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.
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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.
| 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.
| 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
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:
- Air France
- Air New Zealand
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Air Vanuatu
- Aircalin
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- LATAM
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- Solomon Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- WestJet
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:
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.
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.
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 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership. We value 80k points to be worth around $1,600.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
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