Qantas Points Calculator guide

Let’s face it, frequent flyer programs can be confusing. After all, there are so many different earning and redemption rates. Amongst the variables to consider are the airline you’re flying on, the fare class you’ve purchased and the cabin of travel.

Fortunately, the Qantas website offers a range of calculators, designed to provide travellers with access to Qantas Points and Status Credits earn rates when flying. These tools can also help calculate the number of points needed to redeem a Classic Flight Reward, or to request an upgrade.

There are three calculators to help members of Qantas Frequent Flyer to plan how to better earn and use hard-earned points:

• Earning Points and Status Credits Calculator
• Using Points for Classic Flight Rewards Calculator
• Classic Upgrade Reward Calculator

In this article, we’ll examine how to leverage Qantas Points Calculators as the ultimate tool in helping you to understand ‘earn and burn’ rates.

Earning Qantas Points and Status Credits Calculator

Qantas Points and Status Credits are earned on flights booked with a Qantas, Jetstar, Oneworld or other partner airline flight number.

It’s possible to calculate the number of Qantas Points and Status Credits that can be earned on eligible fights using this calculator.

To successfully use the calculator, you will need to enter the following information:

• departure and arrival cities
• the class of your ticket (e.g., Business Class)
• your Qantas Frequent Flyer status (e.g., Platinum)

Note that flying with airline partners, as opposed to Qantas, may earn points to a Qantas Frequent Flyer account at a reduced rate. Status Credits on partner airline flights, on the other hand, can either be earned at a reduced rate or not at all.

A scenario using the Qantas Points and Status Credits Calculator

Let’s take a look at an international flight scenario, a flight from Australia to New Zealand.

Flying one way from Brisbane to Auckland will earn different Qantas Points and Status Credits depending on the individual status you hold with Qantas Frequent Flyer, the fare type and the airline you fly with.

For example, at the time of writing, a Qantas Frequent Flyer Silver member flying on a Premium Economy fare would currently earn 3,000 Qantas Points and 45 Status Credits on a Qantas Airlines marketed flight:

Switch that QF flight number to an Emirates marketed flight and the same Qantas Frequent Flyer member Discount Economy fare (Premium Economy is not available) will earn just 375 Qantas Points and zero Status Credits:

Digging into the details:

To calculate the Qantas Points earned on an international booking that includes a Domestic Economy Saver Segment, select ‘Discount Economy’ on the earning Qantas Points and Status Credits calculator.

Not all Fare Types, booking classes, flights or routes earn Qantas Frequent Flyer Points and Status Credits. To learn more about eligible flights, you’ll need to consult the terms and conditions and the Airline Earning Tables on the Qantas website.

Flight segments explained

Qantas Frequent Flyer members earn Qantas Points and Status Credits on each eligible ‘flight segment’ in a reservation. A flight segment is defined as a journey involving the same flight number between originating and destination airports as shown on your e-ticket or itinerary.

For example, travelers from Sydney to Rome with a change of flight number in Perth would earn points for both the Sydney to Perth and Perth to Rome flight segments. The Points and Status Credits calculator results are based on direct flights for the airline selected (where the airline is the marketing and operating carrier).

At the time of writing, this trip would earn a total of 32,550 Qantas Points and 295 Status Credits for a Platinum member flying Business, while a Bronze member flying Economy would earn just 9,300 Qantas Points and 95 Status Credits:

A direct flight from Perth to Rome, however, would earn fewer Qantas Points and Status Credits because there is one less flight segment.

A Platinum member flying Business, for example, would currently earn 24,700 Qantas Points and 255 Status Credits, while a Bronze member flying Economy would earn 7,050 Qantas Points and 80 Status Credits: 

Qantas Classic Flight Rewards Calculator

Qantas Frequent Flyers can also take advantage of the Using Points for Classic Flight Rewards Calculator, which shows the number of Qantas Points needed to redeem a Reward Seat (excluding any applicable taxes and fees). This can be helpful when planning redemption goals.

The Qantas Classic Flight Reward calculator is also quite simple to navigate and is a good way to work out what you need your points balance to look like in order to achieve a particular goal:

For example, saving up for a one way Economy redemption on a Qantas Airlines marketed flight from Melbourne to Singapore will currently cost 25,200 Qantas Points, while a Business fare on the same flight will require 68,400 Qantas Points (excluding taxes/fees):

The Qantas Classic Flight Rewards calculator also only shows the rewards points required; you’ll need to undertake some further calculations if you’re planning to use the ‘Points plus Pay’ option.

How to check additional taxes/fees

For Classic Flight Reward bookings, additional taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to the Qantas Points outlay. These fees and charges vary by cabin class and route. You won’t be able to view these charges via the Qantas Classic Flight Rewards calculator.

However, it is possible to access this information when you search and select a Classic Reward Seat option via qantas.com.

Classic Upgrade Reward Calculator

Looking to upgrade your flight experience? The Classic Upgrade Reward Calculator is where you can work out the number of Qantas Points required to upgrade to a higher fare class.

Using the same Melbourne to Singapore example, you would need 34,100 Qantas Points (at the time of writing) to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy.

Meanwhile, for those wanting to fly in a higher cabin, upgrading from Economy to Business would currently require 54,500 Qantas Points:

It is worth flagging that Classic Upgrade Rewards are only available on eligible domestic and international flights with a Qantas Airways (QF) flight number.

Also note that Classic Reward Upgrades are not available on all fare types and are subject to capacity controls. For more details, see Classic Upgrade Reward tables.

How to view Status Credit earn rates for Qantas Points Club

In 2019, Qantas launched Points Club, a way to recognise and reward Frequent Flyer members who earn piles of Qantas Points on the ground.

One key benefit for Points Club members is the ability to earn Status Credits on eligible Classic Flight Rewards. However, if you’re looking for a Qantas calculator that sets out the number of Status Credits you could earn in this way, you’re sadly out of luck.

To view this information, you’ll need to navigate to the Classic Flight Reward tables housed on the Qantas website. Here, you can find details about Status Credit earn for eligible Classic Reward Flight bookings.

Conclusion

As far as navigating rewards programs go, the Qantas Points Calculators add a certain user-friendly value to Qantas Frequent Flyer.

That said, it’s frustrating that the Classic Flight Rewards Calculator does not offer any insight into the often sizeable taxes, fees and charges that would apply to each redemption (meaning there’s still some additional digging required to get an accurate picture).

We’d also love to see a Qantas calculator that sets out the number of Status Credits Points Club members could earn on eligible Classic Flight Rewards. However, the existing three calculators are certainly useful tools in efficiently navigating ‘earn and burn’ rates.

Do you use the Qantas Points Calculators when planning your flights?

FAQ – Qantas Points Calculators

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