New Qantas Points Planes rewards flights: Which ones are actually worth taking?
Key takeaways
- Qantas has released 100,000 extra Classic Rewards seats.
- Most are for flights in early 2026, and many are on Jetstar to Denpasar.
- The best deals are for flights to Paris and Santiago.
A common complaint in 2026 has been that it's getting harder to use Qantas Points for rewards flights.
Classic Rewards flights have always been the best-value use of your Qantas Points, but scoring them can be frustrating and time-consuming.
So Qantas' announcement this morning that it had dropped 100,000 extra Classic Rewards seats as part of its ongoing "Points Planes" promotion is welcome news, but they aren't all equally good.
"January is often one of the busiest months for bookings with Qantas Points, so by releasing this wave of extra Classic Reward seats now, we're encouraging members to get in early and secure their travel before the New Year's rush," Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said.
The standout offer is extra Classic Rewards seats for flights to Paris, which are available across Economy, Premium Economy and Business.
However, you'll have to travel in February or March 2026, which is still chilly and dark weather in Europe.
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There are also Qantas flights to Santiago, which generally has a dearth of Classic Rewards availability. Those are only available in May 2026.
You can also score seats from Brisbane to Honiara or Port Vila in February next year.
Here's a full list of the routes with Qantas Points Plane seats on offer and what you'll need to get those seats. If you're tempted, get in quickly, as many will disappear fast.
| Route | Class | Points | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney – Paris | Business | 166,300 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Sydney – Paris | Premium Economy | 124,700 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Sydney – Paris | Economy | 63,500 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Perth – Paris | Business | 151,800 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Perth – Paris | Premium Economy | 113,900 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Perth – Paris | Economy | 58,900 | 1 Feb-31 Mar 2026 |
| Sydney – Santiago | Business | 130,100 | 1 May-31 May 2026 |
| Sydney – Santiago | Premium Economy | 97,600 | 1 May-31 May 2026 |
| Sydney – Santiago | Economy | 48,200 | 1 May-31 May 2026 |
| Brisbane - Honiara | Business | 43,600 | 1 Feb-28 Feb 2026 |
| Brisbane - Honiara | Economy | 20,700 | 1 Feb-28 Feb 2026 |
| Brisbane – Port Vila | Business | 29,000 | 1 Feb-28 Feb 2026 |
| Brisbane – Port Vila | Economy | 13,800 | 1 Feb-28 Feb 2026 |
As well as Qantas planes, there are also lots of seats on Jetstar for flights to Denpasar in February, March and May 2026 (plus a handful Sydney-Port Vila route).
These are still a decent-value offering, especially for family trips. but there's no pointy end of the plane with Jetstar.
The dates are also more limited - you might have to stay at least a week before grabbing a return flight.
Here's the full list.
| Route | Points | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney – Port Vila | 20,700 | 31 Jan-21 Mar 2026 |
| Sydney - Denpasar | 23,300 | 9 Feb-12 Mar 2026 |
| Brisbane - Denpasar | 23,300 | 10 Feb-5 Mar 2026 |
| Melbourne - Denpasar | 29,000 | 4 Feb-6 Mar 2026 |
| Adelaide - Denpasar | 23,300 | 4 Feb-5 Mar 2026 |
| Cairns - Denpasar | 20,700 | 4 Feb-13 Mar 2026 |
| Sunshine Coast –Denpasar | 23,300 | 7 May-24 Jun 2026 |
| Gold Coast - Denpasar | 23,300 | 18 Feb-18 Mar 2026 |
| Avalon - Denpasar | 29,000 | 26 Apr-29 May 2026 |
| Perth – Denpasar | 23,300 | 3 Feb-28 Feb 2026 |
| Newcastle - Denpasar | 23,300 | 5 Feb-9 Mar 2026 |
| Darwin-Denpasar | 13,800 | 16 Feb-23 Feb 2026 |
In August this year, Qantas increased the number of Qantas Points needed for Classic Rewards flights.
For Business seats, there was a 20% rise, while Economy requirements went up by 15%.
Despite that, my ongoing analysis of the value of a Qantas Point shows they are still one of the best ways to spend your points.
So it's worth having a look if you don't already have a dream route in mind for spending your points.
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