Qantas offers way to use frequent flyer points when you can’t fly

Qantas has come up with a different way for frequent flyers to burn through points while waiting for borders to reopen.

A private charter flight to Byron Bay is among the items up for “sale” in Qantas’s first Points Auction.

Qantas has found a way to help frequent flyer members use their points while waiting for international borders to reopen.

On Monday an online “points auction” will get underway, giving members the chance to bid on five offerings ranging from a luxury Queenstown holiday for four to a kids soccer clinic with Socceroos coach Graham Arnold.

There is also a private charter flight for 30 people to either Byron Bay, Hamilton Island or Devonport on offer, a session in the Boeing 787 simulator or two preloved Qantas A380 skybeds for the lounge room.

With many frequent flyer members amassing huge points balances from credit card use and other “on ground” activities during the pandemic, Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth said they wanted to offer an exciting opportunity to use them.

“This is a restless time for many Australians who can’t wait for both international and domestic borders to fully open so they can take off to some of their favourite destinations,” Ms Wirth said.

“While travel remains the number one thing frequent flyers want to use their points on once borders open up, we know that many are keen to use some points on unique, big-ticket items.”

She said Qantas was expecting a “points bidding frenzy” when the online auction between at 8am on Monday, August 2.

Each day one item would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with last bids required by 9pm.

Every item had a different minimum starting bid, with the simulator experience beginning at 50,000 points and the Queenstown holiday 300,000 points.

Those interested in landing the private charter flight would need at least 1.2 million points, while the A380 skybeds’ auction would start at 350,000 points and the soccer coaching 100,000.

Those participating must be Australian residents who are Qantas frequent flyer members aged 18 and over, and they must have the points available in their account to accept the item.

If the auction was a success, Qantas would looking at sourcing more “unique items” to be sold off throughout the year.

It’s the latest in a series of initiatives launched by Qantas to keep members engaged throughout the pandemic, following on from the Super Moon flight in May, and a series of mystery flights in partnership with local tourism organisations.

The airline is also expected to announce details of an offer to “reward” frequent flyers with points or flight credits in return for proof of vaccination against Covid-19.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce has led calls for Australians to get vaccinated, including his own employees, in the hope that will lead to international borders reopening.

On ABC radio on Thursday, Mr Joyce revealed he was due for his second AstraZeneca jab next week.