Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer Loyalty Program Review
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Qantas Airways Summary Table
- Home Country Australia
- Major Hubs Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
- Airline Alliance Oneworld
- Signature Lounge Qantas International Lounges can be found at the following airports: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Darwin, Hong Kong, Honolulu, London Heathrow, Los Angeles (Tom Bradley Terminal), Melbourne, Perth (T1), Perth Transit Lounge (T3), Perth (T4), Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo (Narita), Wellington
- Earn Points/Miles
- Redeem Points/Miles
- Award Chart Link
Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
Qantas has more than 50 co-branded credit cards, but unfortunately, none of those cards are available to the U.S. market.
American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards
Convert your American Express Membership Rewards points to Qantas in increments of 500 points online or by phone. The transfer ratio is 1:1, and transfers are usually instant.
Best of all, you can earn Membership Rewards points with the following credit cards and then transfer them over to Qantas.
Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)
| The Platinum Card® from American Express - There's currently a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in your first 3 months, worth at least $600. This is our absolute favorite card for getting into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide (including Priority Pass) and we get ~$2,700+ in value from the card every year. The Amex Platinum can get you up to $200 in Uber credits annually ($15 per month and a $20 bonus in December) — and up to $200 in annual credit for airline incidental charges (e.g. baggage or seat selection fees). There's even a $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, annually. For rates and fees of the Platinum Card, click here. |
| American Express® Gold Card - We love using this card as it earns 4x points at restaurants worldwide and 4x points at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x). There's no better card in our opinion if you eat out and/or shop at supermarkets regularly. With a welcome bonus of 35,000 points after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months and a $100 airfare credit per year, for many this is an easy addition to your wallet. For rates and fees of the Gold Card, click here. |
Recommended Amex Cards (Business)
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express - Right now, there's a welcome bonus of up to 75,000 points. Earn 50,000 points after you spend $10,000 and an extra 25,000 after you spend an additional $10,000, on purchases within the first 3 months. We get ~$5,525+ in value per year by leveraging many of the benefits & perks. This is the best business card for lounge access as you'll get into 1,200+ airport lounges worldwide. For rates and fees of the Business Platinum, click here. |
| American Express® Business Gold Card - probably our favorite Amex business card because we earn 4x points across the top 2 select categories that we spend the most money in each month. The 4x points applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year. This means you'll max out at a (whopping) 600,000 points per year. After that, you earn 1x. For rates and fees of the Business Gold Card, click here. |
| The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express - This is a simple card that earns you 2x points on any business purchase, up to $50,000 annually (then 1x). That makes for an easy 100,000 points per year! The card has no annual fee. For rates and fees of the Blue Business Plus, click here. |
Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards
Transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points directly to Qantas at a 1:1 ratio. It takes about 2 days for the transaction to complete. Earn more ThankYou Points to transfer by using the following credit cards:
| CREDIT CARD | CARD INFO |
|---|---|
| Citi ThankYou® Premier Card |
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| Citi Prestige® Card |
|
Capital One Miles
Capital One miles now transfer to Qantas at a 2:1.5 ratio. Instead of redeeming your Capital One miles in the Capital One Travel Portal for cash tickets, you now have the option to transfer them to your Qantas account.
Using Qantas points can potentially save a ton of miles when looking to book first or business class tickets by using the Qantas award chart compared to 1 cent per point of the cash ticket price using the Capital One Travel Portal.
Make sure you have a Capital One card that has the transferable miles feature. Here are our picks:
Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Personal)
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card - This card is packed with a lot more benefits and perks. Earn a 50,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $500 toward travel) once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. We recommend this as a no-brainer card if you even semi-regularly stay at hotels. |
| Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card - This is an excellent card for those looking to earn 1.25x miles per $1 on every purchase. With a 20,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $200 toward travel) after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months and no annual fee, it's a strong choice. |
Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Business)
| Capital One® Spark® Miles Select for Business - This no annual fee card earns unlimited 1.5x miles per dollar on every purchase and has a 20,000 mile sign up bonus [worth $200 in travel] after meeting the minimum spend of $3,000 within the first 3 months. Save on interest with 0% intro APR on purchases for 9 months; 14.49% - 22.49% variable APR after that. |
| Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business - This card earns unlimited 2x miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, and has a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles [worth $500 in travel] after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months. Plus, earn 5x miles on hotel and rental card bookings through Capital OneSM using a Spark Miles card. Annual Feel: $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that. |
Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards
In addition to Marriott, several other hotel programs allow you to convert your hotel points into airline miles.
While on the surface this sounds great, it nearly always results in poor transfer ratios.
As a result, we don’t recommend converting your other hotel points into airline miles unless you are really in a bind or are looking to top off an airline account for an award flight.
Qantas Airways Overview
Qantas, one of the 2 major Australian-based airlines (the other being Virgin Australia), is the country’s oldest airline and largest by a few metrics including fleet size.
The name Qantas is actually an acronym that stands for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, and its nickname is The Flying Kangaroo.
Its loyalty program is called Qantas Frequent Flyer, and the airline is a member of the Oneworld alliance.
Status Credits is what Qantas uses to determine your elite tier in the program. In short, the more Status Credits you earn, the more perks and benefits you unlock.
In addition to Status Credits, Qantas members also earn Qantas Points. Members earn Qantas Points from things like flying, car rentals, and hotel bookings. Those points can then be used for an award flight or an upgrade, among other uses.
Bottom Line: The structure of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program mirrors many of the same aspects of the major U.S. airlines’ programs, so it will feel familiar to American travelers.
Joining Frequent Flyer
As with nearly all airline award programs, joining is free by filling out this application.
After your application is confirmed, you’ll receive the ability to both earn and redeem Qantas points.
How to Sign in to Your Frequent Flyer Account
Logging in to the Qantas Frequent Flyer page is easy! Simply provide your member number, last name, and PIN, and you’ll have access to your account.
Hot Tip: The Qantas Frequent Flyer program requires you to log in to search for an award flight. Qantas, in addition to British Airways, is great to use to search for Oneworld award flights.
Viewing Your Account Activity
In order to see your account activity, you’ll need to use the following steps:
- Log in to your account
- Click the down arrow under your name on the top left of the page
- Click Your Points Activity
- Click Points Activity
Points Expiration
Qantas Points expire every 18 months if you do not earn or use Qantas Points through your frequent flyer account.
Earning or using Qantas Points with the program’s partners is considered qualifying activity and will reset the 18-month clock.
The expiration period starts from the date of your last activity.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Program
Frequent Flyer Elite Status
The Qantas Frequent Flyer program has 4 elite tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One.
Silver: The base elite tier comes with the following benefits:
- 50% bonus points on eligible Qantas & Jetstar flights; 25% bonus on American Airlines flights
- Seating privileges
- Complimentary lounge invitation
- Status Hold for up to 18 months for members on parental leave
- Access to selected Qantas Classic Flight Reward seats
- Priority check-in
- Extra checked baggage allowance
- Oneworld Ruby status when flying on Oneworld flights
- Additional benefits when flying on Emirates
Gold: One of 2 middle elite tiers, which offers the following perks:
- All of the benefits of Silver plus;
- 75% bonus points on eligible Qantas, Jetstar, and American Airlines flights
- Priority boarding
- Access to Qantas Clubs, Qantas International Business lounges, and Oneworld lounges
- Receive priority for confirmation of international upgrade requests
- Oneworld Sapphire status when flying on Oneworld flights
- Additional benefits when flying on Emirates, China Eastern, Alaska Airlines, El Al, Air New Zealand, Air France, KLM
Platinum: The second of 2 middle elite tiers that provides members with the following benefits:
- All of the benefits of Gold plus;
- 100% bonus points on eligible Qantas, Jetstar, and American Airlines flights
- Priority international upgrades
- Access to Qantas First Class lounges
- Oneworld Emerald status when flying on Oneworld flights
- Confirmed international upgrades from 2 days prior to departure to departure
- Choice of Platinum Bonus Reward at 2,400 Status Credits
Platinum One: The highest elite tier offered by Qantas comes with these perks:
- All of the benefits of Platinum plus;
- Complimentary Platinum membership for a family member or friend
- Highest upgrade priority
- Access to a dedicated Platinum One Team
- Confirmed international upgrades from 7 days prior to departure to departure
- Waived booking fees for new eligible bookings
- 2 complimentary lounge invitations
- Complimentary Qantas Golf Club Premium membership
If you’re interested in the benefits available at each elite tier, check out the Tier Benefits Page for everything you need to know.
Value of Frequent Flyer Elite Status
As with U.S.-based airlines, the value of Qantas elite status will vary depending on whether or you not you live in Australia.
The elite benefits stack up comparably with what you’d see at other top-tier airlines, but to receive the most value you’ll need to fly Qantas, Jetstar, or Oneworld flights frequently.
For Silver elites, a Status Hold for when you are on parental leave is a unique benefit not found in many other programs.
Lounge access, Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald, and additional benefits with Qantas partners like Alaska Airlines are what you’ll have access to at the Gold and Platinum elite tiers.
With Platinum One status, Qantas offers a couple of interesting perks, including complimentary Platinum status for a friend and a Qantas Golf Club membership.
Earning Frequent Flyer Elite Status
Status Credits are what Qantas uses to determine your elite tier and the benefits you receive on Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates, and Oneworld flights.
As a new member, you start with Bronze status and then move up through the Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One tiers as you earn more Status Credits.
The Status Credits you earn are driven by your route, airline, and the fare purchased. That is to say: the more flexible the fare and more premium the cabin, the more Status Credits you will earn.
Hot Tip: Qantas uses a calculator to determine the Qantas Points and Status Credits you will earn. Simply enter the required information in this calculator, and the program will show what you’ll earn for your flight.
You can also refer to the earning tables on this page to see how many Qantas Points and Status Credits you’ll earn.
Unlike the trend we’ve seen recently with a revenue requirement as part of elite status qualification with many airlines, Qantas only requires you to earn a certain amount of Status Credits.
Some airlines, like American Airlines, offer co-branded credit cards that help you earn elite status. While Qantas does the same, the airline doesn’t offer a credit card for the U.S. market.
Bottom Line: You’ll need to earn Status Credits if your goal is to have elite status with Qantas.
How To Earn Qantas Miles
Qantas offers a number of ways to earn lots of Qantas miles, from flying with Qantas, Jetstar, or partners to spending on credit cards.
Earning Miles Through Flying
The amount of Qantas miles that you earn is based on your elite status, distance traveled, and type of fare purchased.
After logging into your account, the easiest way to see the number of miles you’ll earn is by using the Qantas Point Calculator.
Simply enter your elite status, where you are flying from and to, and the type of fare, and the Point Calculator will show you exactly how many Qantas Points and Status Credits you’ll earn after taking that flight.
If you’re interested in seeing how many Qantas Points and Status Credits you’ll earn on all Qantas, Jetstar, and partner flights, check out the partner earning page.
Earn Miles With Credit Cards
Qantas does not offer any co-branded credit cards for the U.S. market, so you’ll need to look into cards that earn flexible points.
When you earn flexible points, these can be transferred directly to the program’s airline partners.
Qantas partners with 2 of the 4 major flexible point programs (Citi, Marriott) providing you with a couple of options for earning points.
Earning Bonus Miles in Other Ways
Major airlines tend to offer a number of unique ways to earn miles, and Qantas is no different.
By following the Qantas social media pages like Twitter and Facebook as well as checking its Promotions Page, you’ll be able to stay on top of the latest offers to earn additional miles.
It’s also important to leverage the Qantas partner network since you can earn miles with your car rentals and hotel stays simply by adding your Qantas Frequent Flyer number to all reservations.
Lastly, Qantas offers ways to earn miles by using its shopping portals and dining program. This is yet another way to earn miles on spending that you would already incur.
Hot Tip: Note that if you add your airline loyalty program to other services, you won’t also earn status points with these franchises unless it’s a preferred car rental agency that has specifically partnered with the airline — this partnership acts as a sort of alliance between airline and rental agency.
How to Redeem Qantas Frequent Flyer Miles
Similar to Cathay Pacific, Qantas uses a number of different award charts that can make it initially challenging to ensure you’re using the correct one.
But don’t worry! Each award chart is included below. For more information on the award charts, click this link.
Booking Online
You won’t be able to book all Qantas partners online, so if the partner isn’t listed below, you’ll need to call 800-227-4500 to book the award flight.
Only these partners can be booked online: Airnorth, American Airlines, Air Vanuatu, Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, Dragonair, Fiji Airways, Emirates, El Al, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Jetstar, LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines.
Qantas and British Airways are the 2 search engines we recommend using to search for Oneworld award availability.
If the partner you’re looking to book is part of the Star Alliance, like Air New Zealand, search for award flights on the United or Aeroplan websites.
If the partner is a SkyTeam member, like China Eastern, we recommend using the Delta and Flying Blue websites to search for award availability.
Hot Tip: You may want to consider an Expert Flyer subscription for hard-to-find award flights, such as long-haul flights from the U.S. to New Zealand on Air New Zealand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer program? Is it worth it? What are the benefits?
Frequent Flyer is the loyalty or frequent flyer program for Qantas Airways. The program is free, and by signing up you can earn a range of benefits and gain the ability to earn free flights.
The program has 4 elite tiers in Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One, with higher tiers offering more benefits for members.
With each level that you earn, you will get access to free bags, priority check-in and boarding, premium seats, lounge access, waived booking fees, and more.
Frequent Flyer is based off a credit system called Status Credits, and you earn these credits with each qualifying flight.
After earning enough miles (Qantas Points) on Qantas or partner flights, you can redeem the miles that you earn for travel on Qantas, Oneworld, or its other partner flights.
In Frequent Flyer, who are the partners? Can I transfer miles to them?
The Qantas partner network ranges from airlines, banks, shopping, hotels, and rental car companies, among others. While you can’t transfer Qantas Points to an airline partner, you can use those points to fly on a partner airline flight.
Qantas Points can also be used with its partners, for example, for a hotel stay or car rental, but you’ll typically receive the most value redeeming points for flights.
What is the Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer login?
You can sign in to Frequent Flyer here.
Where can I sign up for Frequent Flyer?
Sign up to the Frequent Flyer program by filling out this online form.
What is my Frequent Flyer number?
You can find your Frequent Flyer number by signing in to your account, on your membership card, or through a variety of marketing emails Qantas sends to you.
If you can’t find it there, try using the “forgot my password” tool to reset your account so you can get in. Alternatively, try calling the customer service desk to find your number.
When did the Frequent Flyer program start?
The program started in 1987 and has since grown to more than 10 million members.
When do miles post in Frequent Flyer?
Qantas will credit the miles that you earn within 14 days after the date of your travel.
When do Frequent Flyer miles expire?
Qantas Points will not expire as long as you earn or use the points at least once every 18 months. The expiration clock starts from the date of your last activity.
When does Frequent Flyer status expire?
Status Credits, and therefore your elite status, don’t expire but reset at the start of the membership year. For example, if your membership year is from February 1 until January 31, your Status Credits balance will reset to zero on February 1 the following year.
Is there a Qantas Airways credit card?
Qantas has more than 50 credit cards, but unfortunately they don’t offer a card for the U.S. market.
In Frequent Flyer, what is a segment?
A flight segment is defined as travel on the same flight number between originating and destination airports as shown on your ticket.
For example, travel from Adelaide to Los Angeles with a change of flight number in Sydney would earn on both the Adelaide to Sydney and Sydney to Los Angeles flight segment.
Whenever your flight number changes during your trip, it will be counted as a different flight segment.
