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Michael McHugh
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![Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer Loyalty Program – Full Review [2024]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Qantas-A220-300.jpeg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
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Frequent Flyer (airline loyalty), The Qantas Club (lounge membership)
Brisbane Airport (BNE), Melbourne Airport (MEL), Sydney Airport (SYD)
1.4 cents per point
Qantas International Lounges can be found at the following airports: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Darwin, Hong Kong, Honolulu, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and more.
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 are 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.
Unlike other airline award programs, Qantas charges a fee of AU$99.50 (~$72) to join its Frequent Flyer program. However, if you register via this application form, the fee is waived. The page states that free membership only applies to Australian citizens, but it also works for other countries.
After your application is confirmed, you’ll receive the ability to both earn and redeem Qantas Points.
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.
To see your account activity, you’ll need to use the following steps:
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.
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:
Gold: One of 2 middle elite tiers, which offers the following perks:
Platinum: The second of 2 middle elite tiers that provide members with the following benefits:
Platinum One: The highest elite tier offered by Qantas comes with these perks:
If you’re interested in the benefits available at each elite tier, check out the Tier Benefits Page for everything you need to know.
As with U.S.-based airlines, the value of Qantas elite status will vary depending on whether or 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 epiQure membership for access to premium wine.
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Platinum One |
Status Credits required to reach | 300
7000 Lifetime Silver | 700
14,000 Lifetime Gold | 1,400
75,000 Lifetime Platinum | 3,600 (at least 2,700 on Qantas marketing flights) |
Status Credits required to keep | 250 | 600 | 1,200 | 3,600 (at least 2,700 on Qantas marketed flights) |
Oneworld Tier and benefits | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald | Emerald |
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.
Qantas offers a number of ways to earn lots of Qantas points, from flying with Qantas, Jetstar, or partners to spending on credit cards.
The amount of Qantas points 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 points 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.
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 4 of the 5 major flexible point programs as an Amex airline partner, Capital One airline partner, Citi airline partner, and Marriott airline partner) providing you with a few different options for earning points.
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 points.
It’s also important to leverage the Qantas partner network since you can earn points with your car rentals and hotel stays simply by adding your Qantas Frequent Flyer number to all reservations.
Lastly, Qantas offers ways to earn points by using its shopping portals and dining program. This is yet another way to earn points 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.
Qantas has more than 50 co-branded credit cards, but unfortunately, none of those cards are available to the U.S. market.
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.
Terms Apply / Rates & Fees
The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).
The American Express® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.
The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.
When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).
The American Express® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.
The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesEarn Membership Rewards for your business spending the easy way: get 2x points for the first $50,000 in purchases per year.
As a business owner, getting a credit card that maximizes each dollar you spend does not have to be complicated or expensive. Especially when you opt for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
With the Amex Blue Business Plus card, you’ll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases throughout the year (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter) and receive purchase protections and no-additional-charge employee cards all for no annual fee (see rates and fees).
The simple and straightforward earning structure makes it a great fit for those looking to earn flexible rewards, without having to fixate on which purchases earn the most points.
Let’s take look at all that the Amex Blue Business Plus card has to offer.
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:
*The information regarding the Citi Premier card has expired, and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.
The Citi Rewards+ card is an excellent way to earn Citi ThankYou points with a $0 annual fee while receiving perks like point round-ups, a 10% point redemption rebate, and more.
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
The Citi Double Cash® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!
This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, without an annual fee!
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, with a $0 annual fee.
Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.
Capital One miles now 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 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:
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.
Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.
But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?
In addition to Marriott Bonvoy, 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 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.
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.
Qantas Points required for Classic Flight Rewards with Qantas, Jetstar, Fiji Airways, Air Vanuatu, and American Airlines:
Zone | One-Way Miles | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
1 | 0-600 | 8,000 | 13,800 | 18,400 | 27,600 |
2 | 601-1,200 | 12,000 | 20,600 | 27,600 | 41,500 |
3 | 1,201-2,400 | 18,000 | 31,000 | 41,500 | 62,200 |
4 | 2,401-3,600 | 20,300 | 42,200 | 57,000 | 85,500 |
5 | 3,601-4,800 | 25,200 | 51,300 | 68,400 | 102,600 |
6 | 4,801-5,800 | 31,500 | 61,500 | 82,000 | 123,100 |
7 | 5,801-7,000 | 37,600 | 71,100 | 94,900 | 142,300 |
8 | 7,001-8,400 | 41,900 | 81,300 | 108,400 | 162,800 |
9 | 8,401-9,600 | 51,200 | 94,900 | 126,500 | 189,800 |
10 | 9,601-15,000 | 55,200 | 108,400 | 144,600 | 216,900 |
Points required for Classic Flight Rewards when traveling on flights operated by Jetstar (JQ), Jetstar Asia (3K), Jetstar Japan (GK), and Jetstar Pacific (BL):
Zone | One-Way Miles | Economy | Business |
1 | 0-600 | 6,400 | 13,800 |
2 | 601-1,200 | 9,600 | 20,600 |
3 | 1,201-2,400 | 14,400 | 31,000 |
4 | 2,401-3,600 | 18,000 | 42,200 |
5 | 3,601-4,800 | 21,500 | 51,300 |
6 | 4,801-5,800 | 26,000 | 61,500 |
7 | 5,801-7,000 | 32,000 | 71,100 |
8 | 7,001-8,400 | 35,600 | 81,300 |
9 | 8,401-9,600 | 43,500 | 94,900 |
10 | 9,601-15,000 | 46,900 | 108,400 |
Qantas Points required for Partner Classic Flight Rewards with Air France, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, China Eastern, Cathay Dragon, EL AL, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, KLM, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines:
Zone | One-Way Miles | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
1 | 0-600 | 10,000 | 15,800 | 20,000 | 29,000 |
2 | 601-1,200 | 14,000 | 27,700 | 30,000 | 43,500 |
3 | 1,201-2,400 | 20,000 | 34,500 | 43,800 | 64,500 |
4 | 2,401-3,600 | 24,500 | 48,500 | 61,200 | 89,800 |
5 | 3,601-4,800 | 30,200 | 59,000 | 75,000 | 107,700 |
6 | 4,801-5,800 | 37,800 | 70,800 | 90,000 | 129,300 |
7 | 5,801-7,000 | 45,000 | 81,800 | 104,500 | 149,800 |
8 | 7,001-8,400 | 50,300 | 93,500 | 119,200 | 170,800 |
9 | 8,401-9,600 | 61,500 | 109,000 | 139,200 | 199,300 |
10 | 9,601-15,000 | 66,200 | 124,800 | 159,000 | 227,500 |
The Oneworld Classic Flight Reward table only applies when your reward itinerary includes travel on at least 2 Oneworld alliance airlines other than Qantas and does not include any travel on any airline that is not a Oneworld alliance airline:
Zone | One-Way Miles | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
1 | 0-1,200 | 20,000 | 31,600 | 40,000 | 58,000 |
2 | 1,201-2,400 | 28,000 | 47,500 | 60,000 | 87,000 |
3 | 2,401-4,800 | 40,000 | 69,000 | 87,600 | 129,000 |
4 | 4,801-7,200 | 49,000 | 97,000 | 122,400 | 179,600 |
5 | 7,201-9,600 | 60,400 | 118,000 | 150,000 | 215,500 |
6 | 9,601-11,600 | 75,600 | 141,600 | 180,000 | 258,600 |
7 | 11,601-14,000 | 90,000 | 163,600 | 209,000 | 299,600 |
8 | 14,001-16,800 | 100,600 | 187,000 | 238,400 | 341,600 |
9 | 16,801-19,200 | 123,000 | 218,000 | 278,400 | 398,000 |
10 | 19,201-35,000 | 132,400 | 249,600 | 318,000 | 455,000 |
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: 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, and 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 Star Alliance 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 SkyTeam 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.
