Random Big W toy earns 1000 Qantas points

The moment Aussies discovered that a random Big W toy for $3.50 could earn them a Qantas business class flight, they rushed to purchase it.

When Aussies discovered a rather random Big W toy could snag them a Qantas business class flight, they wasted no time purchasing the now sold out $3.50 item.

The Aussie retailer is part of the Woolworths Group and participates in the Everyday Rewards program, which can be linked to Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Occasionally, bonus promotions go live that allow shoppers to earn additional points on certain transactions.

In this case, it was a yellow rubber ducky - yes a rubber ducky. The sneaky loophole meant for each bath duck, shoppers could earn 1000 Qantas points, with very few terms or limitations on the number that could be purchased.

It meant, if shoppers bought enough ducks, they could secure a business class ticket for $853.14 plus taxes and fees.

A sneaky Qantas points loophole has gone viral. Picture: Facebook/PointsHack

Flight Hacks editor Tom Goward stumbled upon the rather lucrative points-earning opportunity and shared it on social media.

“Just snagged 11,300 Qantas Points from $67 worth of bath ducks at Big W!” he wrote.

“There’s very little terms shown, but the Big W website says these $3.50 bath toys earn 1000 bonus Everyday Rewards Points each.

For each rubber duck sold at Big W - shoppers earn 1000 Qantas points. Picture: Facebook/PointsHack

“Hoping this stacks with my 2x Everyday Extra bonus and targeted 3x bonus for a cheap way to buy Qantas Points at 0.59 cents per point or 168 points per dollar.”

Unsurprisingly, it went viral with Aussies immediately heading to the Big W website to stock up on the item.

Tom Goward, editor of Flight Hacks, shared the sneaky loophole on social media. Picture: Instagram/thetomflyer

“I posted this deal to my Instagram and the Flight Hacks Facebook Group, and within 45 minutes, Big W had sold out of ducks around Australia online and for Click and Collect,” Mr Goward told news.com.au.

“In fact, many had their orders cancelled or reduced as Big W ran out of stock, but in most cases, they still got the points.”

He said at just $3.50 and 1000 points per bath toy, “this was a huge deal”.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually a mistake. When combined with other promotions, my purchase worked out at just 0.59 cents per Qantas Point,” he said.

“Considering a one-way business class ticket from Sydney to Paris costs 144,600 Qantas Points, it’s easy to see the potential savings.

“All you had to do was buy 290 ducks for $1050 to earn enough points for a business class flight from Sydney to Paris.

“After the promos I used and the booking taxes and fees, you’d be getting a Qantas business class fare that normally costs at least $8000 for approximately $1250.”

Mr Goward, who quickly became known as the “duckfluencer” has decided to give away his ducks to charity and friends with kids and he plans to use his points towards his next Qantas First Class redemption.

He said, as far as other “interesting strategies” go, buying gift cards with a bonus is a hot topic right now - which his publication covers each week.