How to Turn Household Expenses into an Epic Family Holiday

These savvy Qantas Frequent Flyer members have found a way to turn their everyday spend on groceries, bills, entertainment and more into incredible family adventures using Qantas Points. Here they share their top tips.

“It’s the small things that count – I always say, ‘I got there point by point’.” – Silvia Medina, NSW.

“When I fell pregnant with my first son and went on maternity leave, I thought, how are we going to afford to travel without my income? That’s when I started collecting Qantas Points. Now, my son is 10 and he’s been to 35 countries – and almost all of the trips were made possible with my points.

“It’s the small things that count. I always say, ‘I got there point by point’. My strategy is focusing on family expenses – the kinds of things that are essential for the household. Even my weekly dinner menus are based on points. When I’m shopping at Woolworths, I make sure to activate all my boosts through the Everyday Rewards app and buy items that earn more points – I won’t buy even a lolly if it doesn't give me points.

“I’ve also mentioned switching to Red Energy for our power bills to earn points to so many friends – more than 20, I would say. 

“Where possible, I pay our bills on a Qantas Points earning credit card. I also use my Qantas Points earning credit card to buy gift cards on Qantas Marketplace such as Uber Eats and add them to our wallets to make sure they’re available when we need them. We also earn points by staying in Accor Hotels when we travel.

“I earn about two million points a year. In December 2023, my husband and I took our family to Hong Kong Disneyland and all four of us travelled Business on points. I didn’t tell the kids where we were going – we surprised them when we got there and it was very, very special.

“I also flew four members of my family from Brazil to Australia for Christmas last year. That’s something that I wouldn’t be able to do with cash alone – but with points, it’s magical.”

“I started focusing on Qantas Points last year and I’ve already earned enough to fly all four of us from Singapore to Barcelona return.” – Monalene Inandan, NSW

“The big motivation to start collecting Qantas Points was to take my family to Spain while minimising our costs. I started focusing on points last year and I’ve already earned enough to fly all four of us from Singapore to Barcelona return. We’re going to sail around Europe on the Legend of the Seas cruise ship in September 2026 – it’s a bucket-list trip.

“You can easily turn your everyday bills into Qantas Points. I fill up my car with petrol at bp and have our electricity connected with Red Energy. 

“I chose a Qantas American Express Ultimate Card for my everyday spending because it has a great earn rate. I also convert my Everyday Rewards into Qantas Points when shopping at Woolworths, BIG W and BWS. These are the main ways I earn points, through boosting with Everyday Rewards partners.

“I always boost before my weekly shop but the fastest way to earn is when there’s a bonus points offer – sometimes 20x points – on gift cards. I’ve learned to purchase gift cards that I know I’ll need to use soon. For example, I use gift cards to buy my kids’ school shoes at The Athlete’s Foot or Platypus – so I’m getting the Everyday Reward points from the Woolworths gift card offer and then earning Qantas Points when I buy the shoes in-store or online. 

“We’ve been travelling since the kids were young but I really wish we’d been collecting Qantas Points sooner!”

“My partner and I use the points towards an overseas holiday every year and we put the money we’ve saved towards spending during our trip.” – Claire Osborne, NSW

“I’ve been a Qantas Frequent Flyer member since I was two years old but a couple of years ago I started making an effort to earn more points. I wanted to travel with my partner and it’s a lot easier to do it using points rather than saving up the cash.

“I use Qantas Points earning credit cards for all of my everyday expenses. The best thing about cards is that you can use them to shop at places such as Qantas Marketplace and earn Qantas Points that way but you’re also earning points on top of this from using the card. Double-dipping like this makes your balance bounce up fast. 

“I use Red Energy for gas and electricity so we received the sign-up bonus and get points every time we pay our bill. I earn Everyday Rewards points at Woolworths and convert them into Qantas Points. I have my house and car insured through Qantas Insurance and we fill up on petrol at bp as you can often get three times the amount of points when there’s an offer available to activate. My Uber account is linked in my Qantas Frequent Flyer app, so whenever I take an Uber ride to or from the airport, I earn points. And I also use Mad Paws pet sitting service for our dog when we’re travelling – that way we earn points for the duration of his stay and our trip. 

“My partner and I use the points towards an overseas holiday every year and we put the money we’ve saved towards spending during our trip. In October 2023 we went to New Zealand to celebrate finishing my master’s degree, hired a van and drove around the South Island. The following year we went to Fiji and stayed at a great resort. They were both incredible holidays."