Qantas Frequent Flyer rewards can help you score free flights, upgrades, and hotel stays – music to our ears. Find out all the myriad ways you can earn more Qantas points with Skyscanner.
If you’re not using or earning frequent flyer points, you could be leaving money on the table. To help you book your next flight deal (Byron Bay? Singapore? Rome?) we break down everything you need to know about Qantas Points this post.
- How do Qantas Points work?
- What is the Qantas Points club?
- Are Qantas Points worth it?
- How can I earn Qantas Points?
- How many Qantas Points does it take to earn a free flight?
- How many Qantas Points does it take to earn an upgrade?
- What airlines can I use my Qantas Points with?
- Where can I go with Qantas Points?
- If I book through Skyscanner do I lose my Qantas Points?
- When do Qantas Points expire?
1. How do Qantas Points work?
Members of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program accrue Qantas Points whenever they spend on eligible purchases. These include flights, hotel bookings, car hire, tours and even everyday essentials.
These points can then be used towards the same type of purchases they were earned from, such as flights, travel upgrades and other travel perks. Think of Qantas Points like a fun form of currency that can be used in lieu of cash.
2. What is the Qantas Points club?
The Qantas Frequent Flyer program is where you can earn and use Qantas Points. These points can then be used to travel for free, or cheaply, all around the world. It costs $99.50 AUD to sign up for the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, and you’ll be given 16,500 Qantas Points for joining.
There is also Qantas Club, a more expensive option, but it offers travellers perks like access to Qantas lounges around the world, extra checked baggage allowance and extra upgrade requests. Joining the Qantas Club costs $600 AUD for your first year, and comes with 93,000 Qantas Points.
3. Are Qantas Points worth it?
Yes, it’s worth earning and using Qantas Points even if you’re not a regular traveller. While it does cost $99.50 AUD to join the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and start earning or using Qantas Points, you will receive 16,500 points upon sign-up. This is worth more than $99.50 AUD in flights.
For example, according to the Qantas Points calculator, with 16,000 Qantas Points you can fly round-trip between Sydney and Melbourne. Plus, once you’ve joined, there are no costs to maintain your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.
4. How can I earn Qantas Points?
Earning Qantas Points is pretty simple. Whenever you purchase a flight, car rental, or activity affiliated with the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, you’ll earn Qantas Points.
You’ll also earn on flights booked with their 20 affiliated airlines, and every airline that is part of the Oneworld travel alliance. If you also find and book hotel stays and hire cars through Qantas partners.
For your everyday items, see if your bank offers a Qantas partnered credit card where you’ll be eligible to earn points on nearly every purchase. If you’re a member of Everyday Rewards, convert your rewards points to Qantas Points while shopping for daily essentials.
If you’re splurging on specialty items, earn Qantas Points without a credit card through Qantas Shopping! There lots of brands partnered with Qantas Shopping, and you can earn Qantas Points on everything from clothes to home appliances to tech gear to makeup and more. See the full list of how and where you can earn Qantas Points here.
5. How many Qantas Points does it take to earn a free flight?
You’ll need a minimum of 8,000 Qantas Points to earn a domestic economy Qantas flight (less than 600 miles one-way). For a similar domestic economy Jetstar flight, you’ll need a minimum of 6,400 Qantas Points. Taxes, fees and carrier charges are in addition to Qantas Points. The Qantas Points calculator is where you’ll find how many points are required for each journey.
There are a few factors that go into how many points a flight costs. Generally, the number of points you’ll need to earn your free flight depends on how many one-way miles you’ll be travelling, your cabin class, and the airline you’ll be travelling with. If you want to go all-out in First Class on a long haul trip, that could be a cool 227,500 Qantas Points.
6. How many Qantas Points does it take to earn an upgrade?
Qantas Point requirements for flight upgrades depend on the length of your journey and the level of upgrade you seek. For example, if you’ve purchased an eligible economy flight, you’ll need at least 8,700 Qantas Points to upgrade to premium economy or at least 13,000 Qantas Points to upgrade to business class on a domestic flight less than 600 one-way miles. If you have a flight in mind, crunch the numbers through the Qantas Upgrade calculator.
7. What airlines can I use my Qantas Points with?
You can use your Qantas Points on over 20 airlines in addition to Qantas and Jetstar. Qantas is part of Oneworld, which is an airline alliance that flies all over the world. All of the airlines part of Oneworld are eligible for using Qantas Points.
Earn and spend your points on trips with:
- Air France
- Air New Zealand
- Air Tahiti Nui
- Air Vanuatu
- Aircalin
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- China Airlines
- China Eastern
- Emirates
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- KLM
- LATAM
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- Solomon Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
- WestJet
8. Where can I go with Qantas Points?
You can use Qantas Points on flights to over 1,300 destinations around the world! The simpler question is where can’t you go?
Qantas Points are easy to use on all domestic and international flights offered by Qantas and Jetstar. Venture across the Tasman on flights with Air New Zealand — or, head to the warm waters of the South Pacific with Fiji Airways, Air Vanuatu, Solomon Airlines and Air Tahiti Nui. China Eastern, SriLankan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines might inspire a jaunt around Asia. If your sights are set on a long-haul getaway, look at the connection maps of American Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM, Finnair and British Airways.
9. If I book through Skyscanner do I lose my points?
No, you will not lose your Qantas Points if you book your travels through Skyscanner. When you search and select a flight with Skyscanner you are connected directly to one of our thousands of travel partners.
From there, you can enter your Qantas Frequent Flyer number to claim your points. You’ll then find the points accrued on flights booked through Skyscanner listed on the activity log of your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.
10. When do Qantas Points expire?
You will need to earn or use Qantas Points at least once every 18 months to keep them from expiring. Even if you don’t have a holiday penned in your calendar, these points are still easy to earn and use. While you’ll certainly earn points through eligible travel related purchases, you can also earn points during your weekly food shop at Woolworths, an Everyday Rewards partner. Just make sure your Everyday Rewards points setting is set to Qantas Points.
At Skyscanner, we’re passionate about stretching every dollar (and point). We’ll not only help you find cheap flights and earn those Qantas Points, but also help you get the best deals on hotels and car hire.
We hope this breakdown of how the Qantas points program works was helpful. Just remember to keep gathering those points.
Ready to see where your next adventure will take you?
