More value for points: Qantas announces huge changes to Frequent Flyers program

Today Australia’s biggest airline has invested $25 million into a series of changes to the massively popular Qantas Frequent Flyer program to help its members get more out of their rewards points.  

Qantas announced that Frequent Flyer members will now pay less fees on international rewards flights, have access to more rewards seats in general and get even more out of earning points on the ground, like through a Qantas points credit card. 

“Australians love earning Qantas Points and that momentum has seen us expand our number of retail partners and extend into new areas like financial services and insurance. The result is that people have lots of opportunities to earn points, so this overhaul is about making sure they have more opportunities to use them,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.

These modifications were part of the largest overhaul to Qantas’ rewards program since it began 32 years ago.   

According to the airline, the changes are about strengthening the already prominent Frequent Flyer program, and ensuring that they keep delivering to their massive 13 million membership.  

You’ll now get more value for points if you use them right

There are a number of initiatives that Qantas are aiming to roll out over the next year, so if members play their cards right they could have more opportunity to use their points and even end up saving themselves, in both money and points.

Here are a few crucial changes that all Frequent Flyer members should know about:

• More than 1 million extra reward seats on flights: Across Qantas and their partnering airlines, more seats will be available to be booked through Qantas points, even during peak season and to popular destinations like London or L.A.
• Reduction in points required on some flights: There have been changes made for the amount of points required for reward seats on both domestic and international flights. Notably, Qantas has made a reduction of up to 10% on the number of points required for international economy Classic Rewards seats. That means that once you’ve built up a stack of Qantas points, they’ll go further when it comes to redeeming them.
• New Points Club program: For members who earn most of their points while they aren’t in the air, Qantas has announced the creation of their “Points Club” which will be launched later in the year. Members will receive even more exclusive offers and discounts across the Frequent Flyer program - the entry level tier of the program can be accessed by earning 150,000 points on transactions.
• Lifetime Platinum status: As the first rewards program to introduce an initiative like this, the Lifetime Platinum status aims to reward customers for their loyalty. Members can qualify for Lifetime Platinum status by collecting 75,000 status credits. Status credits are different to Qantas Points but they can be earned at the same time while you fly. There are different tiers for earning status credits, starting from Bronze to Platinum One, so the more you fly, the more you earn and the greater benefits you receive.

A Frequent Flyer program to suit everyone: even those on the ground

Along with the changes, Qantas also revealed that when it comes to collecting points the habits and behaviours of their loyalty members is shifting.

“While frequent travellers have always been at the centre of what we do, the growth of our program and its hundreds of partners has provided opportunities for many members to now earn most of their points on the ground,” Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said.

Similarly, Emily Roberts, Vice President of Consumer Acquisition, Loyalty, and Partnerships for American Express A/NZ commended Qantas on its commitment to providing value to its mutual credit card customers. 

"We believe the changes to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program will be welcomed by our Qantas American Express card and Platinum card members who will benefit from the increase in Qantas reward seat availability and enjoy greater benefits and savings on their next holiday or business trip," she said.

Are you a Qantas Points member or want to be? Check out our comparison table below for a range of Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards.