As of July 2024, 1 Qantas Point is worth between 0.4 cents and 12 cents, depending on how you spend it.
Here are the real values for popular reward choices:
Each Qantas Point spent on Economy Classic Reward flights is typically worth 2 cents.
Each Qantas Point spent on Premium Classic Reward flights is typically worth 5 cents.
Each Qantas Point spent on Business Classic Reward flights is typically worth 8 cents.
Each Qantas Point spent on upgrades is typically worth 10 cents.
Each Qantas Point spent on hotels or car rental is typically worth 0.65 cents.
Each Qantas Point spent on gift cards or products through the Rewards Store is typically worth 0.4 cents .
Each Qantas Point spent on charity donations is typically worth 0.7 cents.
In the table below, we've shown the points needed for a range of Qantas Frequent Flyer reward options, how much they would usually cost to buy outright and the dollar value per $1,000 points they represent right now.
Route
Points cost
Value
Value/point
Value/1000 points
Sydney to Perth (Economy) one-way
18000
$454.00
$0.03
$25.22
Sydney to Melbourne (Economy) one-way
8000
$135.00
$0.02
$16.88
Melbourne to Brisbane (Economy) one-way
12000
$189.00
$0.02
$15.75
Sydney to Perth (Business) one-way
41500
$1,850.00
$0.04
$44.58
Sydney to Melbourne (Business) one-way
18400
$504.00
$0.03
$27.39
Melbourne to Brisbane (Business) one-way
27600
$1,267.00
$0.05
$45.91
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Economy)
41900
$1,508.00
$0.04
$35.99
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Premium Economy)
81300
$4,455.00
$0.05
$54.80
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Business)
108400
$10,448.00
$0.10
$96.38
Sydney to London one-way (First)
216900
$12,915.00
$0.06
$59.54
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Economy to Premium upgrade)
61600
$2,947.00
$0.05
$47.84
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Economy to Business upgrade)
98100
$8,940.00
$0.09
$91.13
Sydney to Los Angeles one-way (Premium to Business upgrade)
49100
$5,993.00
$0.12
$122.06
Sydney to London (Business to First upgrade)
73500
$4,851.00
$0.07
$66.00
iPhone 14 512GB Yellow
338650
$1,849.00
$0.01
$5.46
IKEA Gift Card
11690
$50.00
$0.00
$4.28
Hoyts Digital Gift Card
4400
$20.00
$0.00
$4.55
De'Longhi Lattissima One
90270
$519.00
$0.01
$5.75
Dyson Supersonic Hairdryer
119090
$649.00
$0.01
$5.45
AirPods 2nd Generation
40110
$219.00
$0.01
$5.46
Charity donation
3200
$25.00
$0.01
$7.81
Adelaide hotel room 1 night
26,615
$221.00
$0.01
$8.30
Car hire 1 night
29500
$191.08
$0.01
$6.48
As the table shows, the best value comes from flight upgrades, followed by business class flights, followed by economy flights, followed by store purchases. This has remained constant across all of 2024. Fare prices remain stable, though we're seeing slight rises compared to the start of 2024.
Methodology: How we calculated these values
So how did we work out those values? Through some careful research. All calculations are based on typical prices for flights and rewards in July 2024, as checked on the Qantas site.
For each route, we checked a range of dates across October 2024 and selected the most typical price for a Qantas-operated one-way flight on that route. You might score cheaper flights on sale or pay more during peak times, but this is a useful median value. Points values for purchasing flights are for Classic Flight rewards, and we've subtracted carrier fees and charges when working out the value.
Availability of those reward flights can vary heavily. We calculate all flight values as one-way options, since it's very rare to be able to score a reward flight in both directions. Points values for Reward Store redemptions come from the Rewards Store site and don't include any temporary discounts. We haven't included redemptions with partner airlines, which are generally poorer value than the Qantas options (and also harder to redeem). Points values for hotels and car hire are based on Adelaide pricing.
How to get more value from your Qantas Points
It's often more useful (and easier mental maths!) to think about how much 1,000 Qantas Points are worth. No-one is going to accept a single Qantas Point as payment for anything – most redemptions require thousands of points. Our rule of thumb is that if you're getting more than $20 in value for each 1,000 Qantas Points, that's a worthwhile way to spend your points. Under $10? Think very carefully.
THE POINTS FINDER RULE
When redeeming points, make sure you get at least $20 of value for every 1,000 Qantas Points you spend.
A couple of extreme examples: using your points for an upgrade from premium to business can score you $114 in value per 1,000 Qantas Points, while buying a microwave gets you just $3.50 in value for the same number of points. At that rate, you might be better off buying the item with a frequent flyer credit card and earning Qantas Points on the purchase instead.
Bear in mind that the highest-value rewards are also the hardest to get. Qantas typically only releases a handful of first class and business class international seats that can be purchased with points, which are often snapped up by high-status flyers, though it has expanded its rewards options in 2024. If those are your goal and you're not already a Platinum Frequent Flyer, you may have to wait years.
An economy domestic flight can still represent really good value, especially if you use points to book a flight during peak periods such as Friday afternoons or during school holidays. Even outside those periods, it's better value than a coffee machine.
Using points for family flights
Finder global CEO Frank Restuccia knows that points can make a real difference to the household budget. In mid-2023 he booked a family holiday for 4 people to the US, grabbing Economy flights entirely using points.
Rather than paying $15,000 in high season fares, he spent around 477,000 Qantas Points plus $1,500 in carrier charges. That's an effective value of around $27 for every 1,000 Qantas Points used.
"That holiday is a big expense for our family. I'd rather spend on other priorities and use points so we can still travel," Frank explains.
The keys here? Being a little flexible with dates, not just looking at Business flights, and not waiting until the last minute to make the booking.
How can I get the most value from my Qantas Points?
These are our rules based on more than 3 decades of using Qantas Frequent Flyer:
Don't spend your points on Points Plus Pay flights. These offer really low value for your hard-earned Qantas Points. Concentrate on Classic Reward flights instead. Classic Plus can also be an OK option, but Classic Rewards is still the best.
Take time checking. Before you spend Qantas Points on anything, find out how much it would cost to buy outright. Divide that by the number of points needed, and you'll know how much each point is really worth. Under 5 cents? You're not getting great value.
Set a goal and plan for it. Impulse purchases rarely work out with points. Set a goal: maybe that's a business class trip to Perth for you and your partner. Work out how many points you need and get that total.
Patience pays off. Last-minute reward flights are rare. Think 6–12 months ahead to increase your odds of scoring a high-value reward.
Example: What's the best way to use 50,000 Qantas Points?
You could easily earn 50,000 Qantas Points just from a single credit card bonus points offer. Here are some high-value ways you can spend those points: (Prices correct as of November 2023.)
Sydney to Coolangatta (Gold Coast) return business class flight 36,800 Qantas Points
Brisbane to Melbourne return economy class flight for 2 people 48,000 Qantas Points
2-night stay at Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane 48,000 Qantas Points
JB Hi-Fi $250 digital gift card 49,250 Qantas Points
Angus Kidman is the international editor-at-large at Finder. He's an award-winning journalist who has reported on technology, travel, finance and other topics for over 30 years. Angus appears regularly on Sunrise, Today, The Project, Seven News and other TV and radio shows. See full bio
Angus's expertise
Angus has written 198 Finder guides across topics including:
Amy Bradney-George was the senior writer for credit cards at Finder, and editorial lead for Finder Green. She has over 16 years of editorial experience and has been featured in publications including ABC News, Money Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald. See full bio
Amy's expertise
Amy has written 588 Finder guides across topics including:
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