It hasn’t been easy crusing within the rewards bank card house recently. There’s been a raft of adjustments throughout Westpac, Citi and CBA. These shifts, together with level devaluations and the elimination of switch companions, are probably related to approaching adjustments from the Reserve Financial institution of Australia (RBA).

For collectors of Membership Rewards, this system is evolving with new partnerships and up to date switch and earn charges. Whereas some adjustments will impression how you change factors, in addition they current new alternatives on your rewards technique. Right here’s the whole lot it’s essential know to navigate these updates and proceed to get probably the most out of your factors.

So, what precisely is altering?

Essentially the most vital change is the devaluation of factors for a number of worldwide airline companions. You’ll quickly want extra Membership Rewards factors to get the identical variety of frequent flyer factors.

• Devaluation of Switch Charges: The toughest hit is the switch fee for British Airways, Cathay, Etihad, Malaysia Airways, Qatar Airways, and Virgin Atlantic is altering from 2:1 to three:1. This successfully means you’ll want 50% extra Membership Rewards factors to get the identical variety of miles. The conversion fee for Emirates Skywards can also be altering, from 3:1 to 4:1.
• Elimination of a Associate: Thai Airways’ Royal Orchid Plus will not be a switch companion from December 15, 2025.
• New Switch Associate: On the upside, American Specific is including a brand new companion: On a regular basis Rewards. This can help you convert your Membership Rewards factors to On a regular basis Rewards factors at a 5:4 fee. From there, you may convert On a regular basis Rewards factors to Qantas Frequent Flyer factors at a 2:1 fee, which offers a brand new, albeit oblique, method for many cardholders to earn Qantas Factors.
• New Factors Calculation Methodology: Amex can also be altering the way it calculates factors. Beforehand, factors had been solely earned on entire greenback quantities, however from December 15, 2025, they’ll be rounded to the closest greenback earlier than factors are calculated. This small change might imply a couple of additional factors on many low-value transactions.

It’s not all dangerous information!

Some cardholders can breathe a sigh of reduction as not all switch companions are affected. When you’re banking:

the earn fee will stay the identical. The switch fee for Qantas Frequent Flyer additionally stays unchanged for American Specific Platinum cardholders. The adjustments don’t have an effect on co-branded Qantas and Velocity playing cards or the Enterprise Ascent, Company Decisions, Company Membership Rewards and Company Spirit accounts.

One other New Pathway to Qantas Factors

American Specific can also be including On a regular basis Rewards as a brand new switch companion at a 5:4 fee. This new partnership offers a method for cardholders to not directly switch their factors to Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Whereas particular particulars for the brand new American Specific and On a regular basis Rewards partnership are nonetheless rising, some basic details about level transfers is accessible:

• Switch Time: The time it takes to switch factors varies by companion. Transfers to some packages like Qantas and Velocity are usually immediate, whereas others can take as much as seven enterprise days. It may take as much as 72 hours for On a regular basis Rewards factors collected within the strange course to look in an account.
• Minimal Switch: Minimal switch quantities for different companions will be as little as 1,000 factors, however a selected minimal for the On a regular basis Rewards partnership has not been introduced.
  Charges: There are usually no charges for changing factors to airline packages. Nevertheless, there could also be particular situations relying on this system.

Or, you may use it for money off on the checkout in your subsequent Woolies store.

Don’t panic simply but!

With these adjustments on the horizon, it’s a superb time to overview your factors technique. Fortunately Amex gave us all just a little heads-up. The devaluations for some worldwide airline companions imply that transferring factors to these packages could not provide the identical worth. In case you have a big stability of Membership Rewards factors, take into account transferring them to your most popular frequent flyer program earlier than the December 14 deadline to benefit from the present charges.

For individuals who depend on incomes Qantas Factors, the brand new partnership with On a regular basis Rewards provides a helpful various. Be sure to perceive the conversion course of and any related timelines to get probably the most out of this new redemption choice. When you’re hoarding British Airways, Cathay, Etihad, Malaysia Airways, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic, now is likely to be the time to overview your technique.

Keep knowledgeable by commonly checking for updates from American Specific and its companions. Be proactive in your factors technique to make sure you proceed to maximise the worth of your Membership Rewards.