Jetstar frequent flyer: How to earn more points and free flights

Yes, you can earn points with Jetstar, but you need these tricks up your sleeve.

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Amy Bradney-George

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Key takeaways

  • Qantas-owned Jetstar has no frequent flyer scheme of its own.
  • You can earn Qantas Points on Jetstar Plus or Max fares, but these are more expensive and yield fewer points than Qantas flights.
  • You can redeem Qantas Points for Jetstar flights, often requiring 20%+ fewer points than equivalent Qantas services.
  • Consider Club Jetstar for $65 annually to save 20% on seat selection and checked baggage.
As a low-cost carrier, Jetstar does not have its own frequent flyer program. However, it is owned by Qantas, which means you can sometimes earn Qantas Frequent Flyer Points for flights.

However, this only happens if you book the right kind of ticket. Spoiler: the really cheap tickets aren't eligible. You can also sometimes earn points with Emirates Skywards and JAL Mileage Bank.

We'll explain how to do that, but let's be clear - you won't ever earn heaps of points through Jetstar. It's best-suited for cheap flights, not points flights.

Jetstar also offers perks though Club Jetstar, which isn't a frequent flyer scheme as such but does feature some discounts and benefits.

A Jetstar plane parked at Adelaide Airport

Earning and use points with Jetstar

Qantas Frequent Flyer Points and Jetstar

You can earn Qantas Points and Status Credits when you're travelling on a Jetstar Flex or Flex Plus fare. For all of these, you pay an additional fee on top of the base fare. Eligible routes include domestic Australian flights marketed as Jetstar Airways (JQ), and international flights sold by Jetstar Asia (3K) and Jetstar Japan (GK).

Points earned vary depending on booking class, fare type, the regions you're travelling through, the number of flights on your booking and your Qantas Frequent Flyer membership status.

Jetstar also offers a scheme called Jetstar Frequent Flyer Extra which lets you earn points on every booking, regardless of fare type. This cost $199 a year, and in my analysis that isn't worth it unless you're flying Jetstar dozens of times every year.

You can redeem your Qantas Frequent Flyer points for Jetstar services via Qantas. The points required for these are typically 20% lower than for the same service on Qantas. For instance, a one-way Sydney-Melbourne flight on Qantas is 9,200 Qantas Points, while the same on Jetstar is 5,600 points.

Remember, you'll have to pay carrier charges as well in both cases. You'll get a basic (15kg) checked luggage allowance for these bookings.

My expert take: I don't think it's worth paying to earn points when I take Jetstar flights, unless I know I want to pay for checked baggage and a meal anyway. In that case, I can earn enough points to justify the expense. Check out my detailed guide to when it's worth paying to earn points on Jetstar.

Similarly, I'll only use my points on Jetstar flights if it's a route that isn't otherwise offered by Qantas, and those are somewhat rarer than they used to be. I always aim to get at least $20 in value for every 1,000 Qantas Points I spend, and that can be challenging with Jetstar flights.

Jetstar and Emirates Skywards

Members of Emirates Skywards can earn Skywards Miles with Jetstar when they're travelling overseas on an Economy Flex Plus, Economy Flex or Economy International More bundle, or on a Business Max fare.

JAL Mileage Bank

Members of Japan Airline's Mileage Bank program are eligible to earn 0.3 JAL miles for every mile flown with Jetstar Japan (GK). You can't earn JAL Mileage on Jetstar Airways (JQ) flights.

To earn your JAL Mileage, you'll need to add your frequent flyer details to your booking. Points will then be credited within 6 weeks of travel.

Jetstar credit cards

Jetstar has offered its own branded credit cards in the past, but as of 2024 it doesn't do so at all. So your best option if you're looking to earn points while booking Jetstar flights is to compare cards that earn Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards, where you'll have a much broader range of options.

Club Jetstar

Club Jetstar is a discounted membership program from Jetstar. It isn't free - it costs $65 a year for new members.

The big selling point for Club Jetstar is 20% off the fees for seat selection and checked baggage. This can offset the cost of membership if you use Jetstar regularly, especially for international flights.

Club Jetstar members also get early access to some Jetstar sales, and occasional discounted seats of their own.

Is Club Jetstar worth paying for? I've been a member of Club Jetstar since 2020 and I've always got more value from it than the membership fee. That said, I travel a lot more than most people!

If you're contemplating a family trip overseas with Jetstar, then there's a decent chance that you'll save more than the membership fee once you've paid for seat selection and baggage.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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Angus Kidman is Finder’s global Editor-at-Large and an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in tech, travel and finance. He was previously the editor of Lifehacker Australia and Australian Personal Computer, and is a recognised commentator, appearing on shows like Sunrise and The Project. A two-time IT Journalism Award winner, Angus has written for top publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald, the AFR, The Australian and Gizmodo, and is known for his expertise in travel rewards and consumer technology. See full bio

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Amy is an experienced journalist with over 16 years of experience, contributing to major publications like Money Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, and ABC News Australia. Specialising in personal finance, she frequently appeared in media outlets and on radio. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Drama from Griffith University and earned RG146 certifications in Tier 1 Generic Knowledge and Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products, ensuring her expertise is grounded in current financial regulations. Amy was Finder's Senior Writer for Credit Cards from 2016 to 2024. See full bio

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Amy has written 471 Finder guides across topics including:
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20 Responses

    Dale's avatar
    DaleDecember 8, 2016

    Is the Jetstar credit card aligned with any of the Financial institutions? When paying money back onto any expenditure of using a card where do you go to make payment?
    And, most importantly, can payment onto the card be made in person in a face to face transaction? (I WILL NOT be giving out any of my bank details for any direct debits. In my employment I am aware of too many horror stories of direct debits going wrong/bank details accessed. There literally is no such thing as secure bank details.)

      May's avatarFinder
      MayDecember 9, 2016Finder

      Hi Dale,

      Thanks for your question.

      There a number of ways you can pay your Jetstar credit card bills:

      1. Direct Debit – Automatically pay your card account every month by the due date, from the bank account of your choice. With this flexible option you can choose to pay any amount equal to, or greater than the minimum payment due.

      But since Direct Debit is not your first option, you may consider the other three ways below:

      2. BPAY – This can be done through phone or internet banking (directly from your bank). Your reference number is your 16-digit card number (which is the same as the account number printed on your statement) and the biller code is 423343.

      3. Post/Mail – Enclose your completed payment slip from your monthly statement and mail with your cheque (no notes or coins accepted) and mail to GPO Box 4690 Sydney NSW 2001. Please make the cheque payable to Card Services and include your account number.

      4. Post Office – For payment made at any other Australia Post office using cash or EFTPOS, please allow 48 hours for the payment to reach your account. When paying by cheque at any Australia Post office please allow six business days for the cheque to clear. However, funds will be considered received the day the cheque is deposited. A $2 over the counter transaction fee is applicable to all cash, EFTPOS or cheque payments made at Australia Post.

      Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      May

    Yves's avatar
    YvesNovember 10, 2016

    How to subscribe to Jetstar’s mileage?

      May's avatarFinder
      MayNovember 11, 2016Finder

      Hi Yves,

      Thanks for your question.

      Jetstar rewards program is actually different from other rewards or frequent flyer programs. If you wish to earn Jetstar Dollars, you may need to use the Jetstar MasterCard or Platinum MasterCard.

      Meantime, since Jetstar is part of Qantas, you also have the option to join the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program and accumulate Qantas points under that program using your Jetstar credit card.

      Cheers,
      May

    Toni's avatar
    ToniOctober 30, 2016

    I received a voucher via email and accidently deleted it, how do I get another one or view my voucher online please

      Sally McMullen's headshotFinder
      SallyOctober 31, 2016Finder

      Hi Toni,

      Thanks for your question.

      If you haven’t emptied your email inbox trash folder, you might be able to retrieve it from there.

      Otherwise, you might need to contact Qantas Frequent Flyer on 13 13 13 for assistance.

      Cheers,

      Sally

    Ron's avatar
    RonDecember 17, 2015

    I want to buy a Jetstar MasterCard for $59.
    I understand that if I do so and purchase Jetstar flights with the card there is no transaction fee.
    Is this also the case if I purchase say two tickets. My self and partner?

      Sally's headshotFinder
      SallyDecember 18, 2015Finder

      Hi Ron,

      Thanks for your question.

      As long as the booking is made through the Jetstar website (rather than a third-party website), then you will not be charged a booking fee when purchasing Jetstar flights with your Jetstar MasterCard.

      For further information on the fees, rates and features associated with the card, please see our Jetstar MasterCard review page.

      Please ensure to revisit the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered on your transactions.

      I hope this has helped.

      Cheers,
      Sally

    John's avatar
    JohnOctober 2, 2015

    I want to get a Jetstar platinum card however I don’t have any yet previous transactions with you guys, is it possible guys?
    thanks and more power!!

      Sally's headshotFinder
      SallyOctober 6, 2015Finder

      Hi John,

      Thanks for your question.

      While you do not need to have flown or made a purchase through Jetstar to apply for the card, there are some other eligibility requirements that you will need to meet to apply. You can view these eligibility requirements on our guide to the Jetstar Platinum Card. Please ensure to review the relevant product disclosure statement and terms and conditions to ensure that you got everything covered on your transactions.

      I hope this has helped.

      Thanks,
      Sally

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