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Best Cards For Flights To Australia
Updated on Wed, 04 Feb 2026
Flights to Australia and New Zealand are long, expensive, and often harder to book with points than one might think. The right credit card and point system can make all the difference. These are the cards that offer the best paths to real, bookable award flights to the region.
Our Rankings
1 | Amex Platinum
The Platinum is the card we recommend for a trip of this size because of its lounge access, huge signup bonus, premium benefits, and strong travel protections. If you want flexibility across premium cabins and economy, nonstop flights and stopovers, and the lowest prices in points, Amex is the points system to use for flights to and from Australia and New Zealand. Amex is the only transferable points system that transfers directly to ANA, which offers the best business class pricing to the region and one of the top premium cabin products in the world. ANA’s points prices are the lowest in economy as well, though taxes are higher when flying on ANA metal. On roundtrip awards, you can also add a stopover in Japan, which can significantly increase the value of the redemption. Partner pricing remains competitive and often comes with lower taxes. Amex also partners with Qantas, which has solid sweet spots to both countries, and you can find additional options by booking on partner airlines through Avianca or American Airlines via British Airways.
2 | Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite
The premium Atmos Summit card lands near the top of this list for several reasons. Alaska offers excellent award redemptions to Australia and New Zealand, both on its own metal and through partners, with consistently low taxes. One of those partners is Fiji Airways, and you can add a Fiji stopover for free! You also receive a 25,000-point Global Companion Award each year, which effectively acts as a 25k point discount on an award flight. The card adds meaningful comfort perks as well, including two Alaska Lounge passes per quarter, free checked bags for you and up to six companions, and a variety of other travel benefits that help justify its premium positioning.
3 | Bilt Palladium
The Palladium is the best Bilt card here because it’s the only one with a true signup bonus that will help you redeem points for flights to Australia and New Zealand. Bilt’s inclusion near the top of this list is largely because it is the only points system that partners directly with Atmos, which offers some excellent sweet spot redemptions to both Australia and New Zealand. The easiest options to find are in economy, either directly on Alaska or through partners like Qantas and Fiji Airways (where you can utilize the Fiji Stopover program). Point prices are very competitive with ANA while carrying significantly lower taxes. Bilt also partners with United, which offers solid award pricing to the region with relatively low fees. One note about Bilt is its uniqueness in being able to earn points on housing payments. It’s also important to specify that unlocking full points-earning on your housing requires putting a meaningful amount of non-housing spend on the card.
Honorable Mentions
4 | Citi Strata Elite
The Citi Strata Elite stands out as the best premium option within the Citi ecosystem thanks to its large signup bonus, Admirals Club passes, and access to airline partners that are especially valuable for Australia and New Zealand. Citi is the only transferable points system that transfers directly to American Airlines, which offers excellent sweet spot redemptions in both economy and business on its own metal and through partners like Qantas and Fiji Airways. In many cases, booking Qantas flights through American costs fewer points and lower taxes than booking directly through Qantas. Citi also transfers to Avianca, which can provide niche partner redemptions to the region, particularly on United, though searching, booking, and making changes can be frustrating. If you don’t need lounge access, the Strata Premier can also work here at a lower annual fee.
Honorable Mentions
5 | Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve falls a tier below the top options for flights to Australia and New Zealand, which is unusual for a Chase card. While it offers a strong signup bonus and a flexible $300 annual travel credit that can help offset costs, it simply doesn’t provide the same breadth or value of redemption options as the cards ranked above it. United is the most reliable direct transfer partner for the region, offering solid availability but higher point prices than ANA or Alaska. You can also book partner flights through Air Canada and British Airways, though those redemptions typically cost 20,000 to 30,000 more points and come with higher taxes than Alaska and only slightly lower taxes than ANA. The Sapphire Reserve still works well if Chase Ultimate Rewards are your primary currency, but it’s not a card we’d recommend opening specifically for flights to Australia or New Zealand.
6 | American Airlines Citi AAdvantage Executive
The AAdvantage Executive World Elite is American’s top-tier card and a strong option for flights to Australia and New Zealand, especially if you value lounge access. We’ve already covered the strengths of American Airlines in the Citi Strata Elite section, including competitive economy and business class award pricing on its own metal and through partners. The high annual fee is easier to justify here because the card includes a full Admirals Club membership for as long as you hold it. The regular signup bonus is sizable, and American has historically offered elevated bonuses a few times per year, making timing important. Add in free checked bags, preferred boarding, and a variety of additional credits and perks, and this becomes a great fit for American loyalists. If you want a lower annual fee, the Globe card is a step down but still a solid option for flying to and from the region.
Honorable Mentions
7 | United Explorer
The United Explorer is typically our top pick among United cards unless you fly the airline regularly, in which case the Club or Club Business card may make more sense. Its annual fee is waived the first year, and the strong signup bonus, free checked bag, and two United Club one-time passes provide real value on such a long journey. We included a United card here not because it offers the cheapest redemptions, but because of its reliable Star Alliance availability to Australia and New Zealand. United typically charges low taxes, does not pass on fuel surcharges, and allows free changes and cancellations on award tickets. Since Chase Ultimate Rewards are among the easiest transferable points to earn, Chase’s partnership with United is another reason this card earns a spot on the list.
Honorable Mentions
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