Qantas to release 20 million new domestic rewards seats for frequent flyers

Qantas frequent flyers will now have access to 20 million new reward seats across its domestic network in a shakeup to the program.

Off the back of Qantas’ Classic Plus announcement earlier this year, the airline has today announced it will be adding 20 million Classic Plus reward seats on domestic flights. On top of that, it has also announced its second Double Status Offer for the year.

 

Classic Plus will be available on domestic and regional flights from December 12, 2024, allowing Qantas Frequent Flyer members to book flights within Australia using points. Previously, the new reward tier was only available on international flights.

The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats vary like normal airfares, which means they are lower during off-peak periods or when booking early, and higher during peak periods. According to Qantas, during sales and promotions, Classic Plus reward seats may drop below a Classic Reward seat on the same route.

As part of the sale, you'll be able to fly from Sydney to the Gold Coast from 5,600 points

Sale Domestic Economy seats will be available at launch starting from 5,600 points for Sydney to Gold Coast, compared to 9,600 points as of today’s pricing, 6,700 points for Sydney to Byron Bay which is typically 9,700 points and 25,900 points for Melbourne to Perth for the usual amount of 32,500 points. Of course, all reward seat bookings have an additional cash component of taxes, fees and carrier charges.

According to the carrier, the combination of Classic Plus on domestic and international Qantas flights means members will have access to over 20 million new reward seats across the rolling 12-month booking period.

Double Status Offer brings boost to members

There's a double status offer up for grabs too

Qantas today also launched its Double Status Credits or Qantas Points Offer for the second time this year. Frequent Flyer members can sign up to earn double Status Credits or double Qantas Points when booking any Qantas operated flights across its international, domestic and regional network for the next seven days.

The official deadline is 11.59pm October 31, 2024 AEDT. Members can register via the Qantas App and book as many flights during the offer period, for travel between November 1, 2024 and October 19, 2025. If you’re looking to book holidays for the coming months, this is a good time to purchase flights and double your points or status credits.

Double Status Credits help fast track members through the status tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One), unlocking travel benefits like lounge access, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance. Double Qantas Points deliver members with a points balance boost which can be used to book reward seats or request flight upgrades. During the February 2024 offer, participating members booked nearly 200,000 flights, with 60 per cent choosing to fast-track their status and 40 per cent choosing to boost their points balance.

A step in the right direction for Qantas

Points rich and frustrated? No longer...

Before Classic Plus was introduced, many Australians found themselves points rich and frustrated, as finding a Classic Reward flight was almost impossible. Since launching Classic Plus just three months ago, Qantas has reported that over 25 billion points have been redeemed on international flight redemptions – or nine reward bookings every minute according to Andrew Glance, Qantas Loyalty CEO. Glance noted Classic Plus shows the airline is going “above and beyond”, as he stressed that Classic Rewards is still an option with more than five million Classic Reward seats available across Qantas, Jetstar and 45 partner airlines. He also highlights that the number of points required to book Classic Rewards seats hasn’t changed since 2019.

See also: Qantas trial of new Australia Digital Travel declaration kicks off

This news certainly helps, as lack of redemption availability is one of Qantas members’ biggest issues of late. While it may not always represent the best value against Classic Rewards and can require more points to book, a greater number of redemption flights on domestic routes is still a win for members. The airline is trying to keep its frequent flyers happy after turbulent times and this is a step in the right direction. 

Originally published as Qantas to release 20 million new domestic rewards seats for frequent flyers