Qantas Airways, Australia's flagship carrier airline, has a loyalty program known as the Qantas Points Club, separate from the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. The Qantas Points Club recognises Qantas Points earned mainly on the ground via Qantas-linked credit cards, other loyalty programs where points can be converted to Qantas points, and special points promotions on Qantas non-flight products such as insurance, travel or wine.
Are the extra benefits — and cost — of being a Qantas Points Club member worth it? Let's take a closer look.
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Key takeaways
- Qantas Points Club is a separate program from Qantas Frequent Flyer.
- Designed for people who earn lots of Qantas Points from activities other than flying, such as booking a Qantas Hotel, grocery shopping, or using a Qantas Points credit card.
- The program offers additional perks and benefits, including airport lounge access, discounts, exclusive flying offers, and more.
- To unlock Points Club, you need to earn a minimum of 150,000 Qantas Points on the ground each Membership Year (up to 125,000 points per transaction) or 350,000 points each Membership Year for Points Club Plus.
What is the Qantas Points Club?
The Qantas Points Club is a loyalty program that recognises Qantas Points earned via Qantas-linked credit card purchases, accommodation, car rentals, and other purchases made through Qantas or its partners.
Qantas Points can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and other rewards. But the Qantas Points Club program offers additional perks and benefits, such as lounge access, bonus points, and Qantas holiday and wine vouchers.
Who is it designed for?
Millions of Qantas Frequent Flyer members earn Qantas Points for just about everything other than flying. The Qantas Points Club is designed with this cohort in mind.
If you're one of the many who have organised their financial lives to earn more Qantas Points — from Qantas credit card purchases, booking accommodation, renting a car, switching gas and electricity providers, and even walking — then you might not be far off from unlocking Qantas Points Club.
The upside for Qantas is clear: Qantas Points Club incentivises members to continue spending within the Qantas Frequent Flyer ecosystem and stay loyal to and engaged with their brand despite not flying often.
How to become a Qantas Points Club member
Qantas Points Club membership is automatically unlocked when you have earned enough Qantas Points, predominantly from your spending on the ground. Here's how it works.
Membership tiers
What reward program would be complete without tiers to complicate matters?
- Points Club. Unlocked after earning at least 150,000 Qantas Points in a Membership Year.
- Points Club Plus. Unlocked after earning at least 350,000 Qantas Points in a Membership Year.
Rules
What you need to do to get into the Points Club is clear.
- You must earn at least 150,000 Qantas Points from 'on the ground' purchases with Qantas or its partners in your Qantas Frequent Flyer Membership Year.
- Up to 20,000 Qantas Points earned from flights can go towards the overall target.
Cost
Unlike membership of Qantas Frequent Flyer, there is no joining fee for the Points Club. However, since earning Qantas Points without flying typically involves spending money, there is an indirect membership cost.
Points Club vs Points Club Plus
The Qantas Points Club has two different membership tiers — Points Club and Points Club Plus — each with its own perks and benefits.
The main difference between the two tiers is that Points Club has two lounge passes each year (giving access to Qantas Club and Qantas-operated International Business Lounges).
In contrast, Points Club Plus comes with complimentary Qantas Club membership, which gives members — and a guest — access to Qantas Club, and Qantas International Business Lounges, plus lounges operated by Qantas partner airlines worldwide.
Points Club Plus members chasing higher status can roll over some Status Credits into the next year, but I'm not sure how many will benefit of that since — presumably — you're not flying regularly enough to care in the first place.
Other differences between the tiers are really quite marginal. Plus entitles you to earn more Qantas Points on hotel bookings, has slightly more generous Qantas Wine vouchers and discount, and offers more discount when shopping at the Qantas Rewards Store (a poor redemption option as a general rule of thumb). A lot of the other benefits are equal between the two tiers.
Qantas Points Club vs Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas Points Club and Qantas Frequent Flyer are similar but separate programs, with some key differences between the two.
- The Qantas Frequent Flyer program focuses on earning Qantas Points and Status Credits by flying and has four main tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) through which progress is earned by flying, although it does recognise Qantas Points earned on the ground.
- On the other hand, the Qantas Points Club delivers extra benefits, mainly for large numbers of Qantas Points earned on the ground.
Pros and cons
Like any loyalty program, the Qantas Points Club has its pros and cons.
Pros
- Designed for frequent spenders over frequent flyers. Recognises large numbers of Qantas Points earned on the ground by delivering extra benefits to members.
- Access to airport lounges with comfortable seating, free refreshments and business facilities.
- Earn status credits on Qantas Classic Flight Rewards (i.e. flights purchased with Qantas Points).
- Exclusive flying offers throughout the year.
- Get money off with annual Qantas Hotels and Holidays and Qantas Wine vouchers.
- Complimentary Qantas Wine premium membership.
- Roll over Status Credits (Plus members only) into the following Membership Year.
- Discounts on Qantas Wine (Plus members only) and some Qantas Rewards Store products.
- Priority phone service when you call the Frequent Flyer Service Centre.
Cons
- You need to earn a lot of points on the ground each year to qualify for and then maintain your membership.
- Qantas Points Club membership expires at the end of your next Membership Year if you do not continue to earn enough points each year.
FAQs
How much does Qantas Points Club membership cost?
Qantas Points Club membership is free, and is awarded to Qantas Frequent Flyer Members who earn large numbers of Qantas Points each year, mostly or exclusively on the ground.
How many Qantas Points do I need to earn?
For Qantas Points Club membership, at least 150,000 points per membership year, only 20,000 of which can come from flying.
For Qantas Points Club Plus membership, at least 350,000 points per membership year, only 20,000 of which can come from flying.
Is there a limit on how many Qantas Points Club qualifying points I can earn per 'on the ground' transaction?
Yes, there's a limit of 125,000 points per points transaction earned on the ground.
How can I quickly earn lots of Qantas Points on the ground in order to qualify?
- Be approved for a Qantas Points-earning credit card with a sign-up bonus.
- Qantas Health insurance frequently offers sign-up bonuses for new members.
- Save up your Woolworths Everyday Rewards points until you have many thousands that you can convert into Qantas Points all at once.
- Earn thousands of bonus points on selected Qantas Wine purchases.
- It's sometimes possible to transfer points from other loyalty programs (such as American Express Membership Rewards) and have them count towards Qantas Points Club membership.
What if I'm just a few thousand points short for the year?
You could consider buying some top-up points from Qantas, but this strategy is not recommended if you need many thousands of points. You can buy top-up points starting at $50-$60 for 1,000 points, but 150,000 points, for example, would cost you around $4,000 – too high a price for the Qantas Points Club benefits provided.
Do Family Transfer points count towards Qantas Points Club membership?
No.
How long does Qantas Points Club membership last?
Membership benefits last from when you unlock Points Club membership until the end of your next Membership Year. So, for example, if your Membership Year begins on 1 January 2023 and ends 31 December 2023, and you unlock Points Club or Points Club Plus in June 2023, you will receive your membership benefits until 31 December 2024.
What is a Membership Year?
Every Qantas Frequent Flyer member has a ‘Membership Year’. This date is based on when you joined the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. You can find your Membership Year when you log-on to 'My account' on qantas.com or the Qantas App
Is the Qantas Points Club worth it?
Membership of the Qantas Points Club is essentially free, unless you purchase top-up points in order to qualify or deliberately spend money in order to earn points. In effect, it's a free adjunct to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program designed to deliver extra benefits to people who earn most of their Qantas Points on the ground. So yes, it's definitely worthwhile if you do happen to qualify.
