When travelling overseas, foreign currency is one of the most important things to keep track of. Qantas Pay makes this easier, being a prepaid Mastercard that you can reload. The Qantas Pay card is great for those who can’t or don’t want to get a credit card – the minimum age is just 16. It might also appeal to travellers who’d rather lock in an exchange rate before travelling.
As a product with no signup or recurring fees, the card’s exchange rates aren’t the most competitive in the market. In fact, having a mark-up on exchange rates is one of the ways you indirectly pay for the service.
Qantas Pay also couples perfectly as your new everyday spending card. Unlike other cards, your spending is all your own money, with no domestic transaction or account fee – which means dinner with friends, weekends away – even your groceries – will all earn you points.
How does the Qantas Pay card work?
Qantas Pay is a reloadable prepaid card. When using your card for travel, you simply load money onto it before you go, and your money can either remain as Australian dollars or be converted into some of the 10 supported foreign currencies. Your stored foreign currencies can be converted on the go. This means you can load your AUD wallet now and exchange it to other currencies whenever it suits you, via the Qantas Pay app or website. Otherwise, you can add to your foreign currency wallet straight from AUD at the time of loading to lock in the exchange rate.
Qantas Pay card funds remain separate from your bank account. If you lose your card, nobody would be able to access any of your other bank funds.
Card Details
| Card | Qantas Pay |
| Card type | Prepaid debit card |
| Loyalty Program | Qantas Frequent Flyer |
| Points earned on eligible transactions | 0.25 point per $ on domestic spend 1 point per $ on foreign currency load 1 point per $ on foreign currency spend |
| Load fee | No load fee via debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer or BPAY |
| International ATM withdrawal fee | Varies by currency |
| Currency conversion fee | No fee |
| Annual fee | $0 p.a. |
The following transactions won’t earn any Qantas Points:
- ATM withdrawals and quasi-cash transactions.
- Fees and charges.
- Account adjustments and reversed transactions.
- Gambling transactions and adult entertainment.
- Government-related transactions, including to the ATO.
There are also limits on how you use the Qantas Pay card, such as a minimum load of AU$50 per transaction and a maximum of AU$3,000 ATM withdrawals every 24 hours. See the Qantas Pay card website for more details on limits.
How do I use the Qantas Pay card?
Spending is easy – just use the card at the checkout or ATM as you normally would in Australia. It works wherever Mastercard is accepted, which is practically everywhere.
If you have funds loaded in that same currency, your purchase or withdrawal will automatically be deducted from that balance. Otherwise, the funds will be converted out of other currency balances in an order of your choice. In the screenshot below, the default is AUD first, then USD.
While Qantas Pay offers the ability to load and lock in rates for key currencies, its true power lies in its global acceptance.
This means you can spend in over 190 countries where Mastercard is accepted, even if the local currency isn’t one of our supported options.
You can effortlessly use the Australian Dollar balance on your card, giving you the freedom to travel anywhere without needing to preload a specific local currency. Best of all, every transaction is another chance to boost your balance, as you will still earn Qantas Points no matter where in the world you choose to spend.
Example of unsupported currencies
For example, let’s say you have AU$20 and ¥900 Japanese Yen on your card at the end of a holiday. While stopping over in Malaysia on the way home, you buy some duty-free for 84 MYR (about AU$28). Since Malaysian Ringgit isn’t a supported currency, here is what could happen (numbers have been rounded for clarity):
- 20 AUD is converted to ~59 MYR.
- ¥809 JPY is converted to ~25 MYR.
After the transaction, you would be left with AU$0 and ¥91 JPY remaining, as in the screenshot above. While the exchange rates used aren’t the most competitive, Qantas Pay doesn’t charge additional currency conversion fees.
When you arrive back home, you can just leave the funds on the card with no inactivity fees, or cash out to AUD at the daily exchange rate.
How to add money onto the Qantas Pay card
- Simply log in to your Qantas Pay app
- Navigate to the menu to load funds.
- Select which currencies you‘d like to load. Don’t forget the limits of $50 AUD minimum and $20,000 AUD maximum within any 24-hour period. Conveniently, you can mix and match currencies.
For example, let’s say you’re going on a trip to Singapore and Malaysia. SGD is supported on the Qantas Pay card, so you can load into that currency directly. Malaysia Ringgit is not supported, so it’s best to load some funds into AUD as well, which will be used for those purchases.
If you need the funds straight away, loading money via debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay is fee-free. Alternatively, bank transfers and BPAY are also free, but can take 1-3 business days to process.
Want a convenient, hands-free way to keep your Qantas Pay card topped up? You can also easily set up recurring payments directly from your bank account.
Simply set up a recurring bank transfer using your unique Qantas Pay account details (BSB, account number, and reference number). This allows you to schedule automatic weekly, fortnightly, or monthly top-ups, ensuring you always have a balance without any extra effort. Your default currency added is Australian dollars, and just remember to exchange money into foreign currency using the Qantas Pay app if you want to lock in a specific rate.
How to get a Qantas Pay card
It’s very easy to get a Qantas Pay card for free. You just need to be older than 16 and have a residential address in Australia.
Log in to Qantas, go to ‘Profile’ and ‘Sign up’.
If you‘re not a Qantas Frequent Flyer, head to this link to sign-up. You’ll get the $99.50 joining fee waived.
Read our full comparison of pre-paid travel cards here.
How do I earn points in Australia?
Qantas Pay earns 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer point for every $4 spent on eligible transactions. That’s equivalent to 0.25 Qantas Points per dollar spent. However, when spending with Qantas (including Qantas flights, Qantas Marketplace and Qantas Wine), you will earn 1.25 Qantas Points per dollar spent.
Ineligible transactions cover all types of government transactions including – but not limited to – the ATO. This is in addition to cash-equivalent transactions, gambling and adult entertainment, which don’t earn points. Refer to the Qantas Money website for the full details.
How do I earn points overseas?
On the flip side, Qantas Pay earns you up to 2 Qantas Points per AU$1 spent on eligible foreign currency transactions. That’s 1 Qantas Point per dollar when loading foreign currency onto your card, and 1 Qanats Point per dollar spent in foreign currency.
Qantas Pay also often suggests you lock in your exchange rate now by converting everything over to the foreign currency you need. Be aware though that this approach may or may not work in your favour depending on subsequent exchange rate movements.
If our dollar falls, great – you’ve saved some money. But if the dollar goes up, you’ve just lost out. It depends on how much certainty you prefer.
Summing up
Over the years, Qantas Pay has provoked some pretty extreme responses. As with any financial product, it’s well worth comparing against other foreign exchange providers before you decide to jump aboard. You also won’t earn many Qantas Points when using the card in Australia, but for some, it could be a handy little points earner.
At least you can’t argue with free. The fact the card is available to use with no upfront fee means there is little risk in trying it out and seeing if it has some use to you. And when there’s a decent bonus points offer, it can certainly sweeten the deal.
Have you used Qantas Pay before? What was your experience with it?
Frequently Asked Questions
Qantas Pay (formerly Qantas Travel Money) is a prepaid, reloadable Mastercard that supports up to 11 currencies and can be used at home and overseas, with no foreign transaction or account fees.
The Qantas Pay card has features designed to be useful to people travelling internationally or spending online in international currencies, and also when spending here in Australia as your regular debit-like card. However, you should take note of any fees involved and compare exchange rates with other providers to ensure you are getting a good deal.
Qantas Pay is a prepaid reloadable card protected by Mastercard. If you lose the card, funds can be locked and it won’t affect your other bank accounts. It faces the same risks as any other debit or credit card, so be sure to keep your card safe when travelling and never reveal your PIN.
Yes, you are able to withdraw cash from the Qantas Pay card. If the target currency is one you already have loaded on the card, only the ATM fee will apply. If not, funds will be converted from your existing currency wallets and fees may apply.
Qantas Pay is issued by EML Payment Solutions Limited (‘EML’) ABN 30 131 436 532, AFSL 404131 in arrangement with Mastercard Prepaid Management Services Australia.
All imagery courtesy of Qantas Money.
I took this same Qantas Travel Money promotion out when offered in Dec 2022 and transfered money to other currencies to get the bonus points.
Its now August 23 and I’m still chasing the bonus points which I haven’t received despite many emails and calls and getting told it will be sorted as they pass you between Qantas FF, Qantas Money Cards, and the Promoter.
It seems they don’t honor the bonus points and i’m not the only one who has complained.
I just spent 5 weeks in Italy, loaded a few Euro on my card but it NEVER worked! It kept telling me my Pin was incorrect. I would change the Pin but it would still NEVER work! It worked just fine for online purchases but useless when dining or using anywhere else.
This card is not free. The exchange rate you get is extremely unfavourable, so you are no better off than a card which charges 3% foreign transaction fee but where the exchange rate is the standard Visa/MC rate. It’s a hidden fee. You need a card which charges no fees and uses standard Visa/MC rates eg 28 Degrees MC.
Even though it’s sitting on my card free and ready to go at the flick of a switch I’m just assuming it’s not the best option, because everything else with the Qantas brand from insurance to hotels is more expensive than the competition.
Just returned form Canada and US, Qantas card was ok, get extra points and no fees to change funds from one currency to another and then cash out the balance when returning home ,but take care when preloading funds as you get less when loading $1000 to $us and $cad.
eg Qantas gave me $us 658 which was $us27 less per $au1000, and $cad844.52 per $au1000 which was $62 less per $au 1000 ( when comparing with ING todays rates)
. Also ATM s all charged $4-5 when with drawing cash. limited countries to use it too..
But on balance would probably use it again as there so many conditions on other options Suggestions for cards in Turkey please
Biggest failing is when you need to contact them for things such as early renewal or address change etc. Expect to spend a day on the phone to get to them
See other comments about this card, particulary for use in Japan with AUD converted to YEN ($5000 AUD). We thought we locked in a good deal and the card would not / could not work at 99% of places.
Ended up using our American Express and Visa cards, which worked absolutely fine at 100% of places.
Luckily we always carry substantial funds across mutiple cards, this Qantas money card is a dud….
Curious as to what happens when you’re nearing the end of the card, will it just be sent to you with a new card like other debit cards normally? or do you have to organise it specifically as its a travel one? thanks
as long as the card is activated, it will auto renew a month or two prior expiry. just make sure QFF address is updated and you should be fine.
I’ve used my Qantas cash card for about six years whenever I’m overseas (frequently). With the waving of the usual 3% foreign exchange fee you pay for most credit cards, as well as the 1.5 pts earn rate (per AUD which is like 3 pts per pound), I think it’s a good move and I earn a lot with it. They are doing less offers when you load foreign currency since COVID but they are starting to come back. I just earned 4,800 pts for a load and I never even saw nor registered for the offer on Qantas Cash. One thing I’ll say, therefore, is that they don’t seem to be great at sending emails about offers since the pandemic. I’ll continue to use this one overseas and other local credit cards in Australia.
Unfortunately the card can not be added to Google Pay!
Just before I departed from Japan at an ATM I checked the JPY balances for my wifes and my card Thinking that when I got back to Australia I would cash out the remaining JPY to Australian dollars and then transfer that back to my Australian bank account
however upon returning to Australia I opened the app and the website but could not find my JPY balances anywhere and hence I could not convert it back to Australian dollars , What has happened to the remaining JPY I had in the purse whilst I was in Japan ?
Hi Tony
You will need to contact Qantas Money directly, as they have a record of all your transactions and will be able to help you out.
The card is a dog. I had similar experience. Maybe recovered my money, hasnt turned up yet but after losing A$%0 in exchange fees
Never again
I haven’t used the Qantas TM card but a friend has. His suggestion is only to load AUD. While you may gain by locking in a currency you can always lose as well so that bit is a gamble. The problem he found is that if you lock in eg $5000 USD and only spend $2000 then you also lose when you transfer the USD back to AUD to use in Australia.
Hi Ian
That’s right, locking in an exchange rate isn’t always positive. It all depends on the FX movement. Using the Qantas TM card for AUD however is never a good idea, as the earn rate is extremely poor at 0.5 points per dollar spent.
We’ve used it for multiple OS trios and been very happy with how simple it is to use via App for viewing transactions and loading various currencies.
I haven’t used this card for 5 years. There are much better options available. The best for us is the ING orange debit card. All overseas transaction fees and conversion fees and ATM fees are refunded — we’ve had well over $1000 in rebates in travels the past couple of years. I get that the Qantas card allows you to lock in an exchange rate but unless there is a period of huge volatility in the space of a few weeks that benefit doesn’t match the rebates that you will get from ING.
Qantas Travel Money is really convenient when it works but there system is horrible if something doesn’t go as planned.
At the beginning of a 3 wk USA holiday, our first hotel put an authorization against the card without our permission. They apologized and reversed it straight away but Qantas TM we’re unable to reverse it, leaving $600usd locked in limbo.
To make matters worse, the Qantas TM security system then put a lock on us adding cash via instant load because we tried to use two different cards. Making the card redundant for our travel needs as we were at the end of the trip. No point loading usd if we are back in Aus before it’s on the card.
Called QTM OS help line and they were less then helpful and loved to talk around in circles.
Will be exploring an alternative.
The card is fine if it works as advertised, but if you have any problems with it at all you will find that their customer service people will bend over backwards to avoid being helpful or to admit any fault in their service. Engendering goodwill in their customers seems not be be part of their business plan.
The exchange rate padding is really quite high. As of August 2018 it is better to use my commonwealth mastercard as it has a better exchange rate, even taking in the 3% the bank charges me, the overall cost of the exchange to USD or CAD is better. Sure I don’t earn any points, but if you save $15 on a purchase, I don’t think it’s worth it.
We just spent three weeks in the US using this card and loved it. It was accepted everywhere, usually by simply tapping, or occasionally inserting and entering pin. There was an offer, not listed above, which we took advantage of in April 2018. For loading $10K in foreign currency (ie: $10K AUD with which we bought USD) we were rewarded with 25,000 bonus points. Together with the 1.5 points earnt per AUD spent, we earned a total of 40,000 points on our holiday. One interesting thing…in most bars and restaurants, we paid with this card. The waiter would take the card away, swipe it, then bring back the receipt with a pen for us to write our tip. We would always indicate that we were happy to have a 20% tip added. However, two months since we have returned from our holiday, none of these tips has been charged! Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I’m hundreds (prob more than $1,000) better off…but what about the wait staff’s tips?! Has anyone else had the same situation?
Jenny
Let me know if you ever receive a reply!
Savannah
Yes, I was thinking the same and I asked Qantas Cash straight up and they said yes. What is unclear is the difference between the exchange rate you get when loading currency (buying) and the sell rate (i.e. independent of the normal currency fluctuation, but essentially their mark-up). Whilst they publish the load rate on the website they won’t tell you what the sell rate is!
Just curious with these foreign loading bonuses…I received one a few mths back and never bothered with it but with the card’s FX transfer rules it got me thinking….
With the bonus points when loading foreign currency, is it possible to:
1) load e.g. $20K AUD->USD and get the 20K bonus points (using the Apr17 promo as an example)
2) at a later date transfer USD->AUD (and even make some more on the exchange rate if the timing is right) then back out into an Aust account?
I’m interested did you go ahead with your plan? I see the points are not credited for up to 8 weeks.