Qantas frequent flyers will soon be able to use their membership to shop overseas, as part of the airline’s latest improvement to its Frequent Flyer program.

From third quarter 2013, Australian-based members will be presented with a next generation Qantas Frequent Flyer member card, which will have an in-built prepaid functionality, called Qantas Cash.

The chip will allow the group’s members to transfer money onto the card and then use it to shop at up to 35 million locations where MasterCard is accepted.

The card will also double up as a travel card, allowing members to withdraw cash and foreign currency from up to 2.1 million ATMs in Australia and overseas.

Qantas Loyalty chief executive Lesley Grant said the new feature taps into the growing area of electronic payment, while allowing members to earn points off their transactions.

“This new generation card will open the door to a lot of other uses through smart chip technology and the ability to integrate it with mobiles, meaning the sky really is the limit,” Ms Grant said.

Key features of the card will be:

• Single card for multiple purposes: loyalty membership, airline check-in and boarding, everyday purchases, travel money card.
• Load up to nine different currencies on the card, lock in exchange rates, and use it for in- store transactions when travelling overseas, to withdraw foreign currency from ATMs internationally or to purchase online.
• Earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points for making eligible purchases on the card.

The ability for Bronze Frequent Flyers to use their card to check-in at airports and as their boarding pass (currently only available to Silver, Gold and Platinum card holders).

Additional details of the Product Disclosure Statement will be made available to members closer to the third quarter of this year. 

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