QF and Eligible Family Members

QF and Eligible Family Members

Hi there - I didn't realise that in the terms and conditions of QF rewards it states "Reward Flights are available only to Members and their Eligible Family Members".  What's the thinking behind not using points to travel with a friend who is not a 'defacto/domestic partner'.  Has anyone known it to be enforced or questioned?  Thanks all.

I'm not quite sure what the thinking is behind the 'eligible family members'. However, I have used my points a couple of times to upgrade colleagues on a flight. I have nominated them as a niece or nephew (who knows, they could be..). I have never been asked to provide proof. 

I have a large number of cousins. I have never been asked to show proof they are my cousins.

'Eligible Family Member' of a Member means any person the Member can demonstrate, to the reasonable satisfaction of Qantas, as being related to that Member in any of the ways described below:

• Husband/Wife
• Parent/Step-parent
• Domestic Partner/De Facto
• Child, including foster & step-child
• Brother/Sister
• Half Brother/Sister
• Grandparent
• Grandchild
• Son/Daughter-in-law
• Brother/Sister-in-law
• Father/Mother-in-law
• Uncle/Aunt
• Nephew/Niece
• First cousin

If you have the same address on your account then de facto should be an obvious possibility.

QANTAS has been known to terminate frequent flyer accounts when family transfers are done to people who are not family. A red flag that may lead them to investigate would be family transfers to multiple different people with different surnames living at different addresses.

Whether they will extend enforcement efforts for the Eligible Family Member rule to other things such as for purchasing reward flights remains to be seen.

I think you'll find that ultimately it comes back to what is contained in various tax rulings along the way. For example, TR1999/6 refers to ( https://www.ato.gov.au/law/view/document?DocID=TXR/TR19996/NAT/ATO/00001&PiT=99991231235958 )

a 'flight reward' has the following characteristics (being the characteristics of the program considered in Payne's case):

(a) the reward consists of a free flight (including a free holiday package), a flight upgrade, or free hotel accommodation or car hire that may attach to such free flights or paid flights;

(b) a flight reward can only be taken by the member or an immediate family member (i.e., spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, etc.);

(c) a flight reward is not transferable for cash; and