Qantas launches travel cash card in NZ

Photo / NZ Herald

Qantas is firing another shot in New Zealand, this time launching a prepaid travel money card its Kiwi frequent flyers.

Qantas Cash is a prepaid multi-currency facility built into the Qantas Frequent Flyer membership card, which can be loaded with nine different currencies and used at millions of MasterCard locations around the world.

Members earn points for spend at home and overseas by using their cards for eligible purchases.

Qantas Loyalty chief executive Lesley Grant said New Zealand, home to the programme's second-largest membership base, was the first country outside Australia to have access to Qantas Cash.

"Qantas Cash has become a useful part of travel for almost half a million members who have collectively loaded over A$1.3 billion onto Qantas Cash since it launched just over two years ago."

The airline said Qantas Cash had been used in 179 countries across 121 currencies and someone in the world is making a Qantas Cash transaction every five seconds.

With Qantas Cash, Cardholders can lock-in exchange rates at the time of foreign-currency being loaded, before they travel.

"Members like not having to carry a lot of cash when overseas, so being able to use a travel money card which earns them Qantas Points and allows them to access cash at participating ATMs around the globe is a real benefit," she said.

The Australian airline's loyalty programme is a valuable part of its business with billion dollar pus annual revenues and the travel money card move comes as Air New Zealand has been revamping and expanding its frequent flyer programme with new partners.

Peter Chisnall, country manager for MasterCard New Zealand, said the Qantas card would be popular with Kiwis who were keen travellers.

"Recent MasterCard research shows that more than half of Kiwis intend to travel internationally in the next 12 months," he said.

There are no loading or currency conversion fees with the cards.