Guide: Qantas' BP partnership now lets you buy fuel with points

Australian motorists can earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points or BP Rewards points by buying fuel and eligible in-store purchases at BP service stations under a partnership between Qantas and BP.

The pact expanded in early 2022 to allow drivers to spend Qantas Points to pay for their tank of fuel, a deal cushioned by the fact this same transaction also earns points. Here's what you need to know under the amended structure.

How many Qantas Points can I earn at BP?

There are two components of the Qantas-BP partnership: one for the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, and the other for Qantas Business Rewards and BP Plus fuel card.

The earn rates for personal Qantas Frequent Flyer members are as follows:

• 2 Qantas Points per litre of BP Ultimate 92 unleaded fuel
• 1 Qantas Point per litre of all other BP fuels (including diesel, LPG, E10, regular unleaded and more)
• 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on eligible in-store products - excluding purchases like gift cards, mobile phone recharge vouchers, tobacco or other third-party businesses that operate inside the service station, such as internet cafes or Australia Post services.

Those are also the same earning rates for the BP Rewards scheme, if you choose to earn BP Points instead of Qantas Points. For example, 2 BP Points per litre of BP Ultimate 98 unleaded.

Business owners have an added advantage and can boost their points even further with a BP Plus fuel card, earning points at the rates below.

• 1 Qantas Point per litre of BP Ultimate 98
• 1 Qantas Point per two litres of all other BP fuels
• 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on eligible in-store products

"We know frequent flyers are always looking for new ways to earn and use points," says Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth.

"With so many members already earning points at bp, we anticipate that providing greater flexibility in how they can use their points will be welcomed."

How do I earn Qantas Points at BP?

It's relatively straightforward to earn these points but does require online registration before you'll see them land in your account.

The simplest option is to visit this page on the Qantas website, login to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account, confirm your details, and send them through.

A message will then land in your email inbox to verify your address, and once that's done – and you've created a password you can use on the BP Rewards website, if needed – you're good to go.

When you fill up or buy items in-store at BP, just scan your Qantas Frequent Flyer card or fire up your Qantas app and scan the digital barcode to pocket those points.

If you make a purchase and scan your Qantas Frequent Flyer card before registering online, you won't receive points straight away, but they won't be lost, either.

Once you've registered online for BP Rewards, all points you've earned will be transferred over to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account, provided you register within 12 months of your first Qantas card scan at BP.

Of course, you can always choose to earn BP Points instead of Qantas Points (and you can swap between those preferences at any time) – but you can't earn both at the same time.

However, you can 'double dip' when using a BP Plus fuel card, earning Qantas Points (or BP Rewards points) as normal, plus extra Qantas Points into the company's Qantas Business Rewards account.

Points can also be earned when paying for fuel via the BPme smartphone app for iPhone and Android, provided you use the account linked with your Qantas Frequent Flyer card. You can also earn Qantas Points by paying for your fuel using the BP Plus mobile app.

Expert tip: pay for your petrol and in-store purchases with a credit card that earns Qantas Points.

The Reward Code doubles as something like a one-time pin number used to redeem your points at BP

How do I spend Qantas Points at BP?

The introduction of new ‘Reward Code’ technology has seen the tie-up between Qantas and BP evolve to the point where now, drivers can spend their Qantas Frequent Flyer Points to reduce the price of their BP purchases on fuel and eligible in-store essentials.

Members of Qantas Frequent Flyer can redeem set increments of 1,900 Qantas Points to enjoy $10 off their total bill at BP.

Regardless of the actual price of petrol, which obviously fluctuates significantly, each $10 you take off your BP spend will cost a set 1,900 points. Redemptions can only be done in blocks of 10 points (so, if you spend $15 for example, you can’t spend 2,850 Qantas Points).

The way to do it is through your digital Qantas Frequent Flyer card, where you’ll see a ‘Reward Code’ with a four-digit number. This is new technology being pioneered through BP, with plans to expand it to other in-store retailers in future.

After scanning your card at the counter, the merchant terminal will show you how many points you can redeem for the total transaction cost.

After entering the Reward Code (which is different to your Qantas Frequent Flyer PIN), the points will be deducted automatically.

The Reward Code will also then refresh with a new number valid for next time you redeem points at BP (or another retailer if this technology is rolled out more widely).

Redeeming Qantas points is nice and all but probably not the best use for them

Is it worth spending your Frequent Flyer Points on fuel?

The novelty of using your Qantas Points for a cheaper tank of fuel is well and good but there are far better rewards out there that would likely bring more enjoyment.

For example, a one-way flight from Sydney to Brisbane in business class can cost as little as 18,400 Qantas Points. Based on the BP redemption structure, this is the equivalent of less than $100 saved at BP, whereas the same flight and seat costs $904 in cash.

Look for any of more than 1,400 BP outlets around Australia to earn (or spend) Qantas Points

What are BP Points?

BP Points are the currency of the BP Rewards loyalty program, which is similar to the BPme Rewards program already running in the UK and USA.

Customers can earn BP Points for every litre of fuel they buy and every additional dollar they spend at a BP service station – at the same rates as for Qantas Points – either by scanning their physical BP Rewards card or the digital membership card in the BPme smartphone app.

Those BP Points can later be applied as a cash discount at BP outlets or redeemed as a David Jones eGift Card.

Every 500 BP Points earned can be exchanged for $5 off at BP, locking their value at 1c per point – the same value you'll find when cashing them in for David Jones eGift Cards, with 1,000 points fetching a $10 gift card, for example.

If you decided to earn BP Points at first but would rather have Qantas Points down the line, they can also be converted into Qantas Points at a 1:1 rate, which occurs when you change your earning preference to Qantas Points.

There's no advantage in doing this versus earning Qantas Points from the beginning, however, as the number of points landing in your account will be the same.

Additional reporting by David Flynn.

Also read: Earning points on petrol: BP vs Caltex vs Coles Express

Matt Lennon