Qantas now offers confirmed upgrades, at a price...
Pony up the cash and you can forget the ‘upgrade lottery’.
By David Flynn, June 10 2026
Requesting an upgrade on Qantas using frequent flyer points or an auction-style bid has always been a bit of a lottery.
You might score that better seat, or you might not... and you won’t know until the upgrade waitlist for your flight clears, which can be anywhere from seven days all the way through to departure.
But Qantas now makes it possible to lock in that upgrade by paying cash up front, through a new Confirmed Upgrades option.
That bump up to premium economy, business or even first class will be confirmed within 12 hours of payment, the airline promises – “giving you peace of mind that you’ll be flying in a premium cabin.”
Sleep soundly, knowing your upgrade has been locked in.
Qantas spruiks another benefit of Confirmed Upgrades as “the ability to select your seat before our waitlisted upgrades are processed to secure your ideal spot.”
Confirmed Upgrades aren’t available on every flight, and won’t be offered to every passenger.
Instead, Qantas says eligible passengers “will receive an invitation by email, or you can view and accept your offer through the Qantas App or via Manage Booking.”
But the airline suggests moving quickly: “your offer is only available for a limited time and is subject to availability, so ensure you complete your purchase before seats sell out or your offer expires.”
Confirmed Upgrades take priority over all other options.
How much will you pay? As far as we can tell, the price of that upgrade will depend on the route and your original fare type, although the airline notes that travellers on an international Economy Sale fare won’t be invited to pony up for a cash upgrade.
Another caveat: if you score a Confirmed Upgrade, you’ll receive only the same number of Qantas Points and Status Credits as the original booking class.
These cash upgrades will of course trump points-based Classic Upgrade Rewards, Domestic On Departure Upgrade Rewards and auction-style Bid Now Upgrades.
Also read: How to get the ‘secret’ Qantas status match
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1274
In other words, Classic Upgrades are now even harder to come by. QFF is becoming one of the more useless reward schemes for everyone except Qantas themselves.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
17 Mar 2017
Total posts 18
Yep. Came here to say this.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
05 Oct 2016
Total posts 155
Going to say the exact same thing!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Jul 2022
Total posts 2
ditto - forget the Qantas FF program. its now completely useless. They lost me when they branded classic plus as a benefit to customers....that was just rude......then when i thought it couldn't get any worse they upped the platinum eligibility to 1400 status credits..... i am very happy travelling on other airlines that offer better service and better prices
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1274
What is the difference between a fixed dollar upgrade and just paying for a ticket to be changed from Economy to Business Class like has always been available?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2022
Total posts 10
Well this is bitterly disappointing (but not surprising from Qantas).
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