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Best Card For Airfare Within Australia & NZ
Updated on Thu, 05 Feb 2026
Australia is larger than many first-time visitors expect, and flying is often necessary to explore different parts of the country. It’s also common to pair Australia with New Zealand on the same trip, given how far the journey is. The cards below offer the best options for using points to travel around the region.
Our Rankings
1 | Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite
The Atmos Summit card tops our list for flying within Australia and New Zealand and between the two countries. It’s the premium card offered by Alaska Airlines, featuring an annual Global Companion Award, a high signup bonus, and Alaska lounge passes. Alaska Airlines is the clear winner in this region thanks to its partner award chart and strong availability on Qantas. It consistently offers the lowest points prices for flights within Australia and between Australia and New Zealand in both economy and business class.
2 | Bilt Palladium
While Alaska offers the best value in the region, Bilt is the most flexible way to access those awards without committing to a single airline. It’s also the only transferable currency that partners directly with Alaska. The Bilt Palladium is the only Bilt card that offers a traditional signup bonus, and it uniquely allows you to earn points on housing payments. Unlocking those points does require putting significant non-housing spend on the card, but for those willing to consolidate their spending, the earning potential is substantial. Bilt also transfers to United, which can be a useful secondary option for flights within Australia. When flying between Australia and New Zealand with United points, once taxes are added, points redemptions often deliver poor value and paying cash can be the better option.
Honorable Mentions
3 | Citi Strata Elite
Citi is the only transferable points system that partners directly with American Airlines, and the Strata Elite is their top card. It includes Priority Pass access and Admirals Club lounge passes to make travel more comfortable. After Atmos, American offers the next-best option for getting around Australia and New Zealand. While award prices are higher than Alaska, taxes are lower, so overall out-of-pocket costs can be less, making American a strong, predictable option with solid availability. Citi also transfers to Qantas, which offers competitive pricing, especially for intra-Australia flights and in business class. We found similar Qantas availability through American, but when that space isn’t available, booking directly with Qantas is a reliable fallback.
Honorable Mentions
4 | Amex Platinum
There is a clear gap between the top three cards on our list and the next tier. We wouldn’t recommend getting the Amex Platinum specifically for flights within Australia and New Zealand, but if it’s already in your wallet, it can still be a useful secondary option. Amex partners with Qantas, which offers solid redemptions for flights within Australia and between Australia and New Zealand, though pricing and availability are not as strong as with Alaska or American. Where the Platinum still shines is comfort. Premium lounge access matters if you’re flying frequently around the region, and the massive signup bonus gives you plenty of points to work with, even if this isn’t the primary use case for the card.
5 | United Explorer
Rounding out our list is the United Explorer card. It offers a solid signup bonus, two United Club one-time passes per year, a free checked bag, and priority boarding. United’s pricing between Australia and New Zealand is generally comparable to Qantas, but award availability was inconsistent, so this isn’t an option you should rely on. Availability was much stronger for flights within Australia, where pricing is also competitive with Qantas. United’s intra-Australia business class redemptions stood out as particularly strong, making this a reasonable fallback option with MileagePlus.
Honorable Mentions
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