Qantas Points Club guide: membership levels, perks, FAQs and more
Qantas Points Club is your ticket to earning status credits on reward flights, free Qantas Club visits or membership, and more.
By Staff Writers, May 11 2022
With over 14 million members, Qantas Frequent Flyer cardholders aren't all 'frequent flyers' – more than half are 'frequent buyers' instead, who earn the bulk of their Qantas Points on the ground rather than in the air.
Whether that's shopping with a Qantas-partnered credit card, through partners such as Woolworths and BP, or even a spot of online shopping via hundreds of other partners - it all adds up to helping a big-spending points hound reach and retain Points Club.
Qantas Points Club features a range of benefits tailored to less-regular jetsetters, but which can still prove highly useful when it comes time to take to the sky.
For example, all Qantas Points Club members can earn status credits on flights booked using Qantas Points, which may help them progress to Silver, Gold, Platinum, or even Platinum One.
As Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth recounts: “Around two-thirds of Qantas Points are earned on non-flying activity so the potential to build large points balances on the ground is huge.”
Here's the Executive Traveller guide to the Qantas Points Club, and Points Club Plus.
How to join Qantas Points Club
Earning your way into Qantas Points Club requires some work.
To gain entry, you need to accrue 150,000 Qantas Points in your Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) membership year, whether that’s via ground-based travel expenses such as hotels to charging everyday expenses to your Qantas-aligned credit card.
Do this and you'll automatically gain Qantas Points Club membership.
Keep going and if you reach 350,000 Qantas Points in this same membership year, you'll join the ranks of the higher-tiered Qantas Points Club Plus elite.
All Qantas Frequent Flyers members – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One – are eligible for Points Club or Points Club Plus once they reach the necessary points threshold, and will be informed via email and through the Qantas app.
However, for the purposes of Qantas Points Club membership, most of your annual points will need to come from buying rather than flying. Only 20,000 Qantas Points earned from flying will count towards your Points Club membership in any QFF membership year. There's also a maximum of 125,000 'qualifying' points per transaction. For example, if you lob 150,000 points from a Qantas-partnered credit card into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account in one go, only 125,000 of those points will count towards Points Club membership. Qantas Points received through the Loyalty Bonus, the Platinum or Platinum One bonus reward, a family transfer or Qantas Business Rewards transfer will not count towards Points Club or Points Club Plus membership. However, purchasing top-up Qantas Points does count towards your Points Club or Points Club Plus membership - it’s essentially the same as buying entry. Although with prices ranging from $56 for 1,000 Qantas Points to $3,999 for 150,000 Qantas Points, you're better off leaving this as a last resort. Points Club members will receive two complimentary lounge passes each year. For the time being, these passes can be used at domestic Qantas Club lounges, as well as Qantas International Business lounges where available – a roster that only features Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for now. For those venturing to New Zealand, Qantas is also yet to reopen most of its own-brand lounges across the ditch – instead relying on the lounges of Air New Zealand for passengers travelling back to Australia – so for the most part, these passes are best-used domestically, or when heading overseas (or to Norfolk Island) from Brisbane. Points Club Plus members receive complimentary Qantas Club membership, granting unlimited access to domestic Qantas Club lounges when travelling with Qantas or Jetstar. Qantas Club membership also provides access to Qantas' network of international business class lounges overseas, where available. However, the free Qantas Club membership for Points Club Plus members is not transferable. That's unfortunate, because it would make the benefit – and the overall Points Club Plus proposition – much more appealing to those who've already reached Gold frequent flyer status or higher. One of the most interesting benefits of Qantas Points Club and Points Club Plus membership is the ability to earn status credits on 'classic' reward bookings made with Qantas Points – an effective shortcut to help Points Club members climb the frequent flyer status ladder. These apply only to "Qantas-marketed classic flight reward" bookings, not points-based bookings made on partner airlines such as Oneworld members or Emirates. Refer to Qantas’ website for its points and status credits earning calculators, where you can find out what you’ll bank for your specific flight, whether travelling on Qantas or one of its partner carriers. Another status-friendly benefit: Points Club Plus members will also be able to roll over 100 status credits each membership year to ensure they reach or retain their desired status of Silver, Gold or even Platinum, although the rollover won't apply to Platinum One. One of the newest benefits added to the program, Qantas Points Club and Points Club Plus members will receive a Qantas Hotels voucher every year. For standard Points Club members, the voucher provides a $50 saving on any hotel booking, while for Points Club Plus, it's a $100 discount. One voucher is provided each year if Points Club membership is retained for successive years. To receive the voucher, members should check their Qantas Frequent Flyer email marketing preferences via the profile section of the Qantas website, and make sure they've opted-in for ‘exclusive offers for Qantas Frequent Flyer Club Members’ emails.
Filling your car with petrol is one way to earn Qantas Points on a regular purchase.
Qantas Points Club benefits
Lounge passes
Qantas' International lounge at London Heathrow.
Free Qantas Club membership
Earn status credits on reward flights
Discount voucher for Qantas Hotels
Qantas Wine birthday vouchers
Similar to the Qantas Hotels vouchers, Qantas Points Club members will also now receive complimentary premium membership to the Qantas Wine program.
On top of that, standard Points Club members will receive one $50 Qantas Wine voucher during their birthday month each year, while Points Club Plus members will receive two $50 vouchers.
A minimum purchase amount of $149 applies per transaction to use a voucher, and only one voucher can be used per transaction.
This means regular Points Club members must spend $99 of their own cash in order to achieve this benefit, while Points Club Plus members need to fork out $198 of their own money across two transactions, to use each $50 voucher.
As with the Qantas Hotels vouchers, these will only be received when members are subscribed to receive ‘exclusive offers for Qantas Frequent Flyer Members’ emails.
Two Qantas lounge passes are available annually for Points Club each year.
'Milestone Bonus Reward' of 2,500 Qantas Points
If a member’s annual point tally reaches 250,000 in a single membership year, by which point they would have already qualified for Points Club, they'll unlock a new Milestone Bonus Reward of an extra 2,500 Qantas Points.
For clarity, that's not your regular Qantas Frequent Flyer account balance: that's the same tally used to measure your progress towards Qantas Points Club (150,000 Qantas Points), or Qantas Points Club Plus (350,000 Qantas Points).
Of course, 2,500 Qantas Points is an incredibly meagre reward in return for earning a quarter of a million points a year – and in fact, you'd need to unlock the bonus four years in a row (after earning at least one million Qantas Points), before having enough 'extra' points in your account to cover a quick domestic flight in economy.
That makes it a nice adjunct to your other points-earning activities, as any point earned is better than a point missed, but not a reward worth chasing in its own right.
Exclusive promotions, including Double Status Credits
Beyond the 'fixed' benefits of Points Club, Qantas also teases "exclusive promotions" for Points Club members from time to time.
This perk debuted in the form of an inaugural Double Status Credits deal open only to Points Club and Points Club Plus members.
On this occasion, members who made a new Qantas flight booking for domestic and trans-Tasman travel between the eligible travel period earned Double Status Credits, credited up to six weeks after travel.
This included both paid reservations and Classic Flight Rewards booked using Qantas Points, which as stated earlier earn status credits for Points Club members. Those status credits being doubled under this most recent offer.
Other Qantas Points Club benefits
Most of the other Points Club benefits are geared towards further ventures of the Qantas Loyalty division, such as:
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A 5% discount for Points Club members, and 10% discount for Points Club Plus members when spending points at the Qantas Rewards Store.
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Points Club members earn 25% more bonus points on hotel stays booked through Qantas Hotels (excluding packages and Airbnb bookings), with a 50% bonus for Points Club Plus members.
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A double points bonus for Points Club members who purchase Qantas travel insurance, with a triple points bonus for Points Club Plus members.
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Triple points and free delivery for Qantas Wine orders for Points Club and Points Club Plus members, with a 10% discount on Qantas Wine purchases (excluding Penfolds) for Points Club Plus members.
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A free one-category upgrade on Avis car rentals for Points Club and Points Club Plus members.
Separate to Double Status Credits deals, Qantas also promises "exclusive member-only offers" such as "regular flight promotions, redemption deals, discounts and bonus point offers."
Qantas Points Club members will receive two free lounge passes each year.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) - Qantas Points Club
What is Qantas Points Club?
Qantas Point Club is Qantas’ way to recognise and reward Frequent Flyer members that earn most points on non-flying activities. It’s reserved for members who earn at least 150,000 points in a membership year and rewards them with a series of exclusive benefits.
How do I check if I qualify for Qantas Points Club?
You can check if you qualify for Points Club via the airline’s website, where, if applicable, you’ll find your Points Club status on the top right corner, right below your Qantas Frequent Flyer Status.
You can also track your eligibility status by logging into “My Account” on the Qantas Points Club website, where you’ll see how many points you still need to qualify.
Is Qantas Points Club worth it for Gold and Platinum Frequent Flyer members?
Many Gold and Platinum-grade members easily qualify for Points Club membership and are especially fond of the ability to earn status credits on points-based Qantas Classic Flight Rewards bookings.
Some deliberately hold back on hitting the 350,000 Qantas Points threshold and moving up to Points Club Plus as they have no need for that tier's complimentary Qantas Club membership, given that lounge access is already covered by their existing Qantas Frequent Flyer status.
As previously reported, Qantas has considered adding a higher-still Qantas Points Club tier above Points Club Plus with benefits such as complimentary Business Lounge membership and four invitations per year to Qantas First Class lounges.
However, the criteria for entry could be an astonishingly high as one million frequent flyer points, according to a survey sent to some of the airline's Points Club members and shared by one Executive Traveller reader.
Is Qantas Points Club Plus worth it over Qantas Points Club?
If you easily surpass 150,000 Qantas Points annually and believe you’ll get solid use out of the Qantas Club membership, it might be very worthwhile to go for the top-tier option.
However, since earning status credits is available on both tiers and with Qantas Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status members already having access to the main Qantas Club perks, the additional benefits might not justify the 200,000 points required to qualify for the higher Qantas Points Club tier.
What's the difference between the Points Club levels and Frequent Flyer tiers?
The Qantas Frequent Flyer status ladder runs from Bronze to Platinum One and is achieved based on your flying frequency with Qantas and other eligible airlines. The more you fly, the faster you'll move towards a higher status, meaning extra benefits like premium lounge access, priority check-in and more.
Points Club levels rank from the lower Qantas Points Club to the higher Points Club Plus. They are also achieved based on the number of points you earn on a membership year, giving access to additional benefits which don't necessarily have to match those from the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
Even infrequent flyers deserve to be spoiled now and again, Qantas says.
Can I transfer my Points Club membership to anyone else?
No. Your Points Club membership is just for you to enjoy, and it can't be transferred to another Qantas Frequent Flyer, relative or friend.
However, it has been suggested that the Points Club Plus tier's complimentary Qantas Club membership should be transferable, allowing a Points Club Plus member to gift it to family, friends or colleagues.
How long do I get to enjoy the benefits of Qantas Points Club?
It could take much of your membership year to accrue all of the points needed to qualify for Qantas Points Club, so it would be cruel to only have access to the associated perks until the end of the same year, wouldn’t it?
Fret not though as Points Club qualifiers enjoy the benefits for not just the day they reach the target but also for the entirety of their following membership year. So it’s a minimum of 12 months of benefits, or longer if you keep hitting the required mark year on year.
Do points transferred from another loyalty program count towards the Points Club program qualification?
Yes, points transferred from other reward programs such as hotel loyalty schemes or bank rewards count towards Qantas' Points Club qualification as long as transactions don't exceed the established 125,000 points cap per transaction.
Do Qantas points expire?
No, your Qantas points will not expire as long as your account sees any activity at least once every 18 months, excluding family transfers or points conversions. This includes earning and using them through your Frequent Flyer account.
However, your Qantas Points Club membership does expire after a year, and you'll have to earn the required points again to maintain your membership.