Top five benefits of Qantas Platinum One for first class flyers

This article is part of our ongoing Business Travel 101 series for newcomers to the world of business travel.

A Qantas first class ticket already covers your access to the best airport lounges on the ground – or failing that, the same can be had via a Qantas Platinum membership – but for those frequently flying at the very front, what more does a top-tier Qantas Platinum One card provide?

Here are five perks for Qantas Platinum One cardholders that go beyond the normal first class experience.

1. Complimentary Qantas Platinum membership for a friend or partner

As a Platinum One frequent flyer, you’ll be able to nominate your partner, a family member or a friend for complimentary Qantas Platinum membership, providing them with access to Qantas, Emirates and Oneworld first class lounges the world over.

This complimentary membership will remain in place for as long as you continue to be a Platinum One member, and the nominee’s year-end date for membership will align with your own, but you can change your nominee once per year if you desire.

Naturally, it makes the most sense to request this status as soon as you reach Platinum One, rather than towards the end of your membership year: especially if your travels are decreasing and you’ll soon be back to Platinum yourself.

While your nominee benefits from all the usual perks of Platinum when travelling on their own, when it comes to first class lounge access, travelling together with your Chosen One also has its perks.

Namely, as each of you can bring one guest into a first class lounge – and your companion isn’t entering as your guest, but using their own Platinum membership – your Platinum One status enables up to three other people to enter the lounge when travelling together.

That’s you as a Platinum One member, your complimentary guest, your nominated Platinum cardholder, and their complimentary guest: particularly useful when travelling as a family or in a larger group, when not everybody is flying first class, or where first class isn’t available.

(As is also offered Platinum members, Platinum One cardholders can gift a complimentary Qantas Gold frequent flyer membership to one person of their choosing after earning 2,400 Qantas status credits in a single membership year, which provides additional opportunities for bringing guests into Qantas, Oneworld and Emirates business class lounges, although not first class lounges.)

2. Earn even more bonus points from your first class travel

Although both Qantas Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers earn the same number of frequent flyer points on their everyday journeys, Platinum One members are rewarded with up to 175,000 bonus Qantas Points every membership year over and above what a Platinum member can earn, and a target within easier reach of those regularly flying first class.

Amass 5,000 status credits from Qantas and Jetstar flights in a single membership year and you’ll receive 75,000 bonus Qantas Points: more than enough for a one-way business class flight from Sydney to the likes of Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, or destinations closer to home like Singapore and Hong Kong.

Push that further to 7,000 status credits in a single year from Qantas and Jetstar flights and you’ll get a further 100,000 bonus Qantas Points – covering a business class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Combine the two and that’s more than enough for a return business class jaunt from Australia to Asial; a one-way first class ticket to Los Angeles or Dubai; or a one-way business class flight to anywhere on the planet, with Qantas and its various partner airlines.

3. Use points to fly first class when you otherwise couldn’t

Tried spending your hard-earned Qantas Points on a reward flight via the Qantas website, only to find that there’s nothing available?

On routes operated by Qantas, Platinum One members have an extra card up their sleeve: being able to call Qantas and request that a reward flight be made available to them, even if that flight isn’t otherwise open for booking using points.

This includes long international flights in first class for both the Platinum One member and their immediate family members travelling with them, with requests made by calling the Qantas Premium Reservations team via the number on the back of your Qantas Platinum One membership card.

There’s no guarantee of success, of course, but being able to request seats when there’s otherwise nothing suitable available is a nice move to keep in your back pocket: and although many Platinum members experience success in making the same requests, ‘officially’, this is a published benefit of Platinum One and above.

4. Upgrade your family members with Platinum One priority

Whether you’re travelling in first class with your family back in business or you have family members making their own travel plans, when you request a points-based upgrade for them from your own Platinum One account, their upgrade will receive the highest priority: the same as a Platinum One frequent flyer.

On international flights, that means potentially having the upgrade clear seven days before departure, rather than in the final 24-48 hours as most other travellers would experience.

Given eligible family members can transfer points between themselves at no charge, if anybody in your immediate family is planning a trip, there’s nothing stopping them from transferring their points to you and having you request the upgrade on their behalf.

Of course, if you have ample points to burn and are happy to share the rewards, that’s fine too.

5. Pocket extra Qantas First Lounge invitations

As a Platinum One frequent flyer, you can already bring one guest with you into a Qantas First Lounge – not to mention your Platinum-grade partner or friend plus a guest of theirs, when all travelling together – but beyond that, you’ll also receive two Qantas First Lounge passes every year.

These can be used to bring even more guests into a Qantas First Lounge when those guests are travelling with you, or gifted to a family member, friend or colleague to use when flying on their own.

Each pass is valid for one person and one lounge entry, and although these are best-used for first class lounge access, they can also open the doors to most Qantas international business class lounges, as well as domestic Business Lounges and Qantas Clubs.

Platinum One members can manage, use or gift their complimentary lounge invitations via this page on the Qantas website.

Also read: The five best benefits of Qantas Platinum for first class flyers

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.