BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Credit Card

Pauline Hatch

Pauline is a personal finance expert at CreditCard.com.au, with 9 years in money, budgeting and property reporting under her belt. Ask Pauline a Question about this card.

The BOQ Specialist Signature Card with Qantas Points

Currently offering new cardholders 20,000 bonus Qantas Points, the BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Card is a specialist card designed to reward professionals within the medical, dental and veterinary fields. Providing excellent everyday points-earning potential, the card also offers a host of features including overseas travel insurance, Priority Pass lounge access and Visa Luxury Hotel Collection membership.

What we love...

Let’s look at that bonus points offer first. As a new cardholder, you can take advantage of 20,000 bonus Qantas Points, as long as you use your card to make 10 eligible purchases within 60 days of opening your account. Unlike other cards that require a minimum spend, this card makes it much easier to obtain those bonus points, which can then be spent as you like.

In terms of everyday points earning, the BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Card is a pretty good points earner – although there is a points cap to watch out for.

• 1 Qantas Point for every $1 spent on eligible purchases in Australia up to 10,000 points per month, and 0.5 points per $1 thereafter.
• 1.5 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on eligible international purchases.
• 1 additional Qantas Point per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia.

If you are not yet a member, you will receive complimentary Qantas Frequent Flyer membership as a BOQ Specialist credit cardholder. Your points will automatically be credited to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account, so you can then redeem them within the Qantas program for flights and upgrades, for Qantas Wine goodies, or for gift cards and merchandise at the Qantas Store.

Another appealing feature on BOQ Specialist’s Signature card is membership to the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection. That means, as a cardholder, you can enjoy the following benefits at more than 900 luxury hotels around the world:

• Best available rate guarantee
• Automatic room upgrade on arrival, where available
• Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, where available
• Complimentary breakfast for two
• US$25 food or beverage credit
• VIP Guest status
• Late check-out upon request, where available

Also offered on the Signature card is one complimentary Priority Pass Standard Membership for the primary cardholder. This provides unlimited visits to Priority Pass lounges, with the opportunity to bring one guest per visit free of charge. Providing even more value, Priority Pass also offers food and beverage discounts when dining at selected airport outlets.

What’s not so great...

The BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Card is a premium card with premium features, which means cardholders can expect to pay a premium price tag. The card has a pretty sizable annual fee, and a relatively high purchase rate. However, you can avoid interest charges by clearing your balance each month – to take advantage of up to 55 days interest free on purchases – and as long as you find value in the features and rewards on offer, then that annual fee could be worth it.

Why should you choose this card?

If you want a Qantas card with higher earning power and a nice bonus points offer, the BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Card could be for you. This is a card that suits cardholders who don’t mind paying more in annual fees to enjoy more back in features. Its features are premium, and would work well for cardholders who travel frequently.

Also on offer on this card is complimentary overseas travel insurance, providing up to 90 days of cover for you, your spouse and dependent children when you pay for your return travel on the card. You can also benefit from a 15% discount on Visa Airport SpeedPass, offering fast-track immigration at more than 280 international airports, as well as access to Visa’s Concierge Service, Visa Front Line Access and Visa Entertainment.

The card also offers split statements and the option of separate credit cards for business and personal purposes under one account, as well as compatibility with financial accounting systems such as XERO and MYOB. Of course, this is all backed by all the accessibility and security features you would expect from a premium Visa card, including Verified by Visa and Visa payWave.

Overall Rating

A great everyday earner, the BOQ Specialist Signature Qantas Card allows cardholders to earn Qantas Points day-to-day, with a 20,000 bonus point boost, and access to enticing features such as Priority Pass membership and the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection.