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Note: Qantas have recently changed their frequent flyer program and numbers quoted in the article may be incorrect. A revised version will be coming soon.
You hear about it all the time – “spend over $30 and collect points”, “sign up for a MasterCard and earn a bonus 20,000 points” but what does all of this really mean for you? How can it help YOU get travelling faster without costing more money?
When I hear the words “frequent flyer points” it means one thing: being one step closer to my travel goal, whether that be joining my family on a trip to Hong Kong or a week relaxing in Spain. When you learn to earn and use Frequent Flier points flying around the world becomes more affordable – and here’s how.
Australia is lucky that we only have two major airlines to choose from – Qantas and Virgin Australia. Whilst it is possible to collect points for international airlines, particularly Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic, it’s much easier to look to the local carriers as there are ways to maximise your points with local businesses.
Qantas airlines frequent flyer scheme is by far the easiest option to earn points. Not only are they part of the oneWorld alliance – allowing customers to fly and earn points with partner airlines including , British Airways and American Airlines – but they also run Jetstar Airlines, which is in my opinion Australia’s best budget airline; as well as a strong codeshare partnership with Emirates. Qantas also have a great range of partners where you can earn those bonus points for everyday shopping purchases or payment, including Optus, Woolworths, and QBE insurance.
Virgin’s Velocity program is your alternative program. Partners include Westfield Online, Virgin mobile and Foxtel. Check my guide to earning with Virgin Velocity here. [coming soon!]
You can sign-up with any airline program, but as people living in Australia I recommend Qantas and Virgi to maximise your point earning opportunities domestically.
I get told by a lot of people “I can’t earn frequent flyer points, I only fly once or twice a year.” Do you have a personal mobile phone? Do you shop for groceries? Do you buy petrol for your car? If you answered yes to any of these questions then yes, you can earn frequent flyer points.
Here’s a run down of ways to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points;
(Please note not all of these will work for all people. Please read all fine print, especially when taking our credit cards or insurance.)
Remember how I said it’s best to commit to one airline? Status bonuses are the reason why. Depending what tier member you are you can get double points for your flight!
Here’s a breakdown on how many extra points you get on Qantas flights:
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This points bonus isn’t available on discount fares so be sure to check you have bought the correct fare type to take advantage of status bonuses. You can earn bonus points called Loyalty Bonuses each year if you fly enough times each year and earn a certain number of status credits. Read more about Loyalty bonuses .
(please note: when you sign up you’ll be a bronze frequent flyer/bronze status and you will not receive any additional status bonuses, but will be eligible for cabin bonuses!)
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If you’re more a fan of travelling closer to the front of the plane there are additional bonuses you can get on top of any status bonuses you earn.
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This points bonus isn’t available on discount fares so be sure to check you have bought the correct fare type to take advantage of cabin bonuses.
As of July 1st 2014 Qantas has changed the number of points you can earn. To find out more please check the .
To work out how many points you’ll earn per flight use the and add-on your status or cabin bonuses.
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So now you’ve begun collecting points you want to know how long til you’ll reach the rewards!
You can track your points using the Qantas website and logging into your account – it takes around 3-5 business days for points to show up – or by reading the monthly emails Qantas send. By clicking on the ‘Fly’, ‘Shop’, ‘Pay’ etc. icons on the dashboard you can see new ways of earning points.
As you see your points balance rise you can choose to redeem your points!
This is the best part of collecting Frequent Flier points – the rewards!
From scoring free flights (just pay for the landing taxes), flight upgrades – yes, you can fly Business or First class, gift vouchers, the latest iPhone, they’re all within reach through the . You can even purchase Qantas QBE Travel Insurance with your points.
Here’s a sample of some of my favourite products in the Qantas store so you have an idea of how many points you’ll need to save;
If you haven’t quite saved enough points to cash in on something you really fancy, then most options include a ‘points & pay’ – you choose how many points you want to use and then just pay the difference, simple!
For the latest on how you can use your hard earn frequent flier points .
So this is the downside – Qantas has recently introduced a AU$82.50 price-tag to be signed up for the awards program. Never fear because there are loop-holes to get FREE Qantas Frequent Flyer membership, but shh… don’t tell them I told you this!
Please note: not all of the options listed in this post will work for every reader. Please read the Terms & Conditions associated with everything you sign-up to. Bitten by the Travel Bug and Nicole Smith take no responsibility in any issues you may incur from signing up to any of the products from this page.
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