Best Cards For Travel In Australia & NZ

When you get to Australia & New Zealand, it's a great time to whip out those Avios. Because British Airways Avios is a distance-based system, it makes hopping around Australia’s big cities and then over to New Zealand very efficient. You can use Avios to book one-ways through Qantas, Australia’s most popular airline. And because you’re keeping it local, you won’t be charged those big fees that British Airways is known for. Grab the British Airways Signature Visa to get the biggest sign-up bonus used just for Avios and partner airlines.

Another appearance for Chase Sapphire. The Ultimate Rewards earned on these cards can actually be transferred to British Airways for travel within Australia and New Zealand, which is great because not everyone can commit to the spending requirement attached to the British Airways Signature Visa. But between the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Business or Chase Ink Business Preferred, you have lots of options for gathering those Ultimate Rewards.

It’s time to think outside the box now while traveling within Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand has one of the most scenic train journeys: the TranzAlpine train. In Australia, you can take a trip to the Blue Mountains. Grab a train and make a day trip or even a long weekend out of it. If you want to head out to the coast, you can take a quick flight with a regional airline. And even though you haven’t been collecting miles specifically for trains or non-affiliated regional airlines, you can actually still use miles.The Capital One Venture Card is a great one for everything travel and it has no foreign transaction fees. Get your train or plane ticket and use your miles within 90 days to erase the purchase. The advantage to this angle is if you’re a good hunter, you can find some amazing deals that aren’t brand specific.