Why Qantas Classic Rewards are still good value
Yes, you need more Qantas Points for premium flights, but don't panic.
So today the big change happened. Qantas has increased the points you need to book Premium Economy, Business and First Classic Reward flights.
This isn't a shock; we've known about it since June. So there has been time to book Rewards Flights if you wanted to avoid paying between 13% and 15% more for those flights.
It's human nature to be annoyed when something gets more expensive. Essentially, that's what's happened here. But rising prices are also a fact of life.
It's worth remembering that even after the changes, redeeming your Qantas Points for a Classic Reward flight still represents one of the best ways to get maximum value from your points.
One of our key principles at Points Finder is that you should always get at least $20 in value for every 1,000 points you spend.
Booking a Premium Economy, Business or First Class flight offers a much higher value than that, and this remains true even with the increase in the number of points you need.
An example makes this clear. With some careful hunting, I managed to find a First Classic Reward seat from Melbourne to Singapore during a relatively busy period. Booking this seat requires 102,600 Qantas Points (plus $226 in carrier charges). Before today, it would have cost me 90,000 points.
Now, 12,600 points isn't chump change, but you need to assess that against the value you're getting too. If I paid for that seat on that day, I'd be coughing up between $3,239 (the sale fare) and $4,701 (the flexible fare). Let's map out how much value we'd be getting per 1,000 points this month and last month for both fares:
| Fare | Aug 2019 value | Sep 2019 value |
|---|---|---|
| $3,239.00 | $35.99 | $31.57 |
| $4,701.00 | $52.23 | $45.82 |
In the worst-case scenario (right now against the sale fare), we're still getting $31.57 per 1,000 points, which is well above the target. And if the sale fare wasn't available, we'd be looking at a value of $45.82 per 1,000 points, even after the recent changes. At the end of the day, while it might feel "nice" to get an extra $7 in value per 1,000 point, the flight is still the same.
Getting the most from your points always requires persistence, planning and knowing the rules. Whatever the points totals, that remains true. Enjoy the hunt!
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears regularly on Finder.
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Picture: Marc Terrano
