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From exclusive lounge access to comfy seats, premium meals and complimentary toiletries, there are many perks to flying business class with Qantas, Virgin or any other airline. But these luxuries come at a cost – business class fares can cost twice as much as economy options (and more in some cases).
If you don’t want to pay the full cost of a business class ticket or if you want to change your current booking to get these benefits, you can use frequent flyer points to request an upgrade. Here, we look at the Qantas and Virgin Velocity points you need to fly to business class in Australia and around the world.
The number of Qantas Points you'll need to book a business flight will depend on your departure and destination. Qantas offers a points calculator that you can use to see how many points you'll need for your preferred flight. To give you an example, you can compare how many Qantas Points you'd need to fly from Australia to popular international destinations below:
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020.
If you already have a ticket booked, you can use Qantas Points to upgrade both domestic and international tickets on flights where business class is available. The amount of points you need for an upgrade varies depending on the flight and existing fare type.
The Qantas Classic Rewards Upgrade service allows you to request an Australian domestic upgrade to business class on eligible Australian domestic flights. Your existing ticket must have a QF flight number and be one of the following classes:
Example route | Classic Flight Reward fare (Economy) | Discount Economy tickets | Flexible Economy tickets |
---|---|---|---|
Melbourne to Sydney | 13,000 | 10,900 | 5,400 |
Sydney to Brisbane | 13,000 | 10,900 | 5,400 |
Brisbane to Melbourne | 19,600 | 19,000 | 8,100 |
Sydney to Perth | 28,300 | 27,200 | 10,900 |
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020.
Note that if you request a Classic Upgrade Reward for an itinerary that includes an international and a domestic leg with the same flight number, this will be treated as an international Classic Upgrade Reward.
Qantas offers international Classic Upgrade Rewards for services with a QF flight number from 1 to 199. You can request the upgrade any time after you have paid for your ticket and received confirmation, up to 24 hours before your flight leaves. The types of fares you can upgrade to business class are:
The following table shows how many points you need to upgrade to business class based on example routes and ticket classes.
Example route | Classic Flight Reward - Economy | Economy | Flexible Economy | Classic Flight Reward - Premium Economy | Premium Economy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne to Los Angeles | 109,000 | 98,100 | 54,000 | 73,500 | 49,100 |
Perth to Singapore | 38,100 | 32,700 | 17,900 | 24,500 | 16,300 |
Sydney to Hong Kong | 58,800 | 54,400 | 29,900 | 39,200 | 27,200 |
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020.
Qantas also has an invitation-only option for ticket upgrades. With Bid Now Upgrades, you could receive an invitation within seven days of your flight.
You then have the opportunity to make an upgrade offer to business class using a combination of Qantas Points and money (or just with money). A minimum amount of money is required depending on the ticket and flight.
Bid Now Upgrades are available up to 24 hours before your flight’s departure. Approval of upgrades through this service is at Qantas’s discretion, and you’ll know of the outcome of your bid between 24 and 12 hours before your flight.
Similar to Qantas, the number of Velocity Points you'll need to book a business class flight will depend on your travel route. You can use the points tables on the Velocity website to see how many points you'll need to book your flight, but it can range between 15,500 and 127,500 Velocity Points.
Virgin’s Velocity frequent flyer program has several options for business class upgrades using points. The minimum amount of points required varies based on the upgrade option, the miles flown and the type of fare. The following tables cover some of your different options.
You can request an upgrade to business class for domestic Virgin Australia flights with a VA flight number when you’ve booked on a Getaway, Elevate or Freedom fare. You can do this through the UpgradeMe Points service, which applies the following point rates depending on where you are flying and the type of ticket you have.
One-Way Miles | Upgrade from Getaway fare | Upgrade from Elevate fare | Upgrade from Freedom here |
---|---|---|---|
0-600 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 4,900 |
601-1,200 | 17,500 | 17,500 | 7,400 |
1,201-2,400 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 9,900 |
2,401-3,600 | 35,000 | 35,000 | 14,900 |
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020.
Velocity also provides two other ways to request seat upgrades to business class on domestic flights.
All Velocity members booked on a Freedom fare can request an upgrade to business class on eligible international short-haul flights (when business class is offered). The flight must be operated by Virgin Australia or Virgin Samoa and have a VA flight number.
One-Way Miles | Upgrade from Getaway fare | Upgrade from Elevate fare | Upgrade from Freedom here |
---|---|---|---|
0-600 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 4,900 |
601-1,200 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 7,400 |
1,201-2,400 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 9,900 |
2,401-3,600 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 14,900 |
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020.
If you're a Gold or Platinum Velocity member, you can also request an upgrade to business on international long haul flights to Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi operated by Virgin Australia with a VA flight number. You'll need to already be booked on a Freedom, Premium Saver or Premium fare to use this option, as reflected in the table below.
Fare booked | Points required to upgrade to business |
---|---|
Freedom (Y, B, H, K) | 45,000 |
Premium saver (O) | 45,000 |
Premium (R or W) | 25,000 |
Information correct at the time of writing on 10 January 2020
Using frequent flyer points to travel in business class with Qantas or Virgin is a great way to get all the perks without the high dollar price. Now you know exactly how many Qantas and Velocity points you need to upgrade your ticket, you can save your points and use them on flights where business class will make all the difference to your trip.
Images: Finder
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I have 560,000 Qantas points and I want to fly from Sydney to London business class. What is the best way to do this?
Hi Donna,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. 😃
Upon checking, you would need 256,000 Qantas Points to fly business class from Sydney to London with Qantas. However, this figure could vary based on factors such as on the fees and taxes, as well as whether you fly with Qantas or a partner airline. You can check the exact points you need by logging into the official website of Qantas. That is also the best way to book your flight using your points.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua