Savvy shopper: saving $1427.88 on essentials with Qantas points

Every so often I log into my Qantas account and see my Qantas points languishing in my account like sad little pennies at the bottom of a backpack. Let’s be honest, we’re not going anywhere exciting anytime soon, so all my plans of splashing out on flights to visit family and friends overseas have been put on ice. Full disclosure: I only have 70,548 points at the moment, but a girl can dream.

In the last year or so, I’ve used Qantas points to fly to see my sister in Adelaide and pay for a hotel in Dunedin where my friend got married. I’ve earned them through a mixture of previous flights (with Qantas and partner airlines), judicious use of my Qantas Mastercard, converting my Woolworths Rewards, and the Qantas Wellbeing app, which gives me points for meeting my daily step goal.

In the early days of COVID, I just kept stockpiling for more trips but as the option of overseas travel gets further away and the freelance work gets less frequent, I’ve started seeing my points as a kind of emergency bank account.

The range of brands in the Qantas Rewards Store is actually quite impressive, with goods and services ranging from luxury to basic up for grabs. While I’m tempted to treat myself to a staycation in a fancy hotel, considering the echoey noise my bank account is making right now, it might be smarter for me to go on a points spending spree to pay for a few essentials.

Here’s what I’ve got on my practical points wish list:

• A $500 prepaid Visa card comes in at 134,250 points. These are great as they can be used anywhere you can use Visa so this is essentially free money. You can also get $250 for 67,150 points, $100 for 26,890 points, $50 for 13,470 points and $25 for 6760 points. You can get the same amounts on a prepaid Mastercard.
• A $250 Woolworths Group digital gift card costs 47,500 points. These are super useful as you can use them for essentials at Woolworths supermarkets, CALTEX WOOLWORTHS co-branded fuel outlets, BIG W, BWS, Dan Murphy’s, Thomas DUX Grocer, Cellarmasters and Masters Home Improvement. Or get $100 for 19,000 points, $50 for 9,500 points or $25 for 4750 points. You can choose the Woolworths physical gift cards instead, but they aren’t quite as good value. You can also opt to convert your Qantas Points to a Woolworths gift card up to the value of $20 and have them sent directly to your inbox up to four times a year.
• For filling my prescriptions (as well as buying soap, hand sanitiser, shampoo and mascara) I can get Priceline gift cards. A $100 Priceline gift card is 17,360 points, $50 costs 8650 points and $25 is 4340 points.
• Qantas Wine is fairly good value, with a Vasse Felix classic dry dozen coming in at just 20,000 points (though it has a value of $227.88). Yes, I consider wine an essential. Don’t @ me.
• A $100 Uber gift card will set me back 19,000 points (with a $50 card for 9,500 points). I don’t have a car, so this may come in handy.
• For clothes, shoes, homewares and gifts, Myer is a good option, and you can get a $250 digital gift card for 45,100 Qantas points. A $100 card is 18,040 points, $50 is 9020 points and $25 is 4510 points. You can also get the physical gift card, but it uses more points.

Of course, I could also treat myself to designer goods, expensive kitchenware, luxurious cosmetics and fun experiences, but first up is essentials. Being grounded is no fun at all.

Other rewards programs worth keeping track of:

Velocity: My top pick is the Westfield $250 gift card for 54,700 points, but they also offer vouchers for JB Hi-Fi, The Iconic and David Jones (can all be used for essentials).

Everyday Rewards (formerly Woolworths Rewards): Mine automatically convert to Qantas points now, but they would otherwise give me $10 off a grocery bill for every 2000 points.

Flybuys: Swap 20,000 points for $100 Coles, Target or Kmart vouchers or convert into Flybuys Dollars to use at those stores, Coles Express, First Choice Liquor, Liquorland or Mycar.