Your guide to Qantas Frequent Flyer Green Tier

Qantas frequent flyers can now pocket a bonus 10,000 points or 50 status credits as a reward for making eco-friendly choices both while travelling and in their everyday lives in the airline’s new Green tier.

Sitting alongside, not in addition to, the existing Qantas Bronze, Qantas Silver, Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One membership levels, holders of the new Green tier earn a digital membership card instead of another piece of environmentally-evil plastic.

“This new Green tier is a way of encouraging and recognising those who want to do their part by offering Qantas Points or status credits, which we know helps shape customer choices,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

The innovative program “makes it easier for frequent flyers to make more sustainable choices, at home and when they travel, and rewards them when they do,” explained Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth, who expects to see 100,000 of the airline’s 13 million Frequent Flyer members inducted into the green tier “in the first 12 months.”

“We know that points influence behaviour, we’ve seen that when we’ve provided points for walking and sleeping through the Wellbeing App as well as to reward those who got vaccinated. We also know that small changes by many, can have a big impact.”

Going green: Qantas execs Alan Joyce and Olivia Wirth.

Qantas already encourages travellers to buy a carbon offset for their flights, which will now be another Green goal.

The offset cost of a one-way trip from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane is around $1, while the longer trek to London comes in at around $25.

Qantas says that 11% of its travellers tick the carbon offset box when booking their flight, for which they earn 10 Qantas Points per dollar, with the airline matching those contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

How to earn Qantas Green status

Frequent flyers can qualify for Qantas Green status and unlock those 10,000 points or 50 status credits by completing five sustainable activities across six categories in their membership year.

1. Offset your flying

Purchase carbon offsets when booking a flight through Qantas’ Fly Carbon Neutral program.

2. Book an accredited eco-hotel through Qantas Hotels

To meet this requirement, you will need to book a minimum of one night at one of Qantas eco-accredited hotels. These are hotels that comply with Qantas’ sustainability criteria by implementing environmental initiatives and ensuring sustainable operations.

A green getaway at the Crystalbrook Byron resort will also add more points to your haul.

The airline currently offers 26 eco-accredited hotels ranging from city escapes and outback destinations to beach getaways and island retreats, with more to come.

Staying at these accredited properties will also earn you a 150-point bonus for each night. The starting roster ranges from Melbourne’s Alto on Bourke to Crystalbrook Byron, Silky Oaks Lodge and more.

3. Make sustainable purchases

Choose from more than 200 sustainable wines through Qantas Wine, or make deliveries from both Qantas Wine and the Qantas Rewards Store ‘climate positive’ for just $1.

For every case of six ‘eco-wines’ purchased through Qantas Wine (standouts include Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2019 and Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2018), you’ll pick up a further 250 bonus points.

4. Migrate your home to solar energy

Fitting Solargain panels to your roof ticks off a Green Tier activity for three years.

Install solar panels or help support “high quality and verified carbon offset projects” in Australia and around the world when offsetting home and car emissions.

5. Reduce your environmental impact 

Complete a sustainability quiz in the Qantas Wellbeing App, which is designed to help members understand how they can better reduce their impact. 

Users will be rewarded with 100 bonus Qantas Points for every sustainability quiz completed via the Qantas Wellbeing App, up to a total of 200 points.

6. Contribute to a sustainable cause 

Make a contribution towards organisations and projects committed to sustainability, including protecting the Great Barrier Reef and supporting sustainable initiatives developed by charity partners OzHarvest, UNICEF and Kimberley Land Council.

Donating to the Kimberley Land Council will earn you another Green Tier tick.

You can check your progress towards Green Tier by logging in to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account and navigating to the Qantas Green tier page, which will show how much time you have left to achieve the green status for that membership year.

Once achieved, you´ll be able to enjoy your Green tier benefits from the moment you earn the Green tier status until the end of your next membership year. 

On top of the entitled points or status credits, these benefits include invitations to exclusive sustainability events and experiences as well as a distinct virtual frequent flyer card to show your compromise with the environment. 

Qantas says it will “recognise certain sustainable actions” taken by members since the Green tier program was first announced in November 2021 to kickstart their path towards Green, such as offsetting not just their flights but the carbon footprint of their home and car.

Many Australians are buying hybrid and electric cars to play their environmental part.

However, in lieu of those 10,000 points or 50 status credits, frequent flyers can also opt to have Qantas purchase three tonnes of carbon offsets on their behalf.

As with Qantas’ long-standing Fly Carbon Neutral program, money paid towards Qantas Green offsets will fund environmentally-friendly projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This can include restoring or protecting forests and other ecosystems, conducting controlled back-burns, and investing in projects to develop renewable energy such as wind farms, as well as purchasing ‘carbon credits’.

“Offsetting is one of the main ways Australia can reduce its net emissions in the short to medium term until new low emission technology becomes available,” Joyce says.

Towards ‘net zero’

Qantas has set a goal of achieving ‘net-zero’ by 2050, meaning that right across the company – not just on the planes it flies – the amount of CO2 emitted by the Qantas Group will be functionally zero through the use of sustainable practices, reducing waste sent to landfill, smarter flight planning, carbon trading and other efforts to reduce its overall emissions footprint.

The Airbus A321neo will form part of Qantas' sustainable strategy.

Other airlines which have committed to net zero emissions by 2050  include Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Etihad Airways and Japan’s ANA.

Many are also working on an interim target to substantially reduce their carbon emissions by 2030, including measures such as purchasing newer, more efficient planes.

In the case of Qantas, the decision to renew its domestic fleet with up to 134 modern Airbus A220 and A320neo-series jets over the coming ten years will significantly reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions compared to the current Boeing 717 and 737 aircraft, “which gets us closer to the net zero target we’ve set” says Joyce.

Qantas Green tier - FAQs

Is Qantas Green tier worth aiming for?

It depends. Whilst there is a ‘social good’ involved, most categories require you to purchase a Qantas product, so it may not be worthwhile to spend money on achieving the Green tier if you don’t value the rewards on offer.

But if you are an active eco-warrior happy to contribute towards a healthier environment, those 10,000 bonus Qantas points or 50 status credits can prove very useful when planning your next trip, just use the Qantas points calculator.

Will my current Qantas Frequent Flyer status change if I achieve Green tier?

The Green tier sits alongside your existing Qantas Frequent Flyer status, and has no impact on it apart from noticing your app icon and digital membership card will turn an enchanting green.

The Qantas app will indicate your green status by adding this badge to your virtual frequent flyer card.

Apart from that, the status credit targets required to achieve and retain each status tier prior to your annual renewal, if there is one, remain unchanged.

Will offsetting my flight with a partner airline count towards Green tier recognition?

Only by offsetting Qantas or Jetstar marketed flights you will be able to cross off this sustainable activity from your list.

Is Qantas Green tier available for frequent flyers living outside of Australia?

No, only Qantas frequent flyer members residing in Australia are eligible for the Green tier status.

Will I lose my progress if I don’t complete all green tier requirements in a Membership year?

For the most part, yes. Once the Membership year ends, your progress will be reset and you will have to start again.

In the same way, additional sustainability actions taken after achieving your green tier status will not count towards your future membership year.

However, if one of the tasks you completed in your membership year was fitting eligible solar panels on your home roof, Qantas will recognise this activity for three membership years from within 60 days of installation.

Can I transfer my Green tier benefits to a family member?

No, Qantas Green tier benefits are for personal use only and cannot be transferred to family members, friends or other frequent flyers.