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Qantas announced Qantas Points Club, an extension of its existing and very successful Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme, in June 2019 (we wrote up the news at the time). It officially launched on 18 March 2020.
The idea is simple: to give extra rewards to people who have earned their Qantas Frequent Flyer Points through non-flying activities, such as sign-up rewards for frequent flyer credit cards or transferring Everyday Rewards points. Qantas calls it "frequent buying".
Sound good? Read on to learn all about the program.
Prior to Points Club, it was difficult to maximise your Qantas Frequent Flyer membership if you weren't a frequent flyer. While you could earn lots of points from shopping and credit cards, the only way to earn Status Credits was by flying. And Status Credits are key to getting onto Qantas's higher membership tiers (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One). Higher tiers make it more likely that you'll get upgrades, as well as offering a better choice of seats and reward flights. Higher levels give you free access to Qantas lounges too.
Qantas Points Club makes that a little more accessible by recognising the points you've earned that don't come from flying and offering some Status Credit perks. This kind of earning is very common. Qantas's own data shows that two-thirds of Qantas Frequent Flyer Points aren't actually earned from flights.
Qantas Points Club will have two tiers:
A key note: You can earn 20,000 Qantas Points during each membership year from flying, which will count towards Points Club. The rest of the points have to come from non-flight activities. You also can't count more than 125,000 Qantas Points from any single transaction or transfer.
If you purchase top-up Qantas Points, they will also count towards the total (and count separately to the 20,000 you can earn from actual flights).
Here's a summary and comparison of the benefits that Points Club and Points Club Plus members get:
Points Club | Points Club Plus |
---|---|
2 complimentary lounge invitations | Complimentary Qantas Club membership |
Can earn Status Credits on Qantas Classic Reward flights | Can earn Status Credits on Qantas Classic Reward flights |
Earn 25% more on Qantas Hotels | Earn 50% more on Qantas Hotels |
Earn triple points on Qantas Wine, plus free delivery | Earn triple points on Qantas Wine, plus free delivery and 10% off (except Penfolds) |
5% off Qantas Rewards Store purchases | 10% off Qantas Rewards Store purchases |
1 car upgrade with AVIS | 1 car upgrade with AVIS |
– | Can roll over 100 Status Credits to next year |
The two most notable benefits for Points Club Plus are the free Qantas Club membership and the Status Credits rollover. The Qantas Club costs $939 in your first year and $540 each year thereafter, so that's a decent perk. And the ability to roll up to 100 Status Credits into your next year gives you a head start in trying to reach higher membership tiers.
Both Points Club groups are able to earn Status Credits on Classic Reward flights, something you can't normally do at all. This is a tasty bonus, though it's unlikely you'll get enough credits from a rewards flight to push you onto a higher tier in itself.
Qantas also says Points Club members will receive "regular flight promotions, redemption deals, discounts and bonus point offers". We'll be keeping a close eye on these and updating this guide to note any major offers. Make sure you've signed up for the Points Finder email to stay on top of Points Club bonus offers.
Qantas tracks all the points you earn and where they come from and will notify you by email and in the Qantas App once you've hit Points Club or Points Club Plus status. The only prerequisite (apart from earning those points) is to have a Qantas Frequent Flyer membership. You can easily get that for free.
If you're a Qantas Frequent Flyer member, then you'll automatically be added to Qantas Points Club (or Points Club Plus) if you meet the earn requirements during your membership year. There's no reason not to enjoy those perks if you get them. That said, to really make the most of Qantas Frequent Flyer, you'll want to be flying regularly: the benefits are largely associated with being in the air. But if you get most of your points from credit cards and savvy shopping, Points Club will give you airport perks that would be pricey or impossible to get any other way.
Like most frequent flyer schemes, you need to read the rules carefully. Here are a few of the key rules to be aware of:
Picture: Angus Kidman
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