Understanding Qantas Points: How They Work and Where You Can Go

Whether you’re already fluent in the language of Qantas Points, or they’re completely foreign to you, there’s always more to learn about how Qantas Points work and where you can go with them.

What you'll learn

• How you earn Qantas Points
• How you spend Qantas Points
• How to fly using Qantas Points
• How many Qantas Points do I need for my flight?

1. How you earn Qantas Points

Earning Qantas Points can be done through a variety of methods, and you can also claim heaps of bonus points on things like Qantas Points earning credit cards, everyday purchases, bills and subscription services, as well as by booking flights and accommodation. Before worrying about that, it’s important to understand how Qantas Points work.
 

What are Qantas Points?

Qantas Points are the currency of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and can be used on various products and services of Qantas and their partners. If you want to save your Qantas Points for an expensive purchase, there’s no need to worry about your points expiring, as Qantas Points last as long as you earn or spend Qantas Points at least once every 18 months. To start earning Qantas Points, you’ll need to sign up to become a Qantas Frequent Flyer member. There is normally a sign-up fee, but this can be avoided by applying for a Qantas Points earning credit card. Each dollar spent on an eligible purchase will earn you Qantas Points, but if you shop smart, you can find many deals that offer eligible products and services at a higher Qantas Points earn rate.
 

Qantas Points-earning credit cards

One of the most effective ways to regularly earn Qantas Points is with a Qantas Points earning credit card, which will allow you to earn points on all eligible purchases. These cards will also often come with heaps of bonus Qantas Points when you sign up and free membership to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. You can find these Qantas Points earning credit cards at Westpac (and other credit card providers), with great sign-up offers to begin your Qantas Points journey with a bang.

Everyday purchases

With the aid of a Qantas Points earning credit card, you can increase your points balance by earning Qantas Points on everyday items including groceries and petrol. This can be maximised further with a Woolworths Everyday Rewards membership, which will earn you Everyday Rewards points that can be converted into Qantas Points.

You should also consider shopping online with Qantas Shopping Mall for your fashion, entertainment, homewares, and health & beauty needs. With endless brands and insane Qantas Points earn rates on your favourite products, you can increase your Qantas Points significantly.
 

Bills and subscription services

Setting up direct debit on your Qantas Points earning credit card for any bills and subscription services is an easy way to passively earn Qantas Points. Whether that’s monthly energy bills, phone and internet bills or streaming services and meal services, there’s guaranteed Qantas Points, and in many cases, bonus points for the taking.
 

Flights and accommodation

Earning Qantas Points on flights and accommodation with Qantas and their partner airlines is a no-brainer. You’ll get heaps of points with eligible flights, and your points can be increased even further depending on factors like flight distance, choice of airline, choice of cabin class and ticket cost. And when you’re booking your accommodation, make sure you book through the Qantas Hotels website to get a higher Qantas Points earn rate. You can even book an Airbnb stay through this site and get bonus points on your first booking.

For more information on how to earn Qantas Points and details on specific bonus Qantas Points offers, check out our Maximising Your Qantas Points article.

2. How you spend Qantas Points

While you may think Qantas Points are only for flights and flight upgrades, there’s plenty of other spending uses, such as accommodation and everyday items.
 

Flights

You can use Qantas Points to book domestic or international flights with Qantas, Jetstar and other airline partners. If you think booking a flight seems the most rewarding way to redeem Qantas Points, it’s important to know how exactly to make this happen.

1. Log-in to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account
   In order to use your Qantas Points, ensure you’re logged into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account before looking at flights.
2. Search for your flight
   Enter your flight details and select ‘Search Classic Flight Rewards’ to see flights eligible to purchase with Qantas Points.
   
3. Choose your flight
   Available flights will be shown in the ‘Classic Flight Rewards’ column. Select the ‘View in Points’ button to see the Qantas Points needed for your flight.
4. Next steps
   Choose your preferred seat, review your booking then pay for your flight in Qantas Points.
   
   

Flight upgrades

Using Qantas Points to book seat upgrades is a great use of points, however, there are many things that determine the priority of who is approved for a seat upgrade when competing with other passengers, such as Frequent Flyer status, Qantas Club membership, cabin class and when you request the upgrade. You’re able to upgrade on domestic or international Qantas flights (not Jetstar or other airlines), and there are a few upgrade options at your disposal.

• Immediate seat upgrade: When you initially book your Qantas flight, you can check for available seat upgrades and receive immediate approval upon request.
• Classic Upgrade Rewards: This involves requesting a seat upgrade during the eligible request period, which will put you in competition with other passengers.
• Bid Now Upgrades: You can bid for an upgraded seat with a lower amount of Qantas Points, or even a mix of points and money.
• Domestic On Departure Upgrade Rewards: Passengers with certain Qantas Frequent Flyer status are able to request a late upgrade (up to 3 hours before scheduled flight departure) for the standard ‘Classic Upgrade Rewards’ Qantas Points cost.
   

For more tips and information on upgrading with Qantas Points, read our Complete Guide to Upgrading with Qantas Points.
 

Accommodation

Qantas Hotels are great for spending Qantas Points, with many highly regarded hotels across Australia and the world waiting to accept your Qantas Points. While using the Qantas Hotels site, you’ll see there are often offers running on hotels, with reduced Qantas Points cost giving you even greater value.
 

Everyday items

While it may seem like an unusual use of your hard-earned Qantas Points, there are many products available to purchase with Qantas Points through Qantas Marketplace. No matter if you’re in need of a new wardrobe or mobile phone, or it’s time to upgrade your couch, Qantas Marketplace has an enormous range of options for you to spend your points on. Best of all, Qantas Marketplace has constant deals on popular items, so you can do your shopping for even less Qantas Points.

3. How to fly using Qantas Points

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to booking your plane ticket with Qantas Points. Not only can you use your Qantas Points to book flights with a few different airlines, but there are also multiple ways to pay with points. Because of this, it’s a good idea to be familiar with your options before blindly jumping in.
 

Airline options

For many of us, we would automatically assume using Qantas Points to book a flight with Qantas is the best course of action. However, with so many Qantas partner airlines (known as ‘oneworld members’), it’s best to do some research on the best Qantas Points deal depending on where you plan to fly. For example, if you’re dreaming of a trip to Tokyo, it may cost you less points to fly with Japan Airlines, or if you’re looking at London, British Airways may be your best bet. You can still use the Qantas website to search for flights with these airlines, just have a look at the flight number to determine which airline is operating a certain flight.

Even if you’re considering a domestic or short-haul flight, Jetstar may be preferable to Qantas. For certain flight routes, it’s 20% less Qantas Points to book with Jetstar than Qantas, so make sure you check before booking your flight.
 

Payment options

Depending on whether you have enough Qantas Points to cover the full ticket cost or you’re just out of reach, you can still use your points to pay for your ticket in a few different ways.

The most common way to book a flight with Qantas Points is using Classic Flight Rewards, which is valid on over 1200 destinations in Australia and worldwide, and can be used for Qantas and airlines they partner with. This involves paying for your ticket in full using Qantas Points and is the best value option if you have a large enough points balance.

Alternatively, if you’re low on points but still have a flight to catch, you have a few options. You can purchase points directly from Qantas, or, if a family member has a surplus of Qantas Points, they’re able to transfer some of their points to you, so you can pay using Classic Flight Rewards for the best value. Otherwise, you can use the ‘Points Plus Pay’ method, which allows you to pay with a mix of Qantas Points and cash. This should only be reserved for if you’re slightly off the required points, as there is a worse Qantas Points rate using this method.

4. How many Qantas Points do I need for my flight?

The Qantas Point cost for your flight is determined by many factors. This includes the flight distance, the airline, your selected cabin, flight dates and whether it’s a domestic or international destination.

The cheapest use of Classic Flight Rewards is a one-way domestic flight, starting from as little as 6400 Qantas Points (plus additional charges). The easiest way to find out how many Qantas Points you need is by using the Qantas Points calculator and selecting ‘Use points’.

Have a look at the Qantas Points required* for one-way tickets from Australia to some of the most popular destinations.

*The Qantas Points required for these trips is correct as of 25/09/23.

Frequently asked questions

How many Qantas Frequent Flyer Points do I need for a free flight?

The amount of Qantas Points you’d need for an economy seat on a one-way domestic flight starts at 6400 Qantas Points.

Can you transfer Qantas Points to someone else?

You can transfer Qantas Points between Qantas Frequent Flyer members, however, this is only possible between eligible family members. You can transfer a minimum of 5000 Qantas Points at a time, up to a maximum of 600,000 Qantas Points.