How this gardening business used BP Plus to grow its Qantas Points balance
The joy in creating a garden from scratch is seeing a vision come to life, according to Appleseed Gardening’s Darren Kerr. Discover how he grows his business – and his Qantas Points balance – through Qantas Business Rewards and the BP Plus fuel card.
Appleseed Gardening’s Darren Kerr grows his business – and his Qantas Points balance – by earning points through Qantas Business Rewards and the BP Plus fuel card.
Creating a beautiful garden is not unlike creating a work of art. There’s the planning, the selection of just the right materials, the sketching and re-sketching and then – finally – the opportunity to stand back and admire the finished product.
It’s this chance to unleash his creativity that drew Darren Kerr to horticulture and to opening his own landscaping business, Appleseed Gardening, in Sydney’s Inner West.
“I’ve always had a very strong interest in horticulture,” he explains. “I went to uni to study science and then did my certificate in horticulture after that. I realised after working for other people that I could do something similar working for myself and have a bit more creative control.
“I love being able to transform something. Although more of my time now is spent in an office, I really do love working outside and working with plants.”
Originally, it was just Darren and his ute. Now, 11 years since he started the business, there are seven staff and trends have definitely changed – rather than elaborate, formal gardens, people are after low-maintenance, drought-resistant native plants, veggie gardens and fruit trees.
One positive outcome from the COVID-19 restrictions has been a busier winter for Appleseed Gardening, with more people spending more time at home and taking the plunge to give their surroundings a makeover.
“We’ve had a really busy six months. We normally slow down a bit during the cooler months but this year it’s been nonstop – kind of a silver lining to COVID-19,” he says. “A lot of people are spending more time at home and want to get their yard and garden looking nice while they are inside working.”
Most of Appleseed Gardening’s clientele live in Sydney, which means plenty of zipping around the city in one of the business’s five utes to source plants and materials and transport them to the worksite.
As a Qantas Business Rewards member, Appleseed Gardening earns up to 1 Qantas Point for every litre of fuel when they juice up the vehicles using a BP Plus fuel card, as well as an additional 1.25 Qantas Points> per $1 spent on fuel by paying with the Qantas American Express® Business Rewards Card. They spend around $2,500 on fuel each month.
Handily, there are 155 BP service stations in greater Sydney (and 1400 across Australia), making it easy for the team to fill up between jobs.
“We have 5 utes and machinery that require fuel and lubricants so we are constantly filling up at BP. The fact that I can earn points from that essential product is awesome,” says Darren. “It is something we need to purchase anyway so to gain points is just an added bonus.”
“Each vehicle has a fuel card associated with it that’s linked to Qantas Business Rewards so all the fuel for our utes and machinery earns points through BP,” says Darren. “It’s always nice to go and check the points balance and see that, over time, we’re just accruing more points because of the everyday running of the business.”
The spending from each card is also consolidated into a single invoice, which Darren says makes bookkeeping much easier.
“The guys don’t need to keep or upload each receipt and the total allows me to keep a track of what we spend each month. It integrates easily into Xero, which my accountant loves!”
Next on the agenda? Focusing on expanding Appleseed Gardening.
“Going into the new year, I’m looking to hire a few new people to increase the team and just keep on growing the business – and the plants!”
Important information
*A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn Qantas Points for business. Membership and Qantas Points are subject to Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions. 1 Qantas Point will be earned for every litre of Ultimate 98. 1 Qantas Point will be earned for every 2 litres of 91, 95, Diesel, and Ultimate Diesel. 1 Qantas Point per dollar spent will be earned on eligible in-store purchases. For a full list of eligible in-store purchases, please refer to the BP Plus Terms and Conditions. Qantas Points will be awarded to the eligible Member's account 4 weeks after a BP Plus account has been paid. Qantas Points for BP Plus members are offered under, and subject to the BP Terms and Conditions. Any claims in relation to Qantas Points under this offer must be made directly to BP at aurewards@bp.com.
>A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn Qantas Points for business. Membership and the earning of Qantas Points as a business are subject to the Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions. Points are earned in accordance with and subject to the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card Points Terms and Conditions. Your business will earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 of everyday spend, which does not include annual fees, late payment fee, fees and charges for travellers cheques and foreign currencies. Your business will earn 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 spent at participating merchants classified as "utilities" including gas, water and electricity providers; "government" including the Australian Taxation Office, the Australian Postal Corporation, federal/state and local government bodies; and "insurance" excluding insurances offered by American Express. Your business will earn 2 Qantas Points per $1 spent on the following Qantas Products and Services purchased on the Qantas merchant account (i.e. directly from Qantas): Qantas passenger flights (with a QF flight number), Qantas Holidays, Qantas Branded non-airfare products, and Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qantas Club membership joining and annual fees. Excludes Jetstar. For the full list of exclusions, please refer to the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card Points Terms and Conditions.
#American Express approval criteria applies. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Fees and charges apply. All information is correct as at and is subject to change. This offer is only available to those who reside in Australia. Cards are offered, issued and administered by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085), $450 annual fee applies. Subject to the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card Points Terms and Conditions . 0% card service fee is offered by BP Plus and open to BP Plus account holders only. BP Plus terms and conditions apply see www.bp.com.au/amexofferconditions for full conditions.
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