Qantas frequent flyer changes: What reward seats will cost and how to get the best value
Major changes to Qantas’ rewards program are about to take effect. Here’s what we know and how to get the most value out of your points.
Australians with Qantas points have just a few weeks remaining before major changes to the frequent flyer program takes hold and the cost to use them goes up.
The airline giant announced earlier this year that changes were coming to its program in August, where the points needed to buy Classic Reward seats would increase – essentially devaluing people’s current balances.
Qantas Loyalty achieved an underlying EBIT of $255 million for the first half of FY25, and it now has 17 million members.
Here’s what we know and how you can get the most value out of your points before the changes take effect.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO QANTAS’ FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM?
Qantas announced in January a suite of changes were coming for its loyalty program.
Not all of the changes are bad. Some of them include access to more premium cabin rewards seats and partner airlines, as well as the ability to earn more points when flying.
But a major sore point for Aussies who love to fly for less is that there will be an increase to the Qantas’ Classic Rewards seat fares – up to 20 per cent for longer routes and premium cabins.
WHAT IS THE CHANGE TO CLASSIC REWARDS SEATS?
The number of points required for a ‘Classic Upgrade’ and a ‘Classic Reward’ seat on domestic and international flights, as well as partner airlines, will increase from August 5.
“A lot has changed in the last six years. These adjustments will ensure we can continue to invest in enhancing the program for the long-term and continue to grow the levels of Classic and Classic Plus Reward seat availability for members year on year,” Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said in January.
WHAT WILL REWARDS SEATS COST FROM AUGUST 5?
After August 5, an economy Classic Reward seat from Sydney to London will cost 63,500 points plus fees and carrier charges, up from 55,200 points plus charges.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR POINTS BALANCES?
“The new change, from August 5, effectively reduces the value of people’s points in line with inflation. The devaluation is between 5 per cent, generally for shorter domestic flights, and 20 per cent, for most international flights,” explains personal finance writer Anthony Keane.
“So if you’ve saved 100,000 points to pay for an overseas trip, from early August your stash is effectively worth just 80,000 points.”
WHAT OTHER CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO QANTAS’ REWARDS PROGRAM?
Several other changes to Qantas’ Frequent Flyer program were being rolled out this year.
Members will be able to increase the number of points they earn on Qantas domestic flights by up to 25 per cent and removing the earn cap for tiered members travelling in premium cabins.
For example, a Bronze member flying from Sydney to Perth in economy will earn 1815 Qantas Points, up from 1450 points, a Qantas statement said.
In January, Qantas also announced the introduction of “the lowest one-way economy reward seat in Australia”, with Jetstar short haul domestic flights in Australia and New Zealand going for 5700 points from August.
And later in the year more Classic Reward seats will be offered on partner airlines including Finnair, Air France, KLM, Iberia and Hawaiian Airlines.
HOW DO YOU GET THE MOST VALUE NOW?
Qantas Frequent Flyer members are able to book Classic Reward seats up to 11 months in advance – so people can still put their points to use before the rates change in August.
This means Aussies can use their points balance for trips between now and the end of June 2026, depending on when you make the booking.
IS DEVALUING POINTS COMMON AMONG AIRLINES?
The short answer is no.
Qantas’ August rate change is the first increase to the Classic Reward seat pricing in six years and the only the second increase since 2004, according to a statement from the airline.
Virgin Australia also increased the points required for its reward seats in January. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer devalued its program in 2022 and Emirates’ Skywards did it in 2023, reports Escape.
Devaluing points programs is common in the industry, OAG chief analyst John Grant told Skift.
“It’s a fine art. You want people to travel and spend and then obviously the airline rewards them with points, but they don’t want all of those points to just sit there and then suddenly everyone calls on them in one month or one week,” he said.
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Originally published as Qantas frequent flyer changes: What reward seats will cost and how to get the best value
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