What could you do with 120,000 Qantas frequent flyer points?

With some of Australia’s highest credit card sign-up deals pumping out offers up to 120,000 bonus Qantas Points right now, ideas of just what you can do with that sky-high bounty make applying a tempting proposition.

Whether your travels take you within Australia, over to New Zealand, up to Asia or even to London or Los Angeles, we’ve scoured the rewards catalogues to uncover the many ways you could spend a cool 120,000 Qantas Points earned by successfully meeting the spend criteria with a new Westpac Altitude Qantas Black Mastercard. 

Snag up to 24 business class upgrades

If you wanted to maximise your points and enjoy as many comfortable journeys as possible – rather than just one or two long-range flights – 120,000 Qantas Points can give you as many as 22 one-way upgrades from economy to business class on short domestic flights.

Business class on the Qantas A380 superjumbo.

That’s not just 22 seats at the pointy end, but the complete package for every journey: priority check-in, an increased baggage allowance, priority security screening, access to Qantas’ Business Lounges or Qantas Clubs before the flight, priority boarding, and priority baggage handling, across 22 journeys.

That’s almost two flights per month for an entire year!

This works best on short Australian domestic flights booked on a flexible economy fare, such as from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane, as each upgrade costs only 5,400 points. But even if you book the lowest-priced fares, upgrades may still be possible for 10,900 points, providing 11 bump-ups from economy.

Another savvy way to use your points for a business class upgrade is on Qantas’ cross-country flights, such as from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Perth, where just 10,900 points can get you a business class seat when travelling on a flexible economy airfare, including on Airbus A330 flights with Qantas’ Business Suites.

Again, this gives you up to 11 business class upgrades in return for those 120,000 points. 

Waltz into first class for a one-way to or from Singapore

Flying first class with Qantas is an experience beyond simply a way to reach your destination. And for 102,600 points, a one-way suite from Sydney to the Lion City can be yours to savour.

Wherher you're beginning your trip from the NSW capital or from Singapore, the adventure begins with a visit to Qantas' recently reopened First lounge in Singapore for some laksa or the airline's famous salt and pepper squid. If you're in Sydney, follow this up with a spa treatment to get your weary muscles ready for take-off.

Most of the plane may be heading to London, but you can enjoy First just for part of the way.

Once onboard, the massage you may have enjoyed earlier in the lounge can continue through the seat.

Pop on a movie to kick off the flight and get ready for your Neil Perry dinner, selecting your favourite from the a la carte menu, paired with a Sommelier-inspired wine.

Fly return business class to Qantas’ South Pacific destinations

Given a one-way business class ticket with Qantas from Australia’s east coast to many points in Asia sets you back 57,000 points, your haul of 120,000 Qantas Points can get you a return business class journey on a variety of routes closer to home.

Using 83,000 of those points, from Sydney, you could fly return in Qantas business class to Auckland, Queenstown, Fiji, Noumea or Port Moresby. Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) are also possible on Qantas for an additional 31,000 Qantas Points.

Departing Melbourne, you could fly return to Denpasar with Qantas – or, for a reduced 83,000 points, return to Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch or Wellington  – while out of Brisbane, Qantas’ return business class flights to Noumea are available for an easy 55,200 Qantas Points. 

Finally, Perth residents could fly Qantas business class return to Singapore for a cool 114,000 Qantas Points.

Just be careful that sometimes, Qantas may operate its schedule between Perth and Singapore with single-aisle domestic-style Boeing 737s instead of the twin-aisle Airbus A330s, determining whether your flight has reclining seats in business class instead of fully lie-flat beds. Keep this in mind when booking your flights.

Take a return trip to Los Angeles, Dallas, Hawaii or Vancouver

Although flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to North America can be quite popular for both paying passengers and those travelling on points, with some careful planning you may be able to fly return to Los Angeles, Dallas, Honolulu or Vancouver, travelling in economy. 

The cool shores of Hawaii can be reached for 120,000 points.

Flights to Los Angeles are available from all three Australian east coast capitals, while Vancouver and Dallas are accessible from Sydney. Qantas will also restore its San Francisco service from the NSW capital from the end of 2022.

Whichever you pick, your 120,000 point budget will get you at least one-way in business class, with the other direction relegated back in economy class.

However, by indulging on your outbound trip, you won’t have enough points remaining to book a return leg, even in economy.

As one-way international airfares aren’t much cheaper than paid return tickets in the same classes, this approach wouldn't provide the best value, as what you’d pay to get home would be similar to buying a return ticket outright and saving your points for another day.

Splurge on business class travel with Emirates

Business class aboard the Emirates A380 is known as one of the best products in the sky, not least for the access it provides to the superjumbo's inflight bar at the rear of the upper deck.

You would think a business class flight requires a lot of points, and to be fair, it does, but if you have 120,000 to play with, you can enjoy the splendours of business class one-way from Sydney to Dubai or vice-versa, blowing most of your points balance - 119,200 to be precise - in one click. But then, the pleasure of climbing those onboard stairs and casually venturing to your upper-deck seat is a vastly understated one.

Knowing your points put you here is a delight worth appreciating.

Make sure you arrive at the airport nice and early too, with enough time to enjoy the Emirates Lounge prior to boarding.

After take-off, head to the inflight bar and lounge at the rear of the upper deck. Once you've made some new friends and shared some travel stories over a drink, retreat to your seat for some gourmet dining which might include Arabic spiced chicken or perfectly roasted beef tenderloin. Once those flavours have been savoured, along comes dessert - the chocolate tart is heavenly.

At the time of writing, this flight can be priced from $7,000 and up, meaning Classic Reward seats may be limited. But if you can find one, grab it and go.

Jaunt from Sydney to Adelaide onboard the Indian Pacific with Journey Beyond Rail

Finally, despite the excitement that premium airline travel offers, redeeming your frequent flyer points for a multiple-day train journey around Australia with Qantas Classic Rail Reward is certainly an experience worth trying.

The Indian Pacific crosses the country between Sydney and Perth.

With 120,000 Qantas Points, you can enjoy a Gold Single Cabin on the iconic Indian Pacific from Sydney to Adelaide - or vice versa. A two day-one night journey cruising through Australia’s picturesque landscapes, along with all-inclusive, regionally-inspired meals, fine wines and off-train experiences in the Blue Mountains.

Above and beyond the additional perks, you won't have to worry about paying any further taxes, fees or surcharges and, ticketed at a decent 100,000 Frequent Flyer Points, you’d still have 20,000 points left on your Qantas Points balance to book a return Adelaide-Sydney economy flight.

Credit cards with bonus Qantas Points sign-up offers.

Would you like six figures of bonus Qantas Points in your account? Then consider the following credit card offer:

• Westpac Altitude Qantas Black Mastercard: This bonus comes in two parts, starting with 90,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply before 31 December 2022 and spend $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first four months from approval, plus an additional 30,000 points after your first eligible purchase in year two.

Also read: The best credit cards for Qantas frequent flyer points or our Qantas points calculator guide to learn how to best calculate your points