Qantas Frequent Flyer announces sweeping changes to loyalty program — here’s what to book now and what to book later

Australian airline Qantas has announced a mixed bag of changes to its loyalty program. Some award rates and carrier-imposed surcharges will increase later this year, but the airline will also add additional award availability and new partner award tickets. Thankfully, these Qantas Frequent Flyer changes won’t take effect until Aug. 5.

Given the news, there are some redemptions you should book now and others that you should wait to book until later this year. Here’s what you need to know about the changes so you can plan accordingly.

Higher prices and surcharges for Classic Flight Rewards

For bookings made from Aug. 5 on, Qantas will increase the cost of its cheapest saver-level redemptions (called Classic Flight Rewards) and saver-level upgrades for Qantas-operated flights by 5% to 20%, depending on the route.

On the shortest domestic routes like Brisbane Airport (BNE) to Sydney Airport (SYD), rates for Classic Flight Rewards will increase from 8,000 points each way to 9,200 points, with the fees, taxes and surcharges of 55 Australian dollars (about $34.50) remaining the same.

The price increase will be more substantial on long-haul services, such as Qantas flights from Sydney to Europe. Bookings made from Aug. 5 on will rise from 144,600 to 166,300 Qantas points each way, and fees, taxes and surcharges will increase from AU$473 to AU$648 (about $297 to $406).

Classic Flight Rewards are often hard to find, especially on long-haul routes in premium cabins. This has been especially apparent since the airline launched dynamically priced Classic Plus Flight Rewards in 2024. These award tickets are tied to the cash price of a flight and are much more expensive.

Verdict: Book now.

Higher redemption rates for partner airlines

Qantas is a member of the Oneworld alliance, meaning you can redeem Qantas points on partner airlines like American Airlines, British Airways and Alaska Airlines. The airline also partners with carriers outside the Oneworld alliance, such as Air France, KLM and Emirates.

For bookings made from Aug. 5 on, Emirates flights will be priced according to the Qantas award chart (rather than the partner award chart). Because of this, award rates and surcharges will increase for Emirates-operated flights, as with Qantas-operated flights.

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Qantas has not yet revealed the price increases of other partner airlines, though it says it will do so in May (for bookings made from Aug. 5 on). Currently, you can book domestic flights within the U.S. on routes like New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) from just 8,000 Qantas points, a great deal given that other Oneworld carriers have devalued short-haul domestic flights.

If you want to redeem Qantas points on partner airlines, you should do so before the prices rise in August.

Verdict: Book now.

Related: A step up from your average economy: Flying Emirates’ A380 from Dubai to Johannesburg

New premium economy award options

For the first time, starting in October, you can redeem Qantas points for premium economy seats on flights operated by Finnair, Air France, KLM and Iberia. Due to this change, the program promises that 200,000 new premium economy award seats will be added.

If you don’t have enough Qantas points to book business-class award seats on these airlines, you may wish to wait until August to book premium economy seats.

Verdict: Book later.

Related: Is Iberia premium economy worth it on the Airbus A330 from Madrid to Dallas?

New Classic Flight Rewards seats on Hawaiian Airlines

In advance of Hawaiian Airlines’ entry into the Oneworld alliance, you will be able to redeem Qantas points for flights on the airline starting in October.

Qantas promises 800,000 Hawaiian Airlines award seats will be available to Qantas Frequent Flyer members.

Verdict: Book later.

Related: A new era for Hawaiian Airlines as it launches Dreamliner service: TPG was on the inaugural

Lower award prices for Jetstar flights

Jetstar is Qantas’ wholly owned low-cost subsidiary, comparable to Europe’s EasyJet in terms of passenger experience, pricing, rules and restrictions. Jetstar is not a Oneworld alliance member, so partner points or miles cannot be used to book Jetstar flights (nor can you use non-Qantas Oneworld status).

You can already redeem Qantas points for Jetstar flights. However, from Aug. 1 on, the cost of Classic Flight Rewards seats on Jetstar for popular Australian routes like Melbourne Airport (MEL) to SYD will drop to just 5,700 Qantas points.

If you want to get from point A to point B and aren’t fussed about traveling on a full-service airline or using your Oneworld status benefits, this will be an inexpensive way to fly domestically within Australia.

Verdict: Book later.

While there are no Qantas-branded credit cards available in the U.S., you can transfer rewards from three programs with transferable currencies directly to Qantas Frequent Flyer:

Each has a transfer ratio of 1:1, so 10,000 credit card points equal 10,000 Qantas points.

Additionally, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Qantas Frequent Flyer at a 3:1 ratio, meaning 3 Marriott Bonvoy points become 1 Qantas point. Marriott will also add 5,000 bonus points when you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points to an airline.

Devaluations are an unfortunate reality of collecting points and miles. We recommend earning transferable points for precisely this reason; if one transfer partner devalues, you can always book with another.

These changes announced by Qantas represent higher prices and surcharges for both flights operated by Qantas and its partner airlines within and outside the Oneworld alliance.

However, there are some upsides. Qantas is giving members six months’ notice before any price increases. And, for the first time, members will be able to book Hawaiian Airlines and premium economy award tickets on several partner airlines.

For flights that will increase in price, you should consider booking as soon as possible.