CBA punishes Qantas customers in reward points overhaul

Commonwealth Bank is pushing customers to spend their credit card rewards with Virgin’s Velocity scheme instead of Qantas Frequent Flyer points, as part of a dramatic overhaul of its loyalty program.

On Tuesday, the bank announced the changes to its reward points program, which will also include the launch of a new inhouse “Yello” points currency, ahead of an October ban imposed by the Reserve Bank on the credit card surcharges that have funded generous perks to date.

Under the new scheme, customers wanting to convert Yello points to airline points will get more generous rates when exchanging them for Virgin Velocity points than Qantas Frequent Flyer points.

As part of its changes, Commbank customers who only have one credit card with the bank will receive fewer points for their spending, while those who bundle multiple products with the bank, such as a mortgage or term deposits, will get more. Disincentivising credit card churners and encouraging customers to increase their involvement with CBA will fund the broader Yello points scheme, as banks grapple with a shortfall in revenue from the interchange fee caps and surcharge ban.

Angus Sullivan, who leads the bank’s retail division, said the change would let more customers earn rewards. “For the first time more than nine million of our customers can earn points on the everyday banking they’re already doing – their home loan, savings, insurance and cards – and redeem them on the things that matter, from groceries, utility bills and fuel through to a well-earned holiday,” Sullivan said.

Details of the exact points earn rates for each airline and retailer will be announced later on Tuesday.

Both the Reserve Bank’s reforms – which include the surcharge ban and a cap on fees paid by merchants every time a shopper pays for something with a card, which is expected to cut banks’ revenue by $660 million a year – and Commonwealth’s new credit card points scheme will come into effect from October.

Airlines create rewards points for their own loyalty schemes and sell these to retailers, banks and other companies who use these as customer benefits. Sources with knowledge of the matter said Virgin offered CBA a more generous value for its Velocity points than Qantas did.

Other retailers CBA has partnered with include DoorDash, Woolworths, Origin Energy and Myer.