How many Qantas points do I need to fly to London in business class?

Escape’s points expert, Sabine Leroy, answers your questions about frequent flyer programs.

A timely question as the weather turns in Australia and we start to consider summer in the Northern hemisphere. There are a few options here depending on how many points you have to play with and rewards seat availability – that’s the seats you can book using points.

Option 1: Classic Flight Rewards, Business

Qantas has a points calculator where you can enter how points you would like to use to redeem flights on specific routes. The best use of your points is to book a seat using Classic Flights Rewards. You can spot it when you search for flights with the little red star. 

These are hard to come by. Qantas only releases five million seats each year and they get quickly snapped up. One way in business class to London Heathrow will cost 144,600 from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. From Perth it comes in slightly less at 126,500. Taxes and fees cost around $450 on top. Redemption seats become available 353 days out from travel dates. It’s best to book as far in advance to score a seat and avoid peak periods.

London is at its most glorious in summer.

Option 2: Classic Plus Flight Rewards, Business

Your next best bet is to book a Classic Plus Flight Rewards seat – this time shown with a blue star. This is a new tier Qantas introduced in April 2024 to help Aussies cash in their points. Flights are available for travel from 1 July and Qantas says they will make 20 million seats available this year.

Unlike Classic Rewards, the amount of points needed for this tier can vary like a normal airfare. Looking at a hypothetical holiday at the end of November, a Classic Plus Flight Rewards seat will cost around 501,300 points plus $636. They could be lower. According to Qantas, Classic Plus reward seats may drop below a Classic Rewards seat on the same route during sales and promotions.

London from the pointy end.

Option 3: Book an Emirates fare

The Emirates experience is second to none, especially in business and first class. To search for Emirates-operated rewards seats when you’re logged into your Qantas account, it’s best to go via the multi-city booking page and select the use points function. Emirates flights will be represented with a gold star.

Another tip is to search for destinations which are only serviced by Emirates, such as Sydney to Paris. While this is a great option for Qantas points, it can require more points than if you redeemed them on a Qantas operated flight. The taxes to be paid in cash for the flight can also be very high.

Get to London via Paris with Emirates.

Option 4: Buy an economy and upgrade on points later

This is always an option, but it’s never guaranteed until the day before or even the day of travel. It also depends on who else has applied for an upgrade and where they sit on the status ladder. If you are a Silver Status holder, and a Gold member has requested an upgrade, they’ll have priority.

Have a question about points? Drop Sabine an email at [e-mail]. Personal replies are unfortunately not possible.

Originally published as How many Qantas points do I need to fly to London in business class?