Qantas, Australia’s largest domestic and international airline, carries passengers to more than 90 destinations around the world. A founding member of the Oneworld alliance, its main hub is located at Sydney Airport.
The third oldest airline in the world, Qantas provides international service from Australia and domestic service within Australia and New Zealand through its subsidiary budget airline Jetstar Airways.
Travelers can earn points in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program by flying Qantas, Jetstar, and a wide variety of travel and non-travel partners.
Continue reading to learn how to earn tons of Qantas Points with more than 400 partners in the program, including a number of travel rewards credit cards.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Program
Earn Qantas Points with travel and non-travel program partners. It just takes a minute to enroll! Image Credit: Qantas1. Enroll in Qantas Frequent Flyer
The first step to earning Qantas Frequent Flyer Points is to sign-up for the airline loyalty program. You’ll receive a membership number right away.
There is no fee to join the Qantas Frequent Flyer program except in Australia and New Zealand, where the fee is AU$89.50 ($61) or NZ$50 ($32). Check the terms and conditions for more information about program fees.
2. Book Flights on Qantas or Jetstar
The total number of Qantas Points earned for a flight is based on distance traveled, cabin class, and membership level. However, with eligible economy flights on Qantas, you will earn 1 Qantas Point per mile.
Are you flying Jetstar, a Qantas subsidiary budget airline? You’ll earn Qantas Points when you purchase a fare bundle (Starter Plus, Starter Max, or Business Max) as well as eligible Jetstar New Zealand domestic fares.
Qantas posts the specific number of points earned for Qantas and Jetstar in a series of earnings tables on their website.
Here are Qantas Points earned for some classes on flights between Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney and both U.S./Canadian coasts:
Destination | Discount Economy | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
East Coast U.S./Canada | 6,200 Points | 9,300 Points | 12,400 Points | 18,600 Points | 24,800 Points |
West Coast U.S./Canada | 4,500 Points | 6,750 Points | 9,000 Points | 13,500 Points | 18,000 Points |
3. Oneworld Alliance Flights
Image Credit: OneworldEarn Qantas Points when flying with Oneworld alliance partners. Check to see how each airline aligns with the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and how many Qantas Points you can earn for your itinerary here.
4. Other Domestic and International Partners
Qantas Partner Airlines |
Air New Zealand | American Airlines | El Al | Japan Airlines | Qatar Airways |
Air Niugini | British Airways | Emirates | Jet Airways | S7 Airlines |
Air Vanuatu | Cathay Pacific | Fiji Airways | Jetstar | Srilankan Airlines |
Airnorth | China Airlines | Finnair | LATAM | WestJet |
Alaska Airlines | China Eastern | Iberia | Malaysia Airlines | |
Earn Qantas Points for flights on domestic and international partner airlines. In most cases, Qantas Points will be earned in all eligible booking classes as long as codeshare flights are operated by Qantas.
Use the Points Calculator to find out how many Qantas Points your trip is worth.
5. Minimum Points Guarantee
The Minimum Points Guarantee means you’ll earn at least 1,000 Qantas Points for Qantas economy flights and 1,250 for business and first-class flights.
In fact, the program doesn’t just apply to Qantas flights; it also includes flights on Jetstar Airlines, British Airways, and American Airlines (some with lower points totals).
The Minimum Points Guarantee means you will earn at least 1,000 Qantas Points for flights on Qantas and Jetstar Airlines. Image Credit: Qantas6. Cabin Bonus Points
Fly Premium Economy with Qantas, Jetstar, and American Airlines (or World Traveller Plus with British Airways) to receive a cabin bonus of 10% more points. Earn a higher cabin bonus of 25% for flying business or first class with specific airlines.
7. Reach a Higher Membership Tier
There are 5 status levels in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Achieve status to receive special perks! Image Credit: QantasThe more you fly with Qantas and Jetstar, the closer you’ll be to reaching higher tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One) in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
Achieving higher status means receiving perks such as prioritized requests for international upgrades, invitations to the Qantas Club, and extra free checked bags.
Qualifying for Elite Status
Here are the Status Credits needed to reach and retain each tier:
Silver | Gold | Platinum |
Qualify | Retain | Qualify | Retain | Qualify | Retain |
350 | 300 | 700 | 600 | 1,400 | 1,200 |
Find out how many Status Credits your trip is worth by checking out the Status Credit Earnings Tables.
Status Bonuses for Each Tier
Once you reach a tier, you’ll earn a bonus every time you fly Qantas: Silver (50%), Gold (75%), Platinum (100%), and Platinum One (100%).
Lifetime Recognition applies to those who reach 7,000 Status Credits at Silver and 14,000 Status Credits at Gold.
You’ll even earn a bonus of 25%-100% for flights on American Airlines depending on your status.
Oneworld Status
Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program enjoy complimentary Oneworld status and equivalent benefits on Oneworld partner airlines.
Qantas Frequent Flyer | Oneworld Alliance |
Silver | Ruby |
Gold | Sapphire |
Platinum/Platinum One | Emerald |
While you won’t receive extra Qantas Points with Oneworld status, you will enjoy perks such as preferred boarding, preferred seating, and lounge access.
8. Earn Qantas Green Status
To earn Qantas Green status, all members have to do is complete at least 5 of the following 6 activities in a single membership year:
- Flying
- Traveling
- Book a stay at any of Qantas’ eco-accredited hotels in Australia through Qantas Hotels. Options include Alto on Bourke, Melbourne; Daintree Wilderness Lodge, Daintree; and Crystalbrook Byron, Byron Bay
- Sustainable Purchases
- Choose from a selection of over 200 sustainable wines through Qantas Wine or offset deliveries from just $1 with either Qantas Wine or the Qantas Rewards Store
- Lifestyle
- Reducing Impact
- Complete the sustainability quiz via the Qantas Wellbeing app (iOS, Android)
- Giving Back
- Contribute to organizations such as OzHarvest, UNICEF, Kimberly Land Council, or organizations that work to protect the Great Barrier Reef
Once Green status has been achieved, members will get to choose from 1 of the following 3 rewards:
- 10,000 Qantas Points
- 50 status credits
- 3 tons of carbon offsets purchased by Qantas on the member’s behalf
9. Platinum One Bonuses
As a Platinum One member in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, you can nominate another member for Platinum status.
In addition, you will earn double Qantas Points at participating Qantas restaurants.
Reach 5,000 Status Credits during the year on Qantas and Jetstar as a Platinum One member and you will get a bonus of 75,000 Qantas Points! Reach 7,000 Status Credits for a bonus of 100,000 Qantas Points!
10. Loyalty Bonus Points
Ready to hear about another bonus? For every 450 Status Credits earned, you will get a loyalty bonus. That’s another possible 5,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points!
Earn Qantas Points With Credit Cards
11. Qantas Co-Branded Credit Cards
Qantas has co-branded credit cards with all the major banks in Australia, but none in the United States. Fortunately for U.S.-based Qantas members, it’s possible to earn Qantas Points with other credit card and hotel loyalty programs.
12. American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards
Transfer your Amex Membership Rewards 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 American Express Cards (Personal)
If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Amex business credit cards.
13. Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards
Transfer Citi ThankYou 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:
14. Capital One Miles
Capital One miles transfer to Qantas at a 1:1 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:
15. IHG One Rewards Credit Card
The IHG One Rewards program includes more than 4,700 hotels where you can stay to earn points. You can also earn IHG One Rewards Points with the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card from Chase, then transfer your IHG One Rewards Points to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account. The transfer rate is 10,000 IHG One Rewards Points to 2,000 Qantas Points.
The IHG Premier card offers great benefits from bonus earning on every day purchases to big bonus earnings on hotel stays.
Earn Qantas Points Through Travel
16. Qantas Hotels and Airbnb
Stay at a Qantas hotel and earn 3 Points/$1 spent, or book a place with Airbnb for 1 Point/$1 spent. Image Credit: Soloviova Liudmyla via ShutterstockSearch more than 188,000 hotels for your next trip at qantas.com/hotels. The properties are located around the world and include inexpensive lodges all the way up to deluxe accommodations. Earn 3 Qantas Points per $1 spent.
You can also book a stay using Airbnb to earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.
17. Qantas Partner Hotels
These hotel loyalty programs allow you to earn Qantas Points directly. Most properties are included, but click on the link to find the specific participating hotels for that program.
Hotel Loyalty Program | Earned Points (AU) | Earned Points (outside AU) | Hotel Loyalty Program | Earned Points |
IHG One Rewards | 3 points/$1 | Up to 1,000 points/stay | Hilton Honors | 1,500 Qantas points per 10,000 Hilton Honors points exchanged |
Choice Privileges | 3 points/AU$1 | 600 points/stay | Le Club AccorHotels | Points earned are automatically converted to Qantas points based on a 1:1 ratio |
World of Hyatt | 1,000 points/stay* | 600 points/stay** | Marriott Bonvoy | Up to 2 points/$1 |
*Also within NZ
**Also outside NZ
18. Car Rental Partners
When you need a rental car (or “car hire” as they say in Australia), consider Qantas partners Avis and Budget. Car rentals with both agencies earn 700 Qantas Points outside Australia and 3 points per AU$1 within Australia.
Other Ways to Earn Qantas Points
19. International Shopping Partners and Online Shopping Portal
If you live in Australia, there are tons of international shopping partners that award Qantas points for your purchases. For instance, shop the Qantas Online Mall in New Zealand and Australia, Woolworth’s Rewards, and much more!
You can also earn points by shopping through the Qantas Shopping Portal. The portal can earn you extra points by clicking through to shops where you’re already making online purchases, like Apple, Adidas, Lululemon, Booktopia, and more!
20. Qantas Family Transfers
Are you close to an award flight but need a few extra Qantas points? If an eligible family member has enough to cover it, they can transfer them to your account.
You’re allowed to make a transfer of 5,000-100,000 points once every 12 months.
21. Top-Up Points
Purchase Top-up Points when you’re just shy of the points necessary for a reward! Image Credit: QantasAnother option when you’re just shy of the required Qantas points for an award is Top-up points. The points must be for no more than 15% of a Classic Award or Qantas and Jetstar Any Seat Award.
Purchase Top-up points in blocks of 500 up to 2 times in a 12-month period (per member).
22. Taxis in Australia
Whether you live in Australia or are just visiting, earn Qantas Points for taxi rides.
Earn 1 Qantas Point per AU$1 spent on fares when you book through the GoCatch app.
Or book through Ingogo and earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on taxi travel. You can even track your taxi from the app!
Other options are Qantas Drive for a personal chauffeur to the airport or Qantas Valet Parking for 3 points per $1.
23. Book a Cruise
You can earn 1 Qantas point per $1 spent on eligible cruises booked through the Qantas website. You can choose from 15,000 cruise itineraries, 18 international cruise lines, and 178 ships. Partners include P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Carnival Cruise lines.
24. Go Skiing
You can earn 2,000 Points on ski packages to Japan, Canada, U.S., Europe and South America, and 1,000 Points on packages to Australia and New Zealand booked through Skimax.
25. Staying Active With the Qantas Wellbeing App
Download the Qantas Wellbeing App and simply start walking, running, swimming, or cycling over the next 28 days and you’ll earn up to 1,500 Qantas points.
If you belong to Snap Fitness gym, you’ll earn up to 120 Qantas points every time you visit your gym and check-in via the Qantas Wellbeing app. You’ll receive 10 points for the first check-in, 20 points for the second check-in and 50 points for the third check-in. New Snap Fitness Gym members can also receive a sign-up bonus of 1,000 Qantas points after 30 days of joining.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, although Qantas Frequent Flyer is primarily an Australian program, there are plenty of ways to earn points in the U.S., too!
Between transferring credit card points, booking flights on Qantas and its partner airlines, and making purchases from the more than 400 travel and non-travel partners, it’s easy to accumulate Qantas points.