Grab up to 100,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points with Citibank

Up to 100,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points are up for grabs under a new Citibank credit card promotion, providing a serious balance boost for well-heeled travellers.

Though only available to new Citibank credit card customers, there are two cards available as part of this deal: 80,000 points are on offer with the Citibank Signature Card, while the Citibank Select Card serves up a cool 100,000 – as long as you apply by March 31.

Even if you’re not looking for a new credit card, consider it an opportunity to score Qantas points on the cheap.

The Select Card comes at a premium with an annual fee of $700 for those 100,000 bonus points, while the Signature Card attracts a lesser $299 for 80,000 – however, you'll also need to fork out an extra $49/year to actually earn Qantas points, which includes the hefty sign-on bonuses.

Ultimately, you'll be looking at $749/year for the Select Card, and $348/year for the Signature – though with your impending points haul, it's surprisingly good value.

The deal is especially good for residents on the east coast.

Those 100,000 points could take you from Brisbane to Auckland and back with Emirates, flying first class on the A380 in one direction and business class in the other.

And you'd still have a spare 10,000 points in change to use on a return trip upgrade to business on a flexible Brisbane-Sydney-Brisbane journey.

Sydneysiders could use 80,000 points to upgrade a return Hong Kong economy trip to business class. (A Skybed for $174 each way? Yes please!)

After your tremendous haul, both cards deliver one point per A$1 spent (uncapped) and free travel insurance.

As an extra bonus, you'll also have access to the Citibank Dining program, which offers a free bottle of wine at hundreds of partner restaurants when you use your Citibank card to settle the bill.

However, you'll want to watch out for the interest rates: the Select Card charges 20.74% p.a., and the Signature Card slugs an even higher 20.99% p.a.

They're rather high if looking to carry a balance, although they're on par with other premium frequent flyer credit cards.

Priority Pass lounge access

Another nifty cardholder benefit is free Priority Pass airport lounge membership – with Signature cardholders treated to two complimentary lounge visits per year, and Select customers having unlimited use of over 600 lounges worldwide.

Top-level Priority Pass membership would ordinarily cost US$399 per year, with a fee of US$27 charged for each guest you may have per lounge visit.

Bonus points aside, if lounge membership is your deciding factor here, bear in mind that the program only has two participating lounges in Australia – the United Club in Melbourne and the Reef Lounge in Cairns, though coverage is much better in overseas ports.

The fine print

You’ll need to use the card at least once after activation to qualify for the bonus points, which likely won’t hit your account for 6-8 weeks – so don’t earmark those points for your Easter holiday.

Also, you’ll need to earn at least $75,000 per year to qualify for the Signature and $120,000 for the Select, with a minimum credit limit of $15,000 required on both cards.

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.