CommBank Awards Is Removing Nearly Every Transfer Partner

Australia’s largest credit card issuer, Commonwealth Bank, will make sweeping changes to its CommBank Awards program by removing nearly every airline and hotel transfer partner. From 1 October 2025, members will lose the ability to convert their CommBank Awards Points to every hotel program and almost every airline program currently offered.

The cuts leave Virgin’s Velocity Frequent Flyer as the only direct transfer partner. Transfers to Qantas Frequent Flyer will still be available, but only through the auto-redemption feature, which carries a $90 annual fee to opt in.

The change is confirmed on the Commonwealth Bank website, which states: “Please note from 1 October 2025 members will only be able to transfer to Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer.”

The change was first posted to the AFF form last week by member henrus. But according to Wayback Machine, Commbank made these sneaky changes on 11 July 2025, by updating its Awards terms & conditions and also the CommBank Awards Program website. Of course, Commbank did little (if anything) to notify members of the transfer partner cull.

Flight Hacks has contacted Commonwealth Bank for comment on these changes. We will update this post once a response is received.

What Does This Mean For CommBank Awards Members?

This means the complete removal of popular programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Emirates Skywards and Air France/KLM Flying Blue. The same can be said for every hotel partner, which includes Marriott Bonvoy, Accor Live Limitless and Hilton Honors.

Currently, customers who hold a CommBank Awards credit card enjoy one of the most flexible rewards programs in Australia, with an impressive 12 airline and 4 hotel loyalty programs to transfer to. Only American Express comes close to CommBank’s current offering with its 12 airline and 2 hotel transfer options.

CommBank Awards Brought In Transfer Partners In 2018

CommBank Awards wasn’t always the transfer partner powerhouse it later became. In fact, Velocity Frequent Flyer and Qantas Frequent Flyer (for a fee) were the only two options for years.

But in 2018, CommBank employed Singapore-based Ascenda to bring in ten new transfer partners. While the line-up has shifted over time, CommBank continued to offer solid transfer options over the years.

Summing Up

From October 2025, CommBank Awards will plunge from one of Australia’s most flexible credit card rewards programs to one of the most worthless. With Velocity as the only direct transfer partner, the CommBank Awards will offer zero real flexibility for frequent flyers. At that point, CommBank might as well issue a Velocity-branded card.

For anyone who values choice and premium travel, the message is clear: it’s time to look elsewhere for a credit card that delivers, and a bank that doesn’t bury bad news in the fine print.