How the veterinary clinic saves on travel with Qantas Points earned at BP
Veterinary Specialists of Sydney’s new advanced treatment centre opened in June this year. Discover how it earns Qantas Points through BP Plus as a Qantas Business Rewards member, to help their staff stay at the cutting edge of science by attending conferences worldwide.
Discover how this Sydney veterinary clinic earns points on its everyday business expenses with BP, to help its staff learn the latest science at conferences worldwide.
When the Veterinary Specialists of Sydney (VSOS) facility opened its doors in NSW’s Miranda in June this year, it was the realisation of a long-held dream for its founders.
In 2017, doctors Karina Graham and Andrew Scott Levien – alongside their partners, Simon Graham (the facility’s general manager) and Tabitha Levien (the manager and a vet nurse) – joined forces on a mobile clinic and had grand plans to create a state-of-the-art advanced treatment centre for Sydney’s animals.
After years of planning, it officially opened on the long weekend. “That was to show that no matter what day it was, we were going to be open any day of the year, and 24 hours,” says Simon.
VSOS, which now has close to 70 staff working around the clock in its advanced treatment centre and emergency clinic, operates as a tertiary facility that vets in the Sydney region can refer pets to when they require more specialised care. It’s equipped to offer ultrasounds, echocardiograms, interventional radiology and intra-arterial chemotherapy, as well as complex surgical treatments performed by specialised veterinarians, including neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery. In short, it’s where you want your pet to be if they’re unwell.
“We wanted it to be the best; a higher-end service we can provide to the referring clinics so they can trust that we’re doing everything in our power to look after their patients,” says Simon. “We do everything we possibly can for the best outcomes for the patient. Our staff need to be animal-lovers, they need to be caring, they need to understand how sick these patients are and how we’re going to fix them.”
In addition to the hospital, VSOS also operates a mobile service that allows its specialists to hit the road and perform treatments at local veterinary clinics throughout Greater Sydney, rather than transporting the animal to the Miranda-based centre.
“We have specialists going to local general-practice clinics in the vans and performing specialist procedures in their facilities,” explains Simon.
VSOS fills the five vehicles with fuel from BP in order to earn Qantas Points as a Qantas Business Rewards member. With a BP Plus fuel card, members earn up to 1 Qantas Point for every litre of fuel – a bonus on a necessary expense. They can also earn 1 Qantas Point for every $1 spent on eligible instore purchases.
The business has a card for each van, all linked to the one BP Plus account. The fuel expenses for the entire fleet come through in a single consolidated invoice with up to 51 days interest-free; and BP Plus online allows members to manage and view their accounts online 24/7 to easily keep track of their balance sheet.
“It makes our accounts department seamless and easy to manage with combined cards on the one invoice,” says Simon.
The clinic also earns points* on business expenses through its Qantas American Express® Business Rewards Card, which it can use to earn points twice> when they pay their fuel invoice (up to 1 Qantas Point per litre from BP Plus, as well as 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on fuel) without incurring a surcharge.
Part of the way VSOS stays at the forefront of the latest science and technology in the animal-care space is by using Qantas Points for flights to international conferences when travel resumes.
“Earning these creates opportunities of using the points earned to utilise for continuous education support of flights and travel for our staff,” says Simon. “This will only increase once travel restrictions are lifted.”
Before COVID, we had started to utilise the rewards because all our vets, surgeons and specialists go overseas a lot to conferences.”
“This industry is very loving and caring and the vets, nurses and reception staff are trying to do whatever they can for these patients. It’s quite a thrill to see the effort they all go to.”
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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