How this winemaking business benefits from the American Express® Qantas Business Rewards Card
In the heart of the gold-rush village of Rylstone, de Beaurepaire Wines draws upon a rich history of French winemaking skills paired with smart business acumen. Here, they share their secrets to success.
“The ultimate judgement of quality wine is its ability to age,” says Will de Beaurepaire, whose family – originally from France – was the first winemaker in New South Wales’ historic Rylstone region.
In 1998, after many years searching for soil and climate (or Terroir) similar to Burgundy, Will’s parents Richard and Janet, founded De Beaurepaire Wines; a single-estate vineyard nestled in the foothills of the Wollemi National Park on the edge of the Cudgegong River.
A clear vision to craft top-notch French-style wines combined with a healthy dose of patience has paid off for the family-run business, acclaimed for its sparkling wines and pinot noir.
But their success hasn’t been without its challenges. “It takes a long time – we’re 22 years in, but it’s only been the last 10 years where we’ve really pulled out the stops.”
“You’ve got to keep investing in what adds value, otherwise you slip behind,” adds Richard de Beaurepaire. The Qantas Business Rewards program and American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card have been key tools to help their winery thrive.
The business benefits
“Running a winery requires constant investment to stay ahead of the curve,” says Will.
The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card has helped drive business development, such as financing a lease after an equipment breakdown or renovating their cellar door. “There’s a sense of urgency, especially around vintage, so you need to get things done at that very moment.”
Re-evaluating their approach to business has been critical in weathering tough periods over the last 12 months, including drought, bushfires and COVID-19 restrictions.
“We had growth rates of 50 per cent across all of our business, and then all of a sudden we had to turn around and change the way we operated,” says Will.
“During this time the Card offered an important line of funding because people couldn’t get to the cellar door and we lost a large part of our market selling to top restaurants.”
This meant an accelerated movement from cellar door to online sales. “We had to expand our online presence quite rapidly and refurbish our offering so people understood what we were doing,” explains Richard. “We were able to reorganise our finances and smooth cashflow.”
The American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card allows up to 51 days to pay for purchases1 and a Flexible Payment Option2 , which helps give greater flexibility and creativity within the business.
How they earn and use Qantas Points
De Beaurepaire Wines has cultivated a global following, including exports to Europe, Asia and the United States. With such a broad customer base, there’s naturally a lot of flying involved.
The business can earn triple Qantas Points on flights3 (when a Card Member books a Qantas Flight using an eligible Card, the business will be awarded three times the nominated amount of points) and have peace of mind with domestic and international travel insurance for you and your partner as well as employees holding Employee Cards4, and access to two domestic Qantas Club Lounge passes each Card Membership year5.
Card Members also earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday business spend; 0.5 points per $1 on utilities, insurance and government payments; and 2 points per $1 spent on Qantas products and services6, such as Qantas Flights, Qantas Wine and Qantas Insurance.
“Having the ability to generate points through the Qantas Business Rewards program and feed that back into what we do is invaluable,” says Richard.
Using Qantas Points and the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card to arrange flights has helped the business address urgent requirements in the past, such as flying internationally to complete deals with multi-billion-dollar companies including the InterContinental Hotel Group – an approved vendor of de Beaurepaire Wines. The family hope to continue flying internationally late next year to secure business when travel restrictions are set to lift.
“You’ve got to fit into their schedule and be nimble, but it’s to our advantage being a small player,” says Will.
“I can say ‘yes’ straight away using Qantas Points or the Card and not have to worry about the cost.”
With no pre-set spending limit on the Card7, the de Beaurepaires have more flexibility in accessing an unsecured line of funding and with that, more opportunity to earn Qantas Points – a valuable perk for visiting customers that further strengthens their export markets.
Important information
American Express approval criteria applies. Subject to Terms and Conditions. Fees and charges apply. All information is correct as at 10 July 2024 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).
1 Depending on your method of payment, when you make a purchase, when your statement is issued and whether or not you are carrying forward a balance on your account from your previous statement period. If you pay by direct debit, your payment will be processed 10 days after your statement is issued.
2 With Flexible Payment Option, you will be charged interest if you do not pay your Closing Balance in full by the due date each month. Please refer to your monthly statements for the current interest rate and PDS for number of interest free days. Subject to full Flexible Payment Option Terms and Conditions
3 A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn triple Qantas Points for business. The triple Qantas Points for business are only available for American Express Qantas Card Members when the Card is used to make an eligible Qantas flight booking. Qantas will allocate to the business an amount equal to the Qantas Points earned by the traveller when travelling for business against a rate of either: 20% (Level 1); or 30% (Level 2); or 40% (Level 3) multiplied by three . An eligible flight means a domestic or international flight which has a Qantas 'QF' flight number on the ticket that is purchased in Australia; is operated by Qantas, Emirates or American Airlines; has a ticket number commencing with '081'; and is booked and travelled for business on or after the date the business registers for Qantas Business Rewards. Exclusions apply. Triple Qantas Points for Business is not available in conjunction with any other rebate, Corporate Fares Agreement or discount arrangement with Qantas. A Member's ABN and traveller's Qantas Frequent Flyer number must be quoted at the time of booking to earn Qantas Points for both the business and the traveller. The maximum number of Qantas Points that can be earned from flying by a business with the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card is 4,000,000 per membership year as per the Triple Qantas Points for business benefit terms.
4 American Express Card Insurances are subject to terms, conditions and exclusions. The complimentary travel insurance cover is also subject maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and limits and is available when you use your American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card to pay for return domestic or international travel. American Express Card Insurances are underwritten by Chubb Insurance Australia Limited (ABN 23 001 642 020, AFSL No. 239687) ("Chubb") and are subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the American Express Card insurances policy of insurance between American Express International, Inc. (ABN 15 000 618 208, AFSL No. 237996) ("AEII") of 12 Shelley Street, Sydney 2000 and Chubb.
5 Provided the Primary Card Member is a Qantas Frequent Flyer member and has registered their Qantas Frequent Flyer number with your business' American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card, your business is eligible to receive two domestic Qantas Club Lounge Invitations each anniversary year of Card Membership once your business makes an Eligible Qantas Purchase on your American Express Card during that year. Eligible Qantas Purchases are Qantas passenger airfares with a QF flight number purchased directly from Qantas Australia that appear on your Card statement, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qantas Business Rewards or Qantas Club membership, joining or annual fees. Excludes purchases from Jetstar. Within 1-2 weeks of the Eligible Qantas Purchase, two Qantas Club Lounge Invitations will be assigned to the Qantas Frequent Flyer account nominated by the business. Visit the Complimentary Invitations Portal to access invitations, link it with an eligible Qantas flight booking or find out more information. Qantas Club Lounge Invitations are valid for a single visit by one guest to a domestic Qantas Club Lounge only and must be used prior to their expiry. Invitations are subject to the Qantas Club terms and conditions. Qantas Club Invitations cannot be carried forward to any subsequent year and must not be sold, they may only be transferred as allowed by Qantas. Invitations may be revoked or withheld if your business' American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card account is not in good standing, if the Eligible Qantas Purchase is refunded in full or if you have not complied with these Qantas Club Invitation Conditions, the Card Terms and Conditions or the Qantas Club Lounge Access Terms and Conditions.
6 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 and fees and charges for 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. Industry specific earn rate may apply when you use a payment account, payment aggregator, services of a third party or online retailers that sell goods for another merchant. For example a payment made to Local Government bodies processed through a payment aggregator may earn rates at the government earn rate. 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. From 10 January 2024, once you have earned a total of 500,000 Qantas Points on your Card Account in a calendar year, your earn rate of 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent will change to 0.75 Qantas Points per $1 spent on everyday business purchases. All other earn rates (Qantas products, services and government, utilities and insurances spend) will remain unchanged. The points threshold is based on eligible Qantas Points earned during a calendar year and will be reset on 1 January each year. Qantas Points earned by all Card Members on a Card Account contribute to the 500,000 points threshold each calendar year. Bonus points earned from Acquisition bonus offers and marketing campaigns are excluded from the threshold.
7 No pre-set spending limit does not mean unlimited spending. Your purchases are approved based on a variety of factors, including current spending patterns, your payment history, credit records, and financial resources known to us.
We acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, live and fly.
We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.