Qantas Airways: The Complete Guide To Earning & Redeeming Qantas Points

Contents

1 Qantas Frequent Flyer Elite Status
2 Earning Qantas Points
3 Earning Qantas Points with American Express Membership Rewards®
4 Redeeming Qantas Points
5 Qantas Frequent Flyer Tips & Tricks
6 Bottom Line

Qantas Airways, the flag carrier of Australia, is the third-oldest airline in the world. The Oneworld founding member flies to 27 international destination in 14 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania, not counting destinations served by its subsidiaries.

See our best credit card bonuses here.

Frequent Flyer is the loyalty program of Qantas, letting members earn and spend points on flights, upgrades and other experiences with the carrier and its partners. Keep reading for everything you need to know about Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Frequent Flyer Quick Facts

Hubs	Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
Alliance	Oneworld
Redemption Options	Flights, upgrades, lounge access, merchandise, gift cards, hotel rooms, rental cars, wine, insurance, donations
Average Point Value	$0.011

Qantas Frequent Flyer Elite Status

Qantas Frequent Flyer has four elite status tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One. To go from one tier to the next, you must earn a certain number of Status Credits:

STATUS TIER	STATUS CREDITS REQUIRED
Silver	300
Gold	700
Platinum	1,400
Platinum One	3,600 (at least 2,700 on Qantas flights)

The number of Status Credits earned per flight depends on where you fly, as well as airline and fare purchased. The more premium the cabin and the more flexible the fare, the more Status Credits you earn.

Your status benefits unlock the moment you reach a tier until the end of the next full membership year.

TRAVEL BENEFITSAIRPORT BENEFITSLOUNGE BENEFITSOTHER BENEFITS

	SILVER	GOLD	PLATINUM	PLATINUM ONE
Status Bonus Points w/ Qantas & Jetstar	50%	75%	100%	100%
Status Bonus Points w/ American Airlines	50%	75%	100%	100%
Preferred & complimentary seating	X	X	X	X
Preferential access to Classic Flight Reward Seats	X	X	X	X
International upgrades 2 days to departure			X	X
International upgrades 7 days to departure				X
Gift Platinum membership				X
Dedicated Platinum One Team support				X
Complimentary Extra Legroom Seating				X

	SILVER	GOLD	PLATINUM	PLATINUM ONE
Priority check-in	X	X	X	X
Priority waitlist/airport standby	X	X	X	X
Priority boarding		X	X	X
Additional checked bag allowance	X	X	X	X
Chip-enabled Qantas Card	X	X	X	X
Chip-enabled Q Bag Tags	X	X	X	X
Premium security lanes		Domestic	X	X
Priority checked baggage		X	X	X

	SILVER	GOLD	PLATINUM	PLATINUM ONE
Qantas Club	1 invite	X	X	X
Qantas Domestic Business Lounge			X	X
Qantas International Business Lounge		X	X	X
Access to Oneworld member lounges		X	X	X
Access to Emirates Business Lounge		X	X	X
Access to Qantas First Lounge			X	X
Access to Emirates First Lounge			X	X
2 complimentary lounge invitations				X

	SILVER	GOLD	PLATINUM	PLATINUM ONE
Choice of Platinum Bonus Reward			X	X
Bonus Qantas Points				X
Qantas Wine membership				X
Qantas Golf Club Premium membership				X
Access to Qantas MCA Lounge				X
Invitations to special events and experiences				X

Earning Qantas Points

FLIGHTSOTHER WAYS

Earn Qantas Points on every eligible flight with Qantas, Jetstar and over 50 Oneworld member and partner airlines, as well as their affiliates. How many points you earn depends on the fare class and type of ticket you purchased.

Partner airlines include:

You can also earn points when you travel or shop with Qantas Frequent Flyer partners.

Hotels, including Qantas Hotels, Accor, Airbnb, Choice, Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Radisson, TFE, Hyatt and Swiss-Belhotel.
Rental cars, including Qantas Transfers, Avis and Budget.
Qantas Activities, with Viator.
The Qantas Club

If you’re short on points needed for a redemption, you can purchase them in blocks of 1,000.

Earning Qantas Points with American Express Membership Rewards®

One of the easiest ways to earn Qantas Points is by transferring your American Express Membership Rewards® points at a 1:1 ratio. Credit cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards include:

Personal Cards	The Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Gold Card American Express® Green Card
Business Cards	The Business Platinum Card® from American Express American Express® Business Gold Card

THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESSAMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARDTHE BUSINESS PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESSAMERICAN EXPRESS® BUSINESS GOLD CARD

THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.

Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.

You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.

With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.

The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.

For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.

Card Review

AMERICAN EXPRESS® GOLD CARD

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The American Express® Gold Card has a welcome bonus for 60,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $4,000 within 6 months.

Membership Rewards Points have great flexibility. We value each point to be worth up to an average 2 cents per point. At this value, 60k Membership Rewards Points can be worth up to $1,200.

The Amex Gold Card has plentiful perks. You’ll get:

Choice between Gold or Rose Gold.
4X points at restaurants, including takeouts and deliveries in the U.S.
4X points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per year in purchases (1X thereafter)
3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
Up to $120 in annual dining credits (get up to $10 monthly statement credits)
No foreign transaction fees

The annual fee is $250. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.

Card Review

THE BUSINESS PLATINUM CARD^® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome offer for 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. We value 120k points to be worth around $2,400.

This card earns 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (amextravel.com). Also earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else. Cap applies.

This is a premium business card with a $695 annual fee. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.

Card Review

AMERICAN EXPRESS® BUSINESS GOLD CARD

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

For a limited time, the American Express Business Gold Card has an offer for 70,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.

This card earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. These 4X points are capped at the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.

Other card benefits include an Airline Bonus, where you’ll get 25% points back after you redeem points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel. This is capped at up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.

The annual fee is $295 for this card. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.

Card Review

Other transfer partners include:

REWARDS PROGRAM	TRANSFER RATIO
Capital One® Rewards	2:1.5
Citi ThankYou® Rewards	1:1
Marriott Bonvoy	3:1*

*With a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 points transferred.

Redeeming Qantas Points

Qantas Points expire after 18 months of inactivity. Make sure to earn or burn points at least every year and a half to keep your account active.

FLIGHTS & UPGRADESTHE QANTAS CLUBOTHER WAYS

Redeem your Qantas Points for flights with Qantas and Jetstar:

Classic Flight Rewards. This is a great option if you’re looking for value.
Points Plus Pay Flights. Use a combination of points and cash.
Classic Upgrade Rewards. Upgrade to Premium Economy, Business or First if you’re flying on a Qantas-marketed and operated flight.
Bid Now Upgrades. If your ticket is eligible, you may be invited to use your points, or a combination of points and cash, to upgrade to a more premium cabin.

Classic Flight Rewards are available with all the airline partners below. Points Plus Pay Flights are only available with selected partner airlines.

Air France
Air New Zealand
Air Tahiti Nui
Air Vanuatu
Aircalin
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
China Airlines
China Eastern
EL AL
Emirates
Fiji Airways

The Qantas Club gives unlimited access to the largest airline lounge network in Australia and overseas, as well as the following perks:

One complimentary guest invite each time you travel.
On departure upgrade rewards on domestic Classic Flight Rewards.
Additional checked baggage when flying Economy and Premium Economy and priority check-in on Qantas flights.
Discounts on Qantas meeting rooms in Australia.

MEMBERSHIP	FEES	REGULAR COST
One Year	52,000 points	$360
Two Years	89,000 points	$580
Four Years	155,000 points	$1,150

There’s also a one-time joining fee of 37,000 Qantas Points.

Use your Qantas Points for:

Products and gift cards from the Qantas Store.
Hotel stays via Qantas Hotels or Luxury Escapes.
Rental cars with Avis, Budget, Hertz or Thrifty.
Wine, spirits and gourmet food from Qantas Wine.
Health, travel, car and life insurance through Qantas Insurance.
Woolworths eGift cards.
Charitable donations.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Tips & Tricks

BEST REDEMPTIONSMEMBER PROMOTIONS

Upgrades on Qantas-operated flights. Requesting an upgrade with points is a painless process, and you’ll have a good chance at getting them cleared.

Qantas domestic & trans-Tasman business class. There’s often availability if you have flexible travel dates, and if you look for an award seat early enough.

Jetstar Starclass. Jetstar flies a number of domestic and international routes that Qantas does not cover. Plus, you’ll get a 20% points discount for Jetstar Starclass when it’s available on a route.

Redemptions with Qantas-specific partners. Particularly Emirates and Fiji Airways. These partners are not available through global alliances.

Oneworld classic flight awards. These are huge, multi-stop itineraries that include two or more oneworld airlines without Qantas, or three or more airlines with Qantas.

Qantas regularly offers exclusive promotions, letting you earn bonus points with various partners. Sign up for the Qantas mailing list and keep a close eye on the Qantas website, so you can stay on top of these limited-time deals. Make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully.

Bottom Line

Qantas Frequent Flyer isn’t the most valuable airline loyalty program out there. That said, it does offer an easy way to “earn” points by transferring from popular rewards programs, such as American Express Membership Rewards®, Citi ThankYou® Rewards,Capital One® Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Plus, Qantas provides some great options for redeeming your points.

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