A “concession card” can mean several different things in Queensland. Some cards are issued by the Queensland Government and others by the Australian Government, and each Queensland concession page lists the cards it accepts. This guide sorts out which card is which, where eligibility is set, and how to apply, using the official pages. It does not list dollar amounts, because they change; each concession page shows its current figures.
Start with who issues the card
The Queensland card is the Seniors Card program, which has three types: the Seniors Business Discount Card, the Seniors Card and the Seniors Card +go. The Pensioner Concession Card, the Health Care Card and the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are described on the Services Australia website, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) also issues Pensioner Concession Cards and Commonwealth Seniors Health Cards; the Services Australia cards are covered further below.
The Queensland Seniors Card program
The Seniors Business Discount Card gives access to discounts at participating Queensland businesses. The Seniors Card and the Seniors Card +go do that as well, and add concessions on some Queensland Government services such as car registration. The +go version also works as a go card on public transport in South East Queensland.
To use the Queensland online service you must be 60 or over and a permanent Queensland resident who lives in the state more than six months of the year. You can apply up to two months before your 60th birthday or at any time after, and the application is free. There is one form for all three cards, and you are matched with the card that best fits your eligibility.
You can apply online, in person, by phone, by email or by post. Online applicants need proof of age and address, such as a Queensland driver licence number, a Centrelink Customer Reference Number, a Department of Veterans’ Affairs file number or a Queensland adult proof of age card number. Seniors Card and +go holders can apply for Queensland Government concessions at the same time as the card.
Services Australia cards
The Pensioner Concession Card page says Services Australia will “automatically send” the card if you get certain payments from it, and that you do not need to apply. It sends one to people receiving the Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment single. Other groups can qualify too, for example people aged 55 or over on certain payments for more than nine months. If you do not receive a card you think you should have, the page says to call your regular Centrelink payment line. The card can give cheaper medicine, bulk billed doctor visits and help with hearing services.
The Health Care Card is described as a concession card for cheaper medicines and some discounts for people receiving a payment from Services Australia. The Concession and health care cards page, last updated on 23 October 2025, lists several kinds: the Health Care Card, the Low Income Health Care Card, the Foster Child Health Care Card and the Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card. For the payment-based Health Care Card, you must live in Australia, get some payments or supplements from Services Australia, and meet the age rules of the payment. The Low Income, Foster Child and Ex-Carer cards have their own conditions, set out on that page. The statement that you do not need to apply for a Health Care Card and that Services Australia will post it if you are eligible appears only on the separate Health Care Card page, which was last updated on 17 January 2023, so check the current page before relying on it. The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is different again. It requires Age Pension age, residency, no income support payment, no DVA-issued Pensioner Concession Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, and passing the income test. The same page says concession and health care cards can also be used for cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
How a card turns into a Queensland concession
The electricity rebate shows how a card is used. It lists the Queensland Seniors Card, a Services Australia or DVA Pensioner Concession Card, a Services Australia Health Care Card (for the electricity rebate only) and the Veteran Gold Card. Holders of a Foster Child Health Care Card and a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are not eligible for the electricity rebate. You must also be the electricity account holder, with the supply address being your principal place of residence, and only one rebate per household is paid. If you have an account with an electricity retailer, you apply by contacting the retailer. The page gives other routes: residents of an apartment complex, residential park, retirement village or granny flat contact the person or organisation sending the electricity bill, and customers on an Ergon card-operated meter have the rebate applied automatically to their linked power card.
Vehicle and boat registration works differently. The Transport and Main Roads concession page was last updated on 20 December 2023, so check it for changes. It says a Queensland resident holding a Queensland-issued Seniors Card is among those who may be eligible. The concession document and the registration must be in the same name, with mainly private use. It covers one vehicle and one recreational boat at a time. Seniors Card holders show their card once, while Pensioner Concession Card holders must show theirs each time they apply. A digital Pensioner Concession Card can be shown through the Centrelink Express Plus mobile app. At 9 November 2026 the Department of Transport and Main Roads page gives 13 23 80 as the number for removing a concession.
Property concessions are narrower. Eligible pensioners can receive a rates subsidy on the gross rates and charges levied by their council. A discount on the Emergency Management Levy is available for a principal place of residence if you hold a Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card or a Repatriation Health Card (Gold Card).
The electricity rebate and registration pages differ in the cards they accept and in how you apply, so read the page for each concession before assuming a card qualifies.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to apply for a Pensioner Concession Card?
No. Services Australia says it will automatically send a Pensioner Concession Card if you get certain payments from it.
Who can apply for a Queensland Seniors Card?
You must be 60 or over and a permanent Queensland resident living in the state more than six months of the year.
Can I apply for concessions when I apply for a Seniors Card?
Seniors Card and +go holders can apply for Queensland Government concessions at the same time as the card.
Does every concession accept every card?
No. For example, the electricity rebate excludes Foster Child Health Care Card and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders.
