Rex has finally revealed the details of their much-anticipated frequent flyer loyalty program, designed to reward domestic travellers residing in both the city and regional areas.
Rex Flyer is free to join now, with new members who sign up before January 2, 2024 able to unlock a joining bonus of Rex Flyer 5,000 points.
Rex Flyer: Digging into the details
Starting from today, members can accumulate and Rex Flyer points for flight rewards and upgrades, and gather status points for upcoming complimentary lounge entry and status perks.
Earning points
Frequent flyers will access an earn rate of up to seven points for every dollar spent every time they fly. Up to five points can be earned for each dollar spent on ‘Rex Extras’ such as additional baggage and seat selection.
As an introductory bonus, Rex Flyer points will be doubled for new bookings made by 02 January 2024, regardless of the date of travel.
Redeeming Points
The ability to redeem Rex Flyer points kicks in from mid November, with both economy and business award seats up for grabs.
Members will be able to redeem a reward seat from 7,400 points, plus taxes and airline charges. The cost of an upgrade award ranges from 4,300 points and 13,000 points, depending on fare type.
Redemptions will be available across three tiers of flight rewards:
- Ultimate: Cheapest tier of flight rewards. These flight redemptions must be booked early, requiring flexibility with travel plans. Members can change or cancel the flight right up until midnight the day before departure. A fee of $33 or 3500 points applies
- Getaway: Awards priced higher than Ultimate seats, with greater flexibility to cancel.
- Anytime: ‘Any seat’ flight rewards, priced significantly more expensive than entry-level seat rewards. Rex’s most flexible fare conditions are offered here, with the ability to change or cancel a flight right up until midnight the day before departure without incurring any change fees.
In addition, members will be able to access ‘Points + Cash’ rewards, unlocking the ability to mix and match points and cash for all Rex fares using points to offset part of the total cost of a ticket.
How ‘Last minute’ reward flights will work
In a move that may be seen as the standout feature of Rex Flyer redemptions, via ‘Last Minute Flight Rewards’, the airline is undertaking to make unsold seats available at ‘Ultimate’ redemption rates within the last 48 hours prior to departure. This initiative is set to benefit business or leisure travellers in need of urgent or last-minute travel.
The process works as follows:
- 2 days prior to a scheduled departure, all (except 5) unsold economy class seats will be available at the Ultimate economy redemption amount
- 1 day prior to a scheduled departure, all (except 2) unsold business class seats will be available at the Ultimate business redemption amount, and
- From midnight the day before a scheduled departure, any remaining unsold seats will be made available at the applicable Ultimate redemption amount.
Rex Flyer status perks
Rex’s status perks aren’t quite here yet, with core benefits expected to launch expected in February 2024. Designed to align with the multi-level structures of both Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer, the program will offer four levels of membership.
Entry level membership starts with ‘Opal’. From here, three tiers – Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond – will be accessible to members
who reach the relevant threshold of status points.
Travellers will earn 1 Status Point per dollar spent to progress through the four membership tiers, with perks and entitlements expected to include free lounge membership, business upgrades and extra legroom seats.
Family-friendly benefits
Rex Flyer members will be able to enjoy a range of family-friendly benefits including points and status pooling, plus parental leave membership pause.
Families will be able to pool points, status points and status flights via a ‘Points Pool’ functionality. The feature will allow for a nominated ‘Family Lead’ to earn Rex Points, Status Points and Status Flights earned by up to six family members (only two are able to be aged 18 or over).
Airport lounge refresh
Alongside the unveiling of Rex Flyer, the airline is also investing in new airport lounges. Construction works are shortly due to kick off in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane lounges.
Key take outs
Rex’s entry into the Australian frequent flyer sphere is a welcome move, particularly for travellers residing in regional areas serviced by the airline’s network.
Aspirational, long-haul business and first class flights have traditionally driven buy-in to the Qantas and Velocity frequent flyer programs, so Rex will need to focus on accessibility and value-led domestic redemptions to engage a potential membership base.
While earning points is all well and good, it’s another thing entirely to use them. There’s been significant frustration around access to reward seats in the Australian frequent flyer space. With this in mind, it’s a welcome move to see Rex provide access to almost every unsold seat as a points redemption, with these seats to be sold from 48 hours to midnight on the day of departure.
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