Credit card rewards and tax
Who doesn’t love something for nothing?! Well, welcome to the world of reward credit cards, your ticket to receiving freebies for spending money. There are so many types of reward programs from frequent flyer, cashback rewards, travel, and shopping rewards just to name a few.
So each time you spend money on your rewards credit card you earn points. These points can be redeemed for a huge range of products from flights to toasters to a new pair of jeans. The rewards are endless! Now, is the taxman going to come after you for these rewards and benefits you receive? Or is there a positive spin on credit card rewards and tax? Read this guide to learn the ins and outs on tax and credit card rewards.
Looking for your next card? Compare some of our top cards here.
Rewards Credit Card Comparison Table - rates updated daily
American Express Qantas Ultimate Card
Receive 60,000 Bonus Qantas Rewards Points when you apply online by 28 May 2024, are approved, and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months. T&Cs apply. Available for New American Express Card Members only.
Rewards program
Annual fee
Bonus points
Earn rate per $1
Estimated points earned
Qantas Frequent Flyer$45060,0001.25 points up to 100,000 points/year, then
1 point uncappedQantas Ultimate Card
Receive 60,000 Bonus Qantas Rewards Points when you apply online by 28 May 2024, are approved, and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months. T&Cs apply. Available for New American Express Card Members only.
- Intro rate
- -
- Ongoing Purchase rate
- 23.99% p.a.
- Balance transfer rate
- No current offer
- Cash advance
- -
- Interest free days on purchases
- 44
- Foreign exchange
- 3.00%
- Late payment
- $30.00
- Points earning
- 1.25 points per dollar on Amex, up to 100000 points per year, then
1 point per dollar on Amex, uncapped
- Reward point expiry
- Never
- Bonus points
- 60,000
- Rewards
- Points
- 8,000 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 110,400 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 20,010 points
- Card Benefits
- Account alerts by SMS,
Card Purchase Cover ,
Travel Inconvenience Cover - Rewards Bonus Points 1.25 points per dollar on everyday purchases. Earn 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent at government bodies, earn 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spend on selected Qantas products and services.Exclusions apply. 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 Points per $1 spent.* For Card Members who applied for the Card between 1 July 2023 – 9 January 2024, this change will come into effect from 10 July 2024.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Qantas Ultimate Card
G&C Mutual Bank Platinum Visa Credit Card
Receive 50,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply, are approved, and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases on your new G&C Mutual Bank Platinum Visa Credit Card within 90 days. T&Cs apply. Available to new G&C Mutual Bank Card Members only. Earn 10,000 bonus Qantas Points annually. T&Cs apply. Access Platinum Visa Concierge. Add an additional cardholder at no extra cost.
Rewards program
Annual fee
Bonus points
Earn rate per $1
Estimated points earned
Qantas Frequent Flyer$29950,0001 point up to 20,000 points/monthPlatinum Visa Credit Card
Receive 50,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply, are approved, and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases on your new G&C Mutual Bank Platinum Visa Credit Card within 90 days. T&Cs apply. Available to new G&C Mutual Bank Card Members only. Earn 10,000 bonus Qantas Points annually. T&Cs apply. Access Platinum Visa Concierge. Add an additional cardholder at no extra cost.
- Intro rate
- -
- Ongoing Purchase rate
- 19.99% p.a.
- Balance transfer rate
- No current offer
- Cash advance
- 21.99% p.a.
- Interest free days on purchases
- 50
- Foreign exchange
- 3.00%
- Late payment
- $15.00
- Points earning
- 1 point per dollar on Visa, up to 20000 points per month
- Reward point expiry
- Never
- Bonus points
- 50,000
- Rewards
- Points
- 8,000 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 110,400 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 20,010 points
- Card Benefits
- Concierge
- Rewards Bonus Points 1 bonus points on selected Qantas products and services.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Platinum Visa Credit Card
NAB Qantas Rewards Premium Card
70,000 Bonus Qantas Points. Offer applies to a new NAB Qantas Rewards Premium Card when you spend $2,000 on everyday purchases within 60 days.
Rewards program
Annual fee
Bonus points
Earn rate per $1
Estimated points earned
Qantas Frequent Flyer$250 $150 in the first year70,0000.66 points up to $3,000/month, then
0.33 points up to $6,000/monthQantas Rewards Premium Card
70,000 Bonus Qantas Points. Offer applies to a new NAB Qantas Rewards Premium Card when you spend $2,000 on everyday purchases within 60 days.
- Intro rate
- -
- Ongoing Purchase rate
- 20.99% p.a.
- Balance transfer rate
- 0% p.a. for 12 months and then 21.74% p.a. (3.00% balance transfer fee)
- Cash advance
- 21.74% p.a.
- Interest free days on purchases
- 44
- Foreign exchange
- 3.00%
- Late payment
- $15.00
- Points earning
- 0.66 points per dollar on Visa, up to $3,000 per month, then
0.33 points per dollar on Visa, up to $6,000 per month
- Reward point expiry
- Never
- Bonus points
- 70,000
- Rewards
- Points
- 8,000 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 110,400 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 20,010 points
- Card Benefits
- Concierge,
Travel Insurance,
Extended Warranty,
Purchase Protection,
Rental Vehicle Excess in Australia Insurance - Rewards Bonus Points Bonus points on selected Qantas products and services, including eligible Qantas flights.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Qantas Rewards Premium Card
American Express Qantas Premium Card
Receive 20,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply, are approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Qantas American Express Premium Card within 3 months of Card Membership. T&C’s apply. Available to new American Express Card Members only.
Rewards program
Annual fee
Bonus points
Earn rate per $1
Estimated points earned
Qantas Frequent Flyer$24920,0001 point uncappedQantas Premium Card
Receive 20,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply, are approved, and spend $3,000 on eligible purchases on your new Qantas American Express Premium Card within 3 months of Card Membership. T&C’s apply. Available to new American Express Card Members only.
- Intro rate
- -
- Ongoing Purchase rate
- 23.99% p.a.
- Balance transfer rate
- No current offer
- Cash advance
- -
- Interest free days on purchases
- 44
- Foreign exchange
- 3.00%
- Late payment
- $30.00
- Points earning
- 1 point per dollar on Amex, uncapped
- Reward point expiry
- Never
- Bonus points
- 20,000
- Rewards
- Points
- 8,000 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 110,400 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 20,010 points
- Card Benefits
- Account alerts by SMS,
Card Purchase Cover ,
Travel Inconvenience Cover - Rewards Bonus Points Earn 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent at government bodies, earn 2 Qantas Points per $1 spend on selected Qantas products and services.
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Qantas Premium Card
NAB Rewards Signature Card
Earn 100,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on everyday purchases within the first 60 days of account opening and 40,000 bonus points when you keep your card for over 12 months (T&Cs apply). Enjoy a reduced annual card fee (from $295 to $195) for the first year. Up to 44 Interest free days on purchases (T&Cs apply). $15,000 minimum credit limit. 0% p.a. on standard balance transfer (BT) rate for 12 months (3% BT fee applies).
Rewards program
Annual fee
Bonus points
Earn rate per $1
Estimated points earned
NAB Rewards$295 $145 in the first year160,0001.25 points uncappedRewards Signature Card
Earn 100,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on everyday purchases within the first 60 days of account opening and 40,000 bonus points when you keep your card for over 12 months (T&Cs apply). Enjoy a reduced annual card fee (from $295 to $195) for the first year. Up to 44 Interest free days on purchases (T&Cs apply). $15,000 minimum credit limit. 0% p.a. on standard balance transfer (BT) rate for 12 months (3% BT fee applies).
- Intro rate
- -
- Ongoing Purchase rate
- 20.99% p.a.
- Balance transfer rate
- 0% p.a. for 12 months and then 21.74% p.a. (3.00% balance transfer fee)
- Cash advance
- 21.74% p.a.
- Interest free days on purchases
- 44
- Foreign exchange
- 3.00%
- Late payment
- $15.00
- Points earning
- 1.25 points per dollar on Visa, uncapped
- Reward point expiry
- 36 months
- Bonus points
- 160,000
- Rewards
- Points
- 15,600 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 239,200 points (excluding taxes and charges)
- 20,410 points
- Card Benefits
- Concierge,
Travel Insurance,
Extended Warranty,
Purchase Protection,
Rental Vehicle Excess in Australia Insurance - Rewards Bonus Points -
Read our Mozo Review to learn more about the Rewards Signature Card
Are credit card rewards considered taxable income?
Reward credit cards are a common way for both businesses and individuals to spend money. With hundreds, if not thousands of points racked up on rewards credit cards, what happens at the end of the financial year?
The good news is, these points remain tax free for now! However, the Australian Tax Office may change this in the foreseeable future, to prevent fraud as people are opening fake accounts in order to earn thousands of reward points. When it comes to redeeming the points for rewards the situation is a little different in relation to tax. Depending on if the reward is personal or business related will determine if tax is applicable:
Personal:
The general principle is that personal rewards received from loyalty programs, including flight rewards and cashback are not considered taxable income.
Business:
When it comes to businesses and employees receiving rewards from credit card loyalty programs it gets a little complicated. It depends on several factors as to whether or not the reward is taxable. If the employee receives a reward such as a flight in lieu of a salary than it may be subject to income tax or fringe benefit tax. We suggest checking out the ATO’s website on taxing consumer loyalty program rewards.
We know that choosing a rewards card isn’t easy given there’s so many options, that’s why Mozo developed the Rewards Revealer Tool. Plug in your annual spend to find a ranking of rewards cards based on your spending level and rewards you're interested in.
Can you earn credit card reward points when you pay your taxes?
Earning credit card reward points is pretty easy! Every time you make a purchase, be it shopping for groceries, paying for petrol or booking a flight you can use your rewards credit card to accrue points. Now we have another way for you to earn points that you may never have thought possible…paying your tax. While you may dread tax time, turn it into a positive, as a chance to earn reward points towards that much needed flight to Melbourne!
The Australian Tax Office actually states on its website that it would rather taxpayers pay their bill using a credit card. So there’s an opening to use your rewards credit card and earn points towards your loyalty program. There’s an online payment system on the ATO website that processes credit card transactions as a purchase. But be aware, the ATO does charge a surcharge for using your credit card to pay your tax bill. So do the maths and see if the points earned are worth more than what you’ll pay in surcharge.
Check out Mozo’s guide on avoiding credit card fees and the best credit cards.
Which banks and cards allow you to earn reward points when paying your taxes?
Not all banks and financial institutions will allow you to accrue reward points when you pay your tax bill by credit card. As it’s an easy way for businesses and individuals to earn lots of points, a lot of banks and providers have abolished or changed the point earnings rate when making payments to the ATO. For example:
- Commonwealth Bank: The CBA has put a halt on earning frequent flyer points when making payment to the Australian Taxation Office. If you have a personal credit card with the Commonwealth bank you won’t earn any points towards you rewards program. However, CBA Business Awards customers will continue to receive points when making payments with the ATO.
- NAB: If you’re a NAB customer with a rewards credit card you won’t accrue any points when paying the ATO! In May 2015 the NAB put an end to all credit card points earning with the ATO.
- Amex: You will be able to earn points for your tax payment, but you will incur a surcharge, and your points could be incurred at a different rate.
Other credit cards will have their own systems, so make sure you read the terms and conditions.
It’s important to check with your card provider before assuming you’ll earn reward points come tax time.
^See information about the Mozo Experts Choice Rewards Credit Card Awards
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