Credit cards are one of the main ways you can earn lots of points for future flights, especially with sign-up bonuses. But the focus is shifting to ways to earn points without one as well, particularly as the RBA is indirectly tightening up how much funding bank reward programs get.
Whether you’re aiming to earn Qantas Points, Velocity Points, or flexible points in a rewards program, here are 11 popular ways to boost your balance without a credit card.
Make your everyday spending count
1. Supermarket loyalty programs
Join loyalty programs like Woolworths Everyday Rewards or Coles Flybuys and link them to your Qantas or Velocity account, respectively. You can earn points on your groceries and also take advantage of bonus offers on specific items or gift cards.
- Exchange 2,000 Everyday Rewards points for 1,000 Qantas Points. Accumulate points over multiple shops. Hit ‘Boost’ on the Everyday Rewards app before you shop to accumulate more Qantas points at a faster rate. Keep an eye out for 20x bonus points offers on gift cards each week.
- Earn 500 Velocity points for every 1,000 Flybuys points you transfer. You can also earn 1 Status Credit for every $100 you spend (up to 10 SCs a month). Also, remember to activate Flybuys offers regularly and look out for 20x bonus points offers on gift cards.
2. Fuel
Earn points by filling up at partner fuel stations like BP (Qantas) or 7-Eleven (Velocity) and scanning your loyalty card or app. There are many ways to earn points through filling up, so make sure to see which ones earn you the most points.
- Earn 2 Qantas points per litre of fuel and 1 Qantas point for every $1 spent on eligible in-store purchases at BP. Otherwise, choose to top up at Ampol and earn Everyday Rewards points on your purchase, which can then be converted to Qantas points.
- Earn 2 Velocity points per litre of premium fuel and 1 Velocity point per 1 litre of regular fuel. You can also earn 2 Velocity points per $1 spent in-store at 7-Eleven. You can also choose to collect Flybuys points from Shell/Reddy Express sites and convert the earned Flybuys points to Velocity Points.
3. Rideshare and car hire
Link your accounts with partners like Uber (Qantas) or DiDi (Velocity) to earn points on eligible rides. You can also earn points when booking car rentals with partners such as Avis, Hertz, or Europcar.
- Earn 1 Qantas point per $1 spent on Uber Reserve trips and 1 Qantas point per $2 spent on Uber airport rides. You can also earn 4 Qantas points for every $1 spent on car hire with Avis and Budget in Australia.
- Earn 1 Velocity point for every $1 spent on DiDi each time you ride (not only just airport rides). You can also earn up to 6 Velocity points per $1 spent on Europcar and Hertz car hire, depending on your Velocity tier.
4. Dining and Wine
Earn significant points by ordering through linked food delivery services or purchasing wine through platforms like Qantas Wine and Virgin Wines.
- Earn Qantas Points through curated wine purchases. This can be one of the most cost-effective ways to top up your points balance, compared to buying Qantas Points directly. For example, previous offers have included 20,000 or 30,000 bonus points on a case of wine for $400-$500 – and you also get the wine!
- Also earn Qantas Points with selected meal kit delivery partners, including HelloFresh and Youfoodz.
- Earn and use points on wine through the Virgin Wines website. You can also earn points through food partners, including Menulog, and when you eat out at eligible restaurants through the me&u QR code.
Earn points with your service providers
5. Utilities & Insurance
Earn points by switching your energy provider to a partner like Red Energy and AGL or taking out a health, home, or car insurance policy with Qantas Insurance and QBE Insurance.
- Earn Qantas Points on insurance partners, including Qantas Insurance, Miga, or OnePath. You can also earn 2 Qantas points for every $1 spent when you switch your energy provider to Red Energy
- Earn Velocity Points on insurance partners, including Covermore, Medibank, and QBE Insurance. You can also earn Velocity Points when you switch your energy, mobile, or internet provider to AGL.
6. Health & Wellbeing
The Qantas Wellbeing App lets you earn points by logging exercise, such as walking or jogging.
- Earn Qantas points by completing daily health and fitness activities. Curate points from your daily steps, sleep challenges, or completing safety checks through the app.
- Unlike Qantas, Virgin Australia doesn’t yet offer a way you can earn bonus Velocity points through health and fitness activities.
7. Surveys
Completing surveys for market research companies like Red Planet can also earn you points.
- Earn 100 Qantas points per week by completing four weekly surveys through Saveful.
- Earn Velocity points through E-Rewards. When you accumulate 2,000 opinion points on E-rewards, you can convert them into 500 Velocity points.
Turn shopping and travel into rewards
8. Online Shopping Portals
Shop online through dedicated frequent flyer shopping portals. By clicking through the portal to track your purchases, you can earn points per dollar spent at participating retailers.
- Earn Qantas Points by completing your purchases through the Qantas Shopping portal.
- Earn Velocity Points by shopping through the Velocity E-store.
9. Accommodation
Book hotels through airline-specific sites to earn multiple points per dollar spent.
- Earn Qantas Points by booking your accommodation online through Qantas Hotels. You can also earn points when linking some of your reward accounts.
- For every 2,000 Accor Live Limitless Reward points you transfer, you’ll receive 2,500 Qantas Points. You can also earn Qantas Points with participating Accor stays in the Asia Pacific region.
- Convert 10,000 Hilton Honors points to 1,500 Qantas points.
- Earn at least 3 Velocity Points per dollar spent at Virgin Australia Hotels. Through eligible online partners, receive 3 Velocity Points per $1 spent at IHG One Rewards when you stay at their hotels and resorts within Australia. Alternatively, earn 3 Velocity Points per $1 spent with stays at Crown Hotels.
10. Debit Cards
While less common than credit cards, a handful of financial products, including some debit cards, offer the potential to earn points on your savings. However, this usually comes in lieu of earning interest on your balance, so do the sums to see what works for you.
- Earn Qantas points through the AMP Bank GO account. You’ll earn 1 Qantas Point for every $10 on your average monthly Everyday Account balance. (Until 31 May 2026, this is temporarily doubled to 2 points per $10).
- Earn Velocity Points through the Virgin Money Everyday Go Account. You’ll earn 8 Virgin Money points on every debit transaction, which can then be converted to Velocity Points later on (at a 2:1 rate). There is also a sign-up bonus occasionally, such as 5,000 bonus Virgin Money points when you join and make an eligible transaction within 30 days.
11. Flying
This might seem obvious, but we’re still including it here just in case. Flying with Qantas or Virgin Australia and their partner carriers is a great way to earn points – as long as your fare is eligible.
- Earn Qantas Points on Qantas and partner airline flights based on fare type, cabin class and distance travelled. Note that some partner airline earn rates are lower than Qantas’ own earn rates.
- Earn at least 4 Velocity Points per dollar spent on Virgin Australia domestic and short-haul international flights (except for those booked as part of a Virgin Australia Holiday). Earn Velocity Points on partner airlines based on fare type, cabin class and distance travelled.
Summing Up
It’s more than possible to earn lots of points for future flights without using a credit card. Everyday spending and loyalty program partners can help your points add up quickly. In many cases, you’ll also earn points on many purchases you were planning to make anyway.
With the right spending, your everyday purchases can bring your next reward flight closer. And of course, if you do want to boost your earnings with a rewards credit card, you know where to find us.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
- Sign-up Bonus:
- Up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Rewards Earn Rate:
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases. 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia. 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia. After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.
- Annual Fee:
- $450 p.a.
- Offer expires
- 5 May 2026
- Earn 70,000 bonus Qantas Points in Year 1 with the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card when you apply online by 5 May 2026, are approved, and spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. Plus, 30,000 bonus Qantas Points in Year 2 after minimum of $1 spend on the Card within 90 days of paying the Year 2 Annual Card Fee.
