How to stop Qantas Points from expiring

Did you know that Qantas points expire with 18 months of inactivity?

In the current travel climate, many of us are nervous about the currency of frequent flyer points.

And while many Qantas Frequent Flyer members are still earning Qantas Points regularly, a surprisingly large number of people aren’t aware that points expire after 18 months of inactivity.

But while that might sound alarming, the simple act of earning – or redeeming – one single Qantas Point in any 18-month period is all that’s needed to keep your hard-earned frequent flyer stash protected.

Read on to discover everything you need to know about Qantas points expiry (and learn how you can avoid it ever happening to you!).

How and when do Qantas Points expire?

First, let’s look at how and why Qantas Points expire.

Using or earning Qantas Frequent Flyer points is known as ‘activity’. This is the action of earning or using points. In the case of flights, for example, that’s the date the flight was taken. For other activities, this could be the day you ordered a case of Champagne via Qantas Wine, shopped at the Qantas Online Mall or purchased something at the Qantas Marketplace.

Qantas points expire after 18 months of inactivity. So long as you’ve registered some form of activity in the last 18 months, your Qantas points are protected from expiry. The clock starts ticking from the date of your last activity until it is reset by subsequent activity.

If you’re at risk of forfeiting Qantas points due to account activity, don’t panic. There are many ways to earn or use Qantas Points directly or through program partners which we’ll go into below.

Aside from flying, which has been off the cards for many of us until recently, we’ve listed out some of the main ways you can maintain Qantas Points currency, below.

Qantas Wellbeing app: The Qantas Wellbeing app is by far the most convenient way to ensure your Qantas Points balance remains active. This free app rewards members for completing a range of health and wellness-linked activities. Points-earning tasks include completing health assessments, exercising and even sleeping. New members can also earn up to 1,000 Qantas Points during the Qantas Wellbeing App 28 day trial. To find out more, head here.

Qantas Shopping: Shopping up a storm online is one of the easiest ways to ensure you don’t lose your points. Simply log in to Qantas Shopping and shop online at over 300 retailers. You’ll earn at least one Qantas point per $1 spent (and sometimes much more), so even small purchases can register points earning ‘activity’ on your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.

Qantas Wine: Purchases at Qantas Wine can earn you piles of Qantas Points on each dollar spent. Plus, Qantas regularly offers bonus points on some products. While Qantas states that points can take up to 15 days to credit, they usually credit much sooner, within 2-5 days.

qantas wine

Woolworths: if you frequently shop at Woolworths, this option represents an easy, ‘set and forget’ way to regularly accrue Qantas Points. Simply acquire a free Woolworths Rewards Card and connect it to your Qantas Frequent Flyer number. The simple act of buying groceries, household goods at BigW, or petrol at Caltex Woolworths is enough to safeguard your points.

Rental Cars: Hire a car from Avis or Budget when you’re on holiday. You can even use your private QFF number when hiring a vehicle for work.

Hotel points – If you’re a seasoned traveller, chances are that you might have some points from a hotel scheme that could be transferred across to Qantas. These include Accor, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Intercontinental IHG, Hyatt Gold Passport, and Choice Privileges. You could also choose to book accommodation via Qantas Hotels using your points stash.

Uber: Get taken for a ride with Uber to preserve your points.

How to check your Qantas account activity

To ensure your Qantas points don’t expire, check your Qantas account statement regularly. However, when you’re looking for your latest Activity on your statement, be warned that you can only view the last 12 months. Chances are if you see nothing earned or credited in the last 12 months, you’re most likely in the last 6 months until points expiry. In that case, you should either earn or use some points immediately or at very least ascertain when the last Activity occurred by contacting Qantas

Any account that is intermittently used is most at risk of losing its points balance, and it’s not uncommon for friends or family members of savvy Qantas points collectors to be impacted. The irregular flyer, elderly, deceased estates, or minors are the most obvious accounts at risk, so if possible, it pays to keep an eye on these accounts and/or to set calendar reminders to generate Qantas points earning or redemption activity.

What to do when Qantas points expiry is imminent

If you’re less than a week or so from your 18 month activity anniversary, don’t panic. There are many ways that you can ‘earn or burn’ points to ensure that your Qantas points are protected.

The quickest way you can ensure that your Qantas points don’t expire is to redeem them. There are a variety of ways to do this, from booking a Classic Reward flight to shopping at the Qantas Marketplace or even redeeming points for accommodation at Qantas Hotels.

Since Qantas Classic Flight rewards in business and first class, or redemptions offer best bang for buck, we’d discourage members from redeeming too many points for goods or accommodation.

However, if you’re not in a position to redeem points, you’ll need to earn some. One popular way to earn Qantas Points fast is via purchasing wine, spirits or food via Qantas Wine. Many frequent flyers report that points post quickly, and promotions of up to 20,000 bonus Qantas Points per case are offered throughout the year.

Longer term strategies to avoid Qantas points expiry

Fly: While flights are off the cards for some of us right now, the obvious option is to fly somewhere… anywhere! There doesn’t even have to be a reason. Points should appear in your account within a day or two of journey completion. Be careful to ensure that the flight you’ve booked earns Qantas points – some partner-operated flights may be exempt. Bear in mind that it could be an expensive option to find last-minute return flights.

Qantas Credit Cards: A Qantas Frequent Flyer credit card can help you to rack up points regularly. Head here to review our selection of Qantas Frequent Flyer credit cards that could deliver a generous sign-on bonus and help you avoid your points expiring.

Insurance: Qantas runs its own health insurance brand and it also provides travel insurance under its own banner, which can be bought online at the time of ticket purchases.

Parking: Qantas has partnered with Secure Parking where up to 20,000 points a month can be earned for parking.

Airbnb – With nearly 5 million homes worldwide, take a break and earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on the booking. There are also regular offers for first bookings made through the partnership and the potential to save loads of money with our top Airbnb booking tips.

Qantas Restaurants: Earn points at Qantas Restaurants by booking a table via Quandoo

Restaurant fine dining salad background

Tip: Don’t try to earn points at the last minute

It’s important to note that some activities and purchases take over three months to credit to your account, so it’s best not to wait until the last moment to take action to reset your activity. There may also be significant variation as to the timeframe by which Qantas Points reach your account.

Are you missing Qantas Points?

In this situation – points equal activity, so it pays to double-check that you’ve received the Qantas points you’ve rightly earned. Here’s how to ensure you haven’t been short-changed:

1. Do an audit: Go back through all your flights in the last 18 months and check that all the points have dropped. Don’t forget to check your Jetstar flights.

2. Check: Chase your credit card provider for any missing bonus points that you were supposed to be credited on the minimum spend for a new credit card. Make sure you check the card provider’s fine print about the time window for points crediting.

A note about Qantas Family Transfers

Many airlines offer the ability to transfer points and miles to other people, and Qantas is no exception. The Qantas Family Transfer facility allows QFF members to transfer points betweem eligible family members, up to a capped limit per year.

However, if you’re planning to use this facility to extend the validity of your points balance, think again. Qantas family transfers are excluded from being counted as an activity for the purposes of retaining Qantas points currency.

Even if your Qantas points have expired, all is not lost

Cue the Qantas Points Challenge. There is nothing stopping you from contacting Qantas and pleading your case. While recovery of your points can’t be guaranteed, many readers have reported that Qantas may, at their discretion, issue a Points Earning Challenge.

In this scenario – providing you contact Qantas within six months of the points expiry – the Qantas Points Challenge makes it possible to reinstate all of your expired points on one straightforward condition: you must earn 2,500 Qantas Points within three months.

It’s safe to say 2,500 Qantas Points an easily achievable mark, so the good news is that it may not be much of a challenge at all. Why not make the most of it by purchasing from Qantas Wine – that way you can make your challenge points quota and drink them too! When life hands you grapes you make wine, right?

Ideally, we would suggest avoiding this scenario altogether by closely monitoring your points through a free app such as AwardWallet, which tracks most everyday accounts used by Australians.

While you’re here: Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest tips, deals and news. It only takes a few seconds and we respect your privacy:

17 thoughts on “How to stop Qantas Points from expiring”

    1. Avatar for Adele

      Hi there, yes, transferring points from a flexible rewards scheme into a personal Qantas Frequent Flyer account will count as activity for the purposes of keeping points current.

  1. Avatar for Carl Coombes

    My late wife ( died 1st May 2022 ) had accrued many thousands of FFP I attempted to transfer these points
    over to myself, but was told that they were now null and void. Need your help.

    1. Avatar for Adele

      Hi Carl, unfortunately, under the Qantas Frequent Flyer program terms and conditions, points earned are cancelled upon the death of a member. We’re aware of many similar scenarios to your personal situation. The issue has been covered quite extensively in the media recently, and we would like to see Qantas revise their policy here.

  2. Avatar for Jeanette Eisma

    I have a card that was issued in 2009 but haven’t been using it for many years. Member number is xxxxxxxx, is it still able to be used?

    1. Avatar for Michael

      Hello Jeanette

      We presume your question is regarding points on the card rather than the physical card. If you have not had account activity (small or large for at least 18 months), your points will likely have disappeared, never to return. If we’re talking 2009, you may wish to be prepared for bad news.

      If your question is regarding actual physical use of a card from 2009, we’re not sure whether it would be recognised by machines at the airport etc. We would recommend contacting Qantas to receive a newer card with chip security in it anyhow.

      Regards
      Michael

  3. Avatar for Robert Ingold

    Hi , I have learned that my Qantas points will expire at the end of December 2020. Normally I would have flown from London to Sydney return at the end of this year but of course can’t do that this year. So ideally I would like to book a flight with you at the end 2021 and then return to London in January 2022. I went on line to do that but could only book as far ahead as November 2021. And depending on the Australian Government regulations, that might not happen either. Please can you tell me how I can get round this problem so as not to lose the 312,000 air miles that I have accrued
    Rob Ingold

    1. Avatar for Michael

      Hello Robert

      Qantas Frequent Flyer points do not expire, provided there has been account activity (small or large) within 18 months.
      This article will help you: Guide to Qantas Points expiry

      In addition, this article lists at least 21 ways you can earn some Qantas points to prevent your haul from expiring.
      Join Qantas Frequent Flyer for Free

      Finally, most airlines do not let you book more than a year in advance and some open up flights earlier to those with higher Status. in Qantas’ case – 353 days prior to flights.

      Hope this helps
      Michael

  4. Avatar for Beta

    The easiest way to keep points activity (and to get free points on the daily) is to install the Qantas Wellbeing app on your phone.

  5. Avatar for Jenny

    I use my QFF points regularly and earn regularly but every year the seems to be a number of points that have ‘expired’ but I can never figure out why as I have been using and earning points. Any thoughts? ( I’ve never actually rung them and asked so maybe I should)

    1. Avatar for Adele

      Hi Jenny, that’s really curious. It’s an ‘all or nothing’ scenario – if you’ve registered no activity in an 18 month period, then all the points should expire. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on your points activity and getting in touch with Qantas if something looks amiss. You can access a rolling statement from within the Qantas website. Cheers, Adele

  6. Avatar for O’Shaughnessy

    I was not aware that my frequent flyer could be cancelled. I did receive one notification in June but I know that woolworths had transversed at ,least a 1000 numbers either end of June or July. As I have had to change my PIN number, which I found difficult as I’m unable to have a real voice talk to me. I would appreciate letting me know a phone no so I can contact a real person.
    I am elderly and find it hard to follow the recorded voices. I’ve been with frequent flyer since 1995. Many thanks .

  7. Avatar for Addison

    If someone’s (like mine!) airpoints are expiring during the Covid-19 emergency, why doesn’t Qantas extend the expiry date until the emergency is over? Seems like they have done that for the Status people.

  8. Avatar for Richard

    I find the best way to save my points (and definitely the cheapest) is to download the Qantas Wellbeing app, (it wants you to sign up to their health insurance, but you don’t need to) and get a couple of points a day just for the steps you take. The amount you earn is very small, but it stops all your other point expiring!

  9. Avatar for Jennifer Russell
    Jennifer Russell

    One member of my family transferred points to me in May, 2019. We tried to use them for an upgrade to Business Class in December, 2019 and January, 2020 but it seems these requests have failed. I am flying Qantas Sydney/Johannesburg tomorrow (06 January, 2020) – returning to my home base in Malawi, Africa. Please can you clarify when I need to book my next flight to Sydney in order to save the 151,250 points at present credited to my account.

    1. Avatar for Adele

      Hi Jennifer, upgrade requests can be very difficult to suceed with unfortunately. In order to ensure the points in your account don’t expire, you simply need to earn or redeem one Qantas point within an 18 month period. There is no requirement to fly, so this could be as simple as shopping via the Qantas portal. More ideas are in the post 🙂

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top