The Queensland Seniors Card: How it works and how to get one
The Sunshine State is known as a popular place to live in retirement, with world-famous beaches stretching along much of the coast, from Coolangatta to Port Douglas and beyond. But sunny days by the sea aren’t the only potential perk of living in Queensland as a senior.
Key points:
- There are thousands of businesses in Queensland that offer discounts or concessions to Seniors Card holders
- To be eligible you must be a permanent resident of Queensland or live in Queensland for at least six months of the year
- You can apply for a Queensland Seniors Card online, by post, by phone or over the counter
Here’s our guide to the Queensland Seniors Card, including an overview of its benefits, eligibility requirements and how to apply for one.
What is the Queensland Seniors Card?
The Queensland Seniors Card is a benefit for eligible Queensland residents who meet certain age, employment and other criteria. It can be a valuable key to unlocking a range of discounts and benefits from participating businesses, as well as accessing certain Government concessions and the Senior Shopper service.
What does the Queensland Seniors Card do?
Holding a Queensland Seniors Card entitles you to discounts at a range of stores and businesses around Queensland, as well as the option to upgrade to a Seniors Card +go, which includes the discounts but also functions as a seniors go card on Translink services.
It also gives you access to the Senior Shopper service – a free online and phone-shopping service designed to help members save money on purchases.
What kinds of discounts do you get with a Queensland Seniors Card?
According to the Queensland Government, there are thousands of businesses in Queensland that offer discounts or concessions to Seniors Card holders, including retailers, utility companies and professional service providers.
You can use the Queensland Government’s website to search for participating businesses based on a particular keyword or the general category of product or service you are looking for, along with your location.
Government subsidies and concessions that may be available to eligible cardholders include the Electricity Rebate Scheme and Pensioner Rate Subsidy Scheme. Visit the Government’s Savers page for a full list.
Compare Superannuation with Canstar
The table below displays some of the superannuation funds currently available on Canstar’s database for Australians aged 30 to 39 with a super balance of up to $55,000. The results shown are sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) and then by 5 year return (highest to lowest). Performance figures shown reflect net investment performance, i.e. net of investment tax, investment management fees and the applicable administration fees based on an account balance of $50,000. To learn more about performance information, click here. Consider the Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD. Use Canstar’s superannuation comparison selector to view a wider range of super funds. Canstar may earn a fee for referrals.
- Performance, fee and other information displayed in the table has been updated from time to time since the rating date and may not reflect the products as rated.
- The performance and fee information shown in the table is for the investment option used by Canstar in rating of the superannuation product.
- Performance information shown is for the historical periods up to 31/01/2024 and investment options noted in the table information.
- Performance figures shown reflect net investment performance, i.e. net of investment tax, investment management fees and the applicable administration fees based on an account balance of $50,000. To learn more about performance information, click here.
- Performance data may not be available for some products. This is indicated in the tables by a note referring the user to the product provider, or by no performance information being shown.
- Please note that all information about performance returns is historical. Past performance should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance; unit prices and the value of your investment may fall as well as rise.
- Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need financial advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. See our Detailed Disclosure.
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Performance and Investment Allocation Differences
- Fee, performance and asset allocation information shown in the table above have been determined according to the investment profile in the Canstar Superannuation Star Ratings methodology.
- Some providers use different age groups for their investment profiles which may result in you being offered or being eligible for a different product to what is displayed in the table. See here for more details.
- Australian Retirement Trust Super Savings’ allocation of funds for investors aged 55-99 differ from Canstar’s methodology – see details here.
- The Australian Retirement Trust Super Savings (formerly Sunsuper for Life) product may appear in the table multiple times. While you will not be offered any single investment option, this is to take into account the different combinations of investment options Australian Retirement Trust may apply to your account based on your age. For more detail in relation to the Australian Retirement Trust (formerly SunSuper for Life) product please refer to the PDS issued by Australian Retirement Trust for this product.
- Investment profiles applied initially may change over time in line with an investor’s age. See the provider’s Product Disclosure Statement and TMD and in particular applicable age groups for more information about how providers determine their investment profiles.
What is the Seniors Card plus go?
If you have both a Queensland Seniors Card and a senior go card, you can combine the two by applying to upgrade your Queensland Seniors Card to a Seniors Card +go. It offers the functionality of both cards in one.
You can apply to upgrade your Queensland Seniors Card through the Queensland Government website, where you can also apply to upgrade to a Seniors Card +go from a Seniors Business Discount Card (if you are eligible to do so) and manage the details of your card.
What is the Seniors Business Discount Card?
For those who are not eligible for the Queensland Seniors Card or Seniors Card +go, the Seniors Business Discount Card could be an option. It offers discounts on goods and services at participating outlets throughout Queensland, as well as access to the free Senior Shopper service.
What is Senior Shopper?
Senior Shopper is an online and phone service which uses ‘volume purchasing power’ to help its members save on the cost of a range of goods and services. This includes electrical goods, furniture, travel, motor vehicles, computers, fishing tackle and more.
According to the Queensland Government, eligible cardholders can use this service by doing their own research on what they want to buy first, before contacting Senior Shopper with the make and model of the item and the best price it was available for. Senior Shopper will follow up to inform you if a discount is available and help facilitate the purchase if you decide to proceed.
While it’s available to eligible Queensland residents, Senior Shopper is also available elsewhere in Australia and, according to its website, currently services more than 3,500,000 seniors across the country.
Who is eligible for a Queensland Seniors Card?
To be eligible for a Queensland Seniors Card, Seniors Card+go or a Seniors Business Discount Card, you must:
- either be a permanent resident of Queensland or live in Queensland for at least six months of the year with your Queensland address registered as your home address with one of the following:
- Electoral Commission of Queensland
- Centrelink
- Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs
To be eligible for the Seniors Business Discount Card, you must also be 60 years or older (as well as meeting the above residency conditions).
To be eligible for the Seniors Card or Seniors Card+go you must also:
- be 65 years or older and working less than 35 hours a week in paid employment, or
- be 60-64 years old, work less than 35 hours a week in paid employment, and hold one of the following:
- Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card
- Commonwealth Health Care Card
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange card
How do I apply for a Queensland Seniors Card?
You can apply for a Queensland Seniors Card in one of four ways: online, by post, by phone or over the counter. Whichever method you choose, you will need one of the following to apply:
- Centrelink customer reference number (CRN)
- Department of Veterans’ Affairs file number
- Queensland driver licence number
- Queensland adult proof of age card number
The Queensland Government states the same application process is used for all three types of card, so you only have to apply once. The Government will issue you with the card that best fits your eligibility.
Applying online
To apply online, go to the Queensland Government’s website and follow the prompts.
Applying by post
To apply by post, print and fill out the application form, and then mail it to:
Card Services
Smart Service Queensland
Reply Paid 10817
Brisbane Adelaide Street QLD 4000
Applying by phone
Call 13 QGOV (13 74 68) to apply over the phone.
Applying over the counter
Find your nearest Government service office and visit it in order to apply in person.
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Canstar may earn a fee for referrals from its website tables and from Promotion or Sponsorship of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and Sponsorship or Promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship or Promotion fees may be higher than referral fees.
On our ratings results, comparison tables and some other advertising, we may provide links to third party websites. The primary purpose of these links is to help consumers continue their journey from the ‘research phase’ to the ‘purchasing’ phase. If customers purchase a product after clicking a certain link, Canstar may be paid a commission or fee by the referral partner. Where products are displayed in a comparison table, the display order is not influenced by commercial arrangements and the display sort order is disclosed at the top of the table.
Sponsored or Promoted products are clearly disclosed as such on the website page. They may appear in a number of areas of the website, such as in comparison tables, on hub pages, and in articles. The table position of the Sponsored or Promoted product does not indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar.
Sponsored or Promoted products table
- Sponsored or promoted products that are in a table separate to the comparison tables in this article are displayed from lowest to highest annual cost.
- Performance figures shown for Sponsored or Promoted products reflect net investment performance, i.e. net of investment tax, investment management fees and the applicable administration fees based on an account balance of $50,000. To learn more about performance information, click here.
- Please note that all information about performance returns is historical. Past performance should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance; unit prices and the value of your investment may fall as well as rise.
Cover image source: Kym McLeod/Shutterstock.com
This is an update of an article originally written by Sean Callery.
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