EOFY 2020: Why you should book your flights before June 30

Thinking of booking a domestic flight for later in the year? Turns out there’s a good reason you should do it before June turns into July.

Thinking of booking a Qantas flight in Australia for later in the year? Here’s a tip. There’s a good reason to do that before June 30.

Since the coronavirus pandemic kicked in, Qantas has been offering more flexible conditions on many of its tickets.

However, some of those rules are scheduled to change once the new financial year kicks in on July 1.

“We’ll waive the change fee one time if you decide to change the date of your Australian domestic flights booked between 21 May and 30 June, for travel between 12 June and 31 October 2020,” Qantas note on its site.

Normally, altering any Qantas booking involves a change fee.

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Thinking of booking a Qantas domestic flight for later this year? There’s a reason you should consider doing it by June 30. Picture: Emma Brasier

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For the cheapest Red e-deal sale fares, that change fee is a hefty $99.

Being able to make a change without paying that sum is appealing, given the unpredictability of future travel plans at the moment.

But that offer only applies until 30 June.

So if you’re keen to take advantage, you’ll need to get in before Tuesday finishes.

Note that while you won’t be charged a change fee if you do need to switch your booking, you still have to pay any difference between your original fare and the cost for your new date.

So you’re not guaranteed a cost-free change, but the potential risk is a lot lower.

You also only get one chance at a fee-free change. If you need to alter your booking a second time, the regular fees will apply.

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Qantas has been offering more flexible conditions on many of its tickets, but there will be some changes as soon as July kicks in. Picture: Bianca De Marchi/AAP

It’s possible Qantas will come up with similar flexible offers in the future.

Its conditions for using travel credits have changed several times since the pandemic began.

However, the intense financial pressures that led to a $1.9 billion capital raising mean Qantas unlikely to maintain those flexible conditions indefinitely.

So it makes sense to take advantage of current sale fares and the added flexibility if you’re planning travel for the second half of the year.

Angus Kidman is the editor-in-chief and travel guru for Finder