Beware the Qantas Cash Card
I post this as a warning to anyone thinking of activating and using their new Qantas Cash Card.
Qantas have been issuing Qantas Cash Cards to eligible frequent flyer members and when I got mine in the mail I read the blurb and thought this looks pretty good. You can load it with up to nine different foreign currencies and also Aussie dollars. Just the thing I thought, as I was planning an overseas trip.
So, I activate my card, load it with euros and off I jet to Europe. All goes well until yesterday when the card just stops working (embarrassing when you try to pay for a meal you have just consumed). No money, no nothing and no explanation from Qantas Cash. Must be a computer glitch thinks I. An expensive phone call to the Qantas Cash call centre (the 13 number does not work overseas) politely informs me that my card has been cancelled and my money is consequently not available. Why? Because my trip to Europe has earned me lots of frequent flyer points and (lucky me) my status has been upgraded and as a consequence a new card has been issued to me which needs to be activated. Where is the new card? In Australia! Where am I? In Italy!
Qantas Cash flatly refuse to reactivate my card with all the funds on it.
The moral is: do not use a Qantas Cash card if you are going to earn Qantas points whilst you travel which will get you an upgraded frequent flyer status. Qantas will take away your money as an added bonus!