A raft of changes to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program will expand the number of reward seats on offer – something that has long been a gripe for customers – but the points needed to secure a seat will go up.
The points required for economy seats will rise by 5 per cent and 20 per cent for first class, while carrier charges for business and first are also on the rise.
“There’s also a promise of 1 million additional reward seats on partner airlines, but before celebrating, it’s important to note these seats still fall within Qantas’ existing cap of 5 million + per year,” posted Adele Eliseo, from The Champagne Mile & Pointify.
“In practice, this means there’s no clear guarantee of better access to international premium cabins, the pain point many members are desperate to see addressed.”
From October this year, points costs for Classic Reward redemptions will rise across all cabins, with premium award seats in first class to rise by 20 per cent.
Carrier charges for most business and first-class seats will also be increased to align with the higher fees already applied to Classic Plus rewards, Eliseo said. Charges for Sydney to London in business class will rise from $473 to $648, an increase of $175, around 37 per cent. Carrier charges are not increasing for economy or premium economy cabins.
Redemptions on Qantas’ budget carrier Jetstar, meanwhile, will now include business class on new 787 Dreamliner routes. Economy redemptions on Zone 1 Jetstar flights are dropping, making them the cheapest in Australia. Earn rates on fares will increase by up to 25 per cent.
Eliseo advises QFF members to lock in redemptions at current rates, if they can find seats, and even reassess their future loyalty strategy.
Qantas will also maintain its commitment to release at least 5 million Classic Reward seats per year, with an additional 1 million seats being released annually starting October 2025. Premium economy seats will be offered on partner airlines Finnair, Air France, KLM and Iberia.
The majority of these – about 800,000 – will be available on Hawaiian Airlines, as a prelude to it joining of the Oneworld alliance in 2026.
It’s unclear whether those partner airline award seats are exclusive to Qantas, or whether they are part of other partner airlines’ quotas.
In better news, QFF members will earn up to a quarter more points when flying premium or on a higher-fare classes. The earn cap for tiered members travelling in premium cabins will also be removed.
Members can also now redeem points for Jetstar business class, including new 787 Dreamliner routes.
Rewards experts advise to book ahead where possible, and secure redemptions up to 11 months in advance.
“Higher Qantas Points earning rates on flights are a welcome initiative, but it’s important to note that the majority of points are earned on the ground through everyday spending, not from flying,” Eliseo said.
“For a majority of members, the additional points earned through flights are unlikely to offset the rising cost of redemptions.
“The real test will be whether the promised reward seats deliver improved availability, particularly in international premium cabins.”
In other good news the amount of points earned on paid Qantas flights are also going up. From July, Qantas domestic flights will be boosted by “up to 25 per cent more points”, including entry-level Bronze members. A sample Sydney-Perth flight in economy, for example, would earn 1,815 points, an increase from today’s 1,450 points), while a Melbourne-Brisbane business class flight would earn 2,625 points, up from 2,100 points.
Executive Traveller reports that the suite of changes is “a mixed bag” for frequent flyers which will also effect low-cost sibling Jetstar plus partners such as Emirates and the Oneworld alliance.
Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said Qantas Frequent Flyer has grown significantly over the last four decades and remained focused on innovating the program to reward loyal members.
“Travel remains the number one priority for our members in how they earn and redeem their points, with 13,000 Classic Reward seats booked every day, including 1,000 Classic seats in premium cabins to international destinations. In addition, thousands of Classic Upgrades are confirmed every week on Qantas flights. These changes are designed to further enhance the ways our members can book Classic Reward seats and the destinations and cabins they can access when they fly,” he said.
“Classic Plus, which represents a $120 million investment in the program, has been a game changer since launching last April. Bookings are up threefold on initial expectations and over the December holiday period we saw an 80 per cent increase in members travelling overseas with their points. We’ve also launched nearly 20 sales since Classic Plus was introduced and announced another sale yesterday, discounting millions of reward seats for members across all cabin types.
“We now have partnerships with over 45 airlines, giving members greater flexibility and choice in how they want to be rewarded. The addition of Hawaiian Airlines and more premium cabin seats with Finnair, Air France, KLM and Iberia will later this year begin unlocking up to 1 million additional Classic seats and more opportunities for our members to use their points to book that dream overseas trip.
“This year will see our members earn an additional 4 billion points thanks to an increase in points earned when travelling domestically and the removal of the earn cap for tiered members travelling in our premium cabins. This means tiered members flying in premium cabins domestically require fewer flights to earn their next reward booking.
“We’re also introducing the lowest reward seat fare in Australia, with Jetstar seats for 5,700 points on all short haul domestic routes like Sydney to the Gold Coast and Melbourne to Adelaide, helping members get away faster. This is just the beginning of a broader suite of changes to Jetstar rewards that will deliver even greater value for members in 2025 and beyond.
From August 2025, the number of points required to book a Classic Reward seat will increase for the first time since 2019 and the second time since 2004.
“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,” Glance said.
Qantas said it will publish a full set of revised Classic Reward rates across all routes in May.
