Qantas Airways’ loyalty program is the most popular in Australia, starting in 1987 and growing to almost 12 million members today. It is useful for those who live in Australia and fly on Qantas and its partners like Emirates and Cathay Pacific.

Qantas Points are easily earned through credit cards, flying and bonus points promotions, and can be redeemed for award flights in all classes.

This guide is ground zero for those who are just starting off. Read on for how to join the program, earn as many points as you can, and use them for maximum value.

How to join the program

Signing up to Qantas is not free—it usually costs $99.50 for those with an address in Australia. However, you can use one of these codes to sign up for free.

How to earn points

The two quickest ways to earn Qantas Points are by:

• signing up for a credit card with a large sign-up bonus
• using a high Qantas Points-earning credit card on an ongoing basis

There are a number of other ways to earn bonus Qantas Points, including by:

• registering for bonus points promotions
• transferring your credit card points over with a bonus
• swiping your Woolworths Rewards card and opting into earning Qantas Points
• purchasing petrol at Caltex outlets
• ordering food with Deliveroo
• dining at Rockpool Group restaurants
• buying wine from Qantas Wine (a great way to extend expiry points as points usually post within 3-5 business days)
• shopping online through the Qantas Shopping portal
• booking an Airbnb through the Qantas portal

You’ll pick up 1 Qantas Point per $ spent with Airbnb

• booking a hotel through Qantas Hotels or Luxury Escapes
• joining the Qantas Business Rewards program and taking advantage of promotions
• take out a phone plan with Vodafone
• travelling with Uber
• booking a car rental

You can pick up points with most frequent flyer programs by renting through companies like Avis and Hertz

• playing golf through the Qantas Golf Club
• taking advantage of My Card Offers if you have a Mastercard
• taking out a health, life, income protection or life insurance policy
• loading up a prepaid travel card
• linking your Hoyts Rewards and Qantas accounts
• switching to a points-earning Red Energy plan
• downloading the Qantas Wellbeing app and earning points for exercising

If you are short on points for a redemption, you can:

• transfer points over from a family member
• top up your account by buying points directly from Qantas
• buy American Express Membership Rewards points
• transfer points over from Marriott Rewards

How to redeem points

In our opinion, the best value of your Qantas Points comes from redeeming them for flights on Qantas and its partners, such as Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines.

This product is what you can expect on most domestic Business Class flights:

but on most flights between the East and West Coasts or overseas, you’ll get a lie-flat seat.

Emirates have excellent Business (pictured below) and First Class products and provide a great redemption opportunity for Australia-based travellers.

As the taxes and surcharges attached to some Qantas award bookings tend to be high, as well as premium cabin availability tight on flights to and from the US, flying American Airlines (pictured below) or Fiji Airways is a good alternative.

Whilst we usually advise saving your points for premium cabin travel, using your Qantas Points for Economy Class travel can provide good value in these cases.

If you are looking for more inspiration for what to do with your Qantas Points, check out our best uses of points series.

Many people aim to play the upgrade lottery, but if you don’t have status (explained below), your chances of securing a Business or First Class seat are reduced.

Lost as to how to start your search for an award seat? Check out this post.

Elite status

Holding Qantas Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status is the key to unlocking a raft of premium perks with Qantas and its partners, such as complimentary upgrades, lounge access, and priority check-in and boarding.

Here are the best routes to do a status run on and the quickest ways to earn Qantas Gold status in one trip.

You can also get lounge access by becoming a member of Qantas Club.

Summing up

If you live in Australia and fly or are interested in flying Qantas, then the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is one worth signing up for.

Qantas Points can be used both on Qantas and its partner airlines and are most quickly earned by signing up for one of these credit cards.

Do you know someone who might get some use out of the Qantas program but needs a little help! Share this guide using the social media buttons below!