: Bonus 100K Awards Pts / 70K Qantas Pts ($30) ($5000 Spend in 90 Days, $0 Fee with $2500 Spend)

1801

Deal extended again to 1 June 2023.

100k Commbank rewards points
Or
70k Qantas FF

Spend $5000 in 90days

Monthly Fee $35 - Pay no monthly fee if you spend at least $2,500 in your statement period and choose to receive online statements

Offer not available on all other card types, existing cards, and switches from other card types and is not available to customers who currently hold, or have held, any Awards card types in the 12 months prior.

Previous Deal Post

100,000 bonus CommBank Awards points or 70,000 Qantas Points when you apply for a new CommBank Ultimate Awards credit card by 28 February 2023 and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases using your new card within 90 days of activation.

What you’ll get

  • Choose to earn CommBank Awards or opt-in to earn Qantas Points1(commbank.com.au) for $30 per year. 1
  • Earn up to 3 Awards points or 1.2 Qantas Points for every $1 spent using your Mastercard on eligible purchases, up to $10,000 in a statement period
  • Earn unlimited Awards points or Qantas Points each year
  • Cashback benefits for eligible cardholders through CommBank Rewards in the CommBank app
  • No monthly fee* if you;
    (i) spend at least $2,500 on your Ultimate Awards credit card in your statement period and
    (ii) choose to receive online statements
  • Pay no international transaction fees for purchases you make overseas or online
  • Included international travel insurance, simply activate before you travel
  • Enjoy paid access to over 1,000 lounges worldwide with Mastercard® Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey, paid for using your Ultimate Awards credit card.
  • No additional cardholder fee to share your card with someone else
  • Up to 55 days interest-free on purchases
  • Priceless® Cities offers and experiences
  • Embossed orientation dot on card to assist customers who are blind or have low vision differentiate it from others

Related Stores

Commonwealth Bank
Commonwealth Bank
MasterCard AU
MasterCard AU
Marketplace
Qantas
Qantas

closed Comments

  • can you have it in joint names?

    • +3

      I don't think so. You can have an additional card holder tho.

    • You and your partner can still simultaneously save it to your phone and tap away

      • or one can save on phone and other carries the card.

  • How long is each statement period?

  • +14

    Points per $1 spent in a statement period
    For international transactions made in store and online - 3 Awards points or 1.2 Qantas Points - Up to and including $10,000
    For purchases at major Australian supermarkets, department stores and petrol stations - 2 Awards points or 0.8 Qantas Points - Up to and including $10,000
    For all other purchases - 1 Awards point or 0.4 Qantas Points - Up to and including $10,000
    For any spend over $10,000 in a statement period (regardless of category) for the remainder of your statement period - 0.5 Awards point or 0.2 Qantas Points - After spending $10,000

    So most of mine would be 0.4 points per dollar spend, pretty low actually.

    • +10

      yep it is an awful value card. If you are spending enough for it to be free each month then there are better points paying cards, if not then it is an extremely expensive card for the benefits offered.

      • what would be an example of a better card right now?

        • +6

          of the top of my head, if you fly a lot then Qantas Amex, higher point earn that isn't capped and an annual credit of $450 for flights with a $450 fee (though annoying to use through amex). if you really want to find the right card then points hack or finder.com.au are very useful. maybe there is a scenario where the CBA comes out best, I am just struggling to think of one, maybe if you do a lot of international transactions the fee free can be useful (note I have this card but only because CBA is my current home loan holder, basically I only spend enough to keep it fee free as other cards are more rewarding points wise).

          but great card for a quick churn.

          • +2

            @gromit: Well… that’s not a good example and I don’t think you are right.

            First of all if you are spending $2500 a month, which is likely easy for a lot of households the card is free

            Second you still get Qantas points, again it’s free

            Third you still get travel insurance, again for free.

            Yeah sure Amex offers $450 credit, but have you ever tried to book with it? $150-$250 worth flight is quoted $450 on Amex’s site, so yeah that’s not actually same amount of credit as you think. (Even worse for international flights, you’d find MUCH cheaper tickets and be better if not using that $450 unless you want to fly from Melbourne to Brisbane for a weekend. That’s what that’s good for. Personal experience…)

            Also asking ‘do you take Amex’ is a daily struggle…

            So As long as you are regularly spending $2500 a month, I don’t know a single other card that gives you ANY qantas points for free.

            • +3

              @Larsson: Qantas Amex Discovery, $0 fee .75 points per dollar. other cards with relatively low fees. Amex hasn't really been a struggle for a long time as most any business of size accepts, still with Amex I would always recommend having a MC or VISA backup.

        • My card gives my 0.75 points per dollar spent, excluding interest, fees and charges, cash or ATM cash advances, cash equivalent transactions, gambling transactions, a purchase from or payment to a local, state or federal government or government related agency, BPAY or similar transactions, refunds and balance transfers debited to the card account

        • Westpac Black, you at least get 2x free lounge passes

      • I don't disagree with regard to the value of points earnt for ongoing spend. But unless I'm completely mistaken (not impossible!) the 70k bonus for $30/year, assuming you meet the spend minimum, is the best value up front bonus on the market.
        I am considering this card so happy to be convinced otherwise.

        • absolutely, for a churn and burn card it is great value.

  • +4

    I've been using this card for a while (over a year), one thing to note is that they have a funky way of calculating what a "month" is, I still don't know how exactly they do it, but sometimes it's 30 days, sometimes it's 29, 28 or even 27 days per statement…

    • I never realised that before. My platinum card does that too

    • All the commbank credit cards seem to do this, its very annoying.

    • Is it based on Modified Following?

    • I guess its calculated as 365/12 days thats why its moving

    • +1

      We should respect what individual months identify as…just sayin

  • +8

    FYI, as per my post in previous deal:

    You will earn points (1 Award/0.4 Qantas pre $1 spent) for PayPal purchases.

    • Thanks that's good to know. I can stop avoiding using PayPal.

  • +14

    The good thing about commbank cards is, it let's you activate travel insurance even without booking anything on the card

    • Just make sure to activate!

      • +2

        Still covered without activation just at a lower level

    • But the insurance coverage is not as good as other cards (spend $500) provided by Allianz?

      • It used to be Allianz, not it's cover more.

    • So if I have booked a cruise overseas with another card I e nab visa and now take out this offer..I can do a retrospective insurance claim?

      • Your card needs to be active at the time of travel and for a proper coverage you need to activate insurance before you leave Australia

      • no, while you can activate the insurance any time, the insurance is ONLY valid if part of the travel is paid for on the card.

        • Source please
          What define "part of the travel" in the cruise example? If I buy a dinner on the cruise, or a cab from the airport to the ship, does it count as "part of the travel" ? Or only the cruise fare count?

          • +1

            @borgainerz: I have the card and it used to say in the terms and conditions that at least part of the travel flights need to be purchased with the card, but I don't see that term in there anymore, so may have changed. But anyway international cruises aren't covered by default, you pay an upgrade fee to have a cruise covered.

    • Sadly it's only for international travel

      • That's the main expense

  • Anyone know when they pay out the Qantas point, achieved the spend in my first 30 days and within the first statement period but haven't received the qantas points yet?

    • +1

      I have had mine for a bit over 3 months and have not seen the bonus points yet.

      • I got mine the period after I reached spend criteria ie. 1 month and a bit later

        • +1

          just got mine today probs 2 weeks after 1st statement

    • Took me about 4 months

    • +1

      My main credit card has always been my Coles reward card due to not having any international transaction fees. Seriously considering moving to this card as my non churn ongoing card.

      3 main advantages I can see are no fees if minimum spend is met each month (all other Qantas cards have an annual fee - I think the cheapest I’ve seen is $350). No international transaction fees so perfect for using whilst travelling. I’ve not found another Qantas card which offers no international transaction fees and finally 1.2 Qantas points per $1 spent which is excellent and better than most other Qantas reward cards.

      • FYI the majority of your spending on the card will only earn you 0.4 points per dollar.

        • +1

          Not sure where you are getting that from? According to the PDS “Earn up to 1.2 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases, up to $10,000 in a statement period”

          Edit I see what you mean. Very sneaky to have a tiered point system:

          Earning Qantas Points on the Ultimate Awards Card

          You can earn up to 1.2 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases you make on the Ultimate Awards card.

          You get 1.2 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on international transactions. International transactions include any purchase you make overseas or when shopping online from Australia if the merchant or entity who processes the payment is based overseas.

          You get 0.8 Qantas Points for every $1 spent at major Australian supermarkets, department stores and petrol stations. Earning these points depends on how the merchant categorises their business and provide us this information (directly or through their financial institution). You’re unable to get these points if you use an intermediary platform such as PayPal for these transactions.

          You get 0.4 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

          Once you have spent $10,000 in any given statement period, you will earn 0.2 Qantas Points for every dollar you spend on any other purchases within that period.

          • +1

            @gidxg03: That’s commbank for you. Sneaky…

    • Is the spend criteria ($5k) for the Qantas points dependent on (a) hitting that value of total spend on the card, or (b) for spending and repaying that amount to CBA?

    • this is a very important question! I called them and was told up to 90 days per there terms and conditions but was also told i was unlikely to get them the month following as it took 1 month to convert from their points to qantas (have no idea why) so expect at least 2-3 statements. Given there is a minimum spend per month to avoid fees it is worth factoring in you will need to spend the minimum each month until points arrive.

    • I achieved the spend in my first 30 days, i am up to 2 statements now and still waiting for my bonus points :(

      • have you now received the points? i have achieved the spend after 30 days 1 month ago and yet to see the points

  • Offer not available on all other card types, existing cards, and switches from other card types and is not available to customers who currently hold, or have held, any Awards card types in the 12 months prior.

    So that is a slap on the face of existing CBA credit card holders?

    • +3

      Almost all offers like this have similar clauses for their own card holders.

    • +6

      Loyalty, like privacy, is dead.

      • +2

        That’s why you pay a loyalty tax for staying with the same company. Like jobs as well. They are more likely to pay a new starter a higher salary than to give you a pay rise

    • +1

      Any Awards card types only but not Low Rate type

  • +2

    Is 100,000 points = $500 ?

    • +1

      Close enough, but varies. Coles $100 digital gift card is worth 20,650 points. So 100,000 points get $484.

      • Thank you.
        And how about Qantas points? similar to 200 ~ $1, when buying tickets?

  • +5

    The downside is it takes 3 months to get the Qantas pts which means you will need the card active for at least 4 months and spend 10k to avoid the fees…

    • +1

      Interesting. Although I'm happy to cop the $35/month in the last couple of months. Still super cheap points

      • +2

        I can’t understand the complaints about having to cop the potential of a few months fee for those looking to churn. All other Qantas cards have an annual fee. NAB no longer offer prorata refunds so your up for about $350 annual fee anyway even if you cancel after the points come through.

    • +1

      I my points the next statement after hitting the minimum spend. Was able to close the card after 2 months

    • +2

      And after all that, Qantas is likely to cancel your flight anyway.

    • Yep agree - mine is taking forever, its been about 6 weeks since i hit the points target

  • Is there a general consensus on AwardPoints vs Qantas Points? Seems like a lot of people collect Qantas points despite the lower earn rate.

    • +1

      If you are looking to churn the card and use it for flights Qantas points is the way to go. Otherwise 100K Commbank points is close to $500 in gift cards

    • +7

      70k qantas = $700
      100k commbank = $500

      So slightly better for qantas points.

      • Thankyou

      • Is there any T&Cs for expiry of Qantas points? for example, will they expire after two years?

  • Applied for this a week ago and was approved on Friday, now awaiting the card.
    Given the first month is usually a part month days wise, I'm curious if they don't push the monthly fee in your first statement month. Going overseas in 2 weeks so will get the points value of this card and travel insurance

    • +1

      when we recieved (and activated) our card that actually started the "month". You do that all in the CBA app when you recieve the physical card.

  • Looks pretty good. Is there a minimum income expectation for this?

    • Also keen to know this?

      • +1

        i dont believe so for the standard card with 6k limit. but there definitely is one and if you choose to increase the limit you may be able to figure out what it is although we never did.

        we opted to increase the limit and to do so had to provide 3 months of payslips for my and my wife.

  • -1

    Whats the monthly fee if you dont make the $2500 monthly spend?

    • +4

      $35 as stated in the body of the post

  • +1

    Not the best card but not a bad card either.

    Pros:
    - no forex fee - most cards at 3% of transaction value which adds up pretty quickly if you like to shop / travel overseas. I pretty much visited the US for 3 weeks using this card without withdrawing local cash
    - no card fee if you hit the min which should be easy if its your primary card or a couple
    - customer service is all local (for now anyway) so "fixing" issues has been much more straightforward

    Cons:
    - not great points conversion
    - no real other benefits - no lounge, etc

    FWIW, I use it as secondary given not everyone accepts Amex. I think its a decent companion card.

    • No Lounge? What is the paid Lounge mean in the "what you ll get"?

      • Here's the T&Cs.

        7 To gain access to participating airport lounges, you must present your Ultimate Awards card or your digital lounge access code on the Mastercard Airport Experiences app, along with your boarding pass and identify yourself as a LoungeKey member for validation. Each time you visit a lounge, you will be charged a lounge visit fee to your Ultimate Awards card. You will also be charged a lounge visit fee for each additional guest you bring with you. Please note, your lounge access may be blocked if your primary account is closed, in arrears, reported lost or stolen, or has been blocked by us for any reason. To redeem an offer visit the Mastercard Airport Experiences app or airport.mastercard.com to select your preferred offer and generate an offer code. Present the valid offer code to the cashier and redeem the offer. Please note, offers vary by location For information on accessing lounges, offer locations, a full list of Terms and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions, visit airport.mastercard.com or call +61 2 7202 3584, 24/7

      • +3

        In plain english - it just gets you access to a pay per visit lounge program. It does not provide free lounge visits like some other cards might.

        • +2

          But why listed in T&c if not included… Can't anyone pay for the lounge anyway at per visit?

          • @Boomer85: Good question. I was confused for this as well. Why listed there if it's not free

          • @Boomer85: I had one and it did not grant free access to lounges. When I installed the loungekey app and validated the card, everything required payment.

            The card grants you access to the LoungeKey network of airport lounges, but complimentary access is not included. In the fine print, it mentions that a lounge visit fee and any accompanying guests will be charged to your Ultimate Awards card.

            https://www.pointhacks.com.au/credit-cards/commbank-ultimate…

            "there’s a catch… the lounge access is not free!"
            “We agree that the description of the way a cardholder accesses airport lounges for a fee can be clearer,” a Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said.

            https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/credit-cards/cred…

            • @eecan: Thanks, eecan. But how much you pay at per visit?

              • +2

                @Boomer85:

                We contacted Mastercard Airport Experiences, who told us that the fee charged to your credit card for every lounge visit is USD32 (~$49) per person.

                In Australia, there are 8 participating airport lounges and 15 participating airport bars and restaurants that you can “access” with a CommBank Ultimate Awards credit card. Of these, you can purchase entry at the door of six of these lounges for less than what you’d pay to use your credit card “benefit”. Only the Plaza Premium lounges in Melbourne and Brisbane charge more than the Mastercard fee for paid entry at the door.

                (Note that you can pre-purchase access to The House lounges in Sydney and Melbourne for $64 as a Velocity Frequent Flyer member; as a CommBank cardholder you’d pay $69 for entry due to a $20 surcharge that applies at these lounges.)

                There are also 15 airport bars and restaurants in Australia that partner with LoungeKey. By using your credit card, you can receive a $36 food & beverage credit to spend at any of these outlets. That’s a very poor deal when the voucher is costing you $49

                https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/credit-cards/cred…

                • @eecan: Worst lounge credit card ever. Hahahaha

  • +1

    Amex explorer vs this one.. which one would you choose? Spending is not a problem. Income no issues

    • +1

      Explorer any day. Those MR points are more valuable. Do note though that explorer’s sign up bonus varies so wait for a good offer.

    • Explorer!
      We have 4 cards between to 2 of us.
      Explorer, Amex platinum, HSBC Star Alliance and COmmbank Platinum awards.

      For an entry-level to mid-tier, explorer any day!

      • -2

        Why explorer over platinum edge? $395 card fee seems hefty. The explorer has the higher flight credit but a comment above says how amex prices are inflated anyways

        • Lol platinum edge is an entry level card. I mentioned the platinum with a yearly fees of $1495.

          Amex fees is high but it's for people who know how to get benefits out of it. I travel a lot and usually get benefits worth easy $7-8k out of the platinum.

          • @abs898: Fair call. Currently learning the pros and cons of different credit cards and trying to suss out what might work for me.
            Thanks for the insight.

      • Off topic but since you mentioned.
        For HSBC SA card, did you go for points or gold status? If status then how long did it take to get the status after meeting the min spend?
        My Kris gold is expiring end of this month so thinking of applying for this card to get gold.

        • +1

          Went for Kris Gold. After spending 5k, they give you a 14 day buffer to choose the airlines and next day from that I was upgraded to Gold.

          • @abs898: Tks. Would you also know if canceling the card would lead to cancellation of Gold status? Being a serial churner it’s not my preferred option to hold the card.

            • @maverick1: It does cancel gold status

                • @maverick1: Except for the gold status the card has bad value, it charges dynamic currency conversion for a lot of transactions.

                  Also dollar to point in not good if you are planning to spend a lot on it.

                  • @abs898: Naah. Just gonna met the min spend, get Gold and then lock the card away. I think to get gold again in 2nd year, there is a healthy spend requirement?

                    • @maverick1: Depends on what's your other card. This gets you 0.8 Kris point per dollar upto 3k and then 0.4.

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