Qantas shock: more points, higher fees

Unsurprising that "loyal" Qantas travellers continue to be Joyced... with a complete lack of availability for desirable Classic Rewards (J/F to Europe/US) the only upside of this announcement is that it won't impact you as you still won't be able to find any flights!

Classic Rewards seats in international premium cabins are non existent anyway. The program was already devalued before this announcement. Just makes the whole points game with Qantas a sham. 

QF devaluing its points is hardly a surprise anymore.  The only upside of them increasing international Classic Rewards is they don't really exist anyway.  

One day the ACCC need to grow a pair and properly examine the sham that QFF has become.

I have been saving pints for some time toward a dream holiday in New York.  During that time I have watched the value of my points decline from enough for a return flight to too little for a one way flight.  I am also disappointed at the continued gaslighting from Qantas for those customers who pay for QC access.  I fly often enough for my membership to represent good value but don’t earn enough status points in a year for free QC membership.   It’s all becoming rather a waste of my time and money.  

Qantas dieing a slow death! Star Entertainment / Crown Resorts style 2.0

Whoever continues to fly with this mob, domestic or international, is beyond me!

Crap hard product, crap soft product

I was hoping Qantas would step up and outperform Virgin, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. I should have invested in their shares when they were more affordable because, once again, Qantas is the clear winner. Qantas 10 Consumer 0

Loyalty cuts it 2 ways Qantas. Your FF program is going from one of the best, to one of the worst. Inequitable earning, unachievable redemptions on "classic" awards. And even if you get a Classic Award, why are your taxes and charges more than 2X other airlines on the same sectors, and even 2x on comparing another carrier with a transit versus QF direct. You've lost this customer's loyalty.  QFF Platinum 15 years. QFF Lifetime Gold. 

I was wishing for improvements but of course expected pretty much what is being dished out.  Basically frequent flyers have been hit with a 20% inflation.  As other members pointed out well, trying to find an international flight via the QF classic rewards program is similar to winning a Jack pot. Another sleeper are the ever increasing booking fees (taxes and fees), now edging into 2k for a one way business flight AU to Europe…..plus of course the required points. Qantas has snoozed deeply when it came to future hardware, just disappointing and allowing new players (Turkish etc) and key Middle Eastern airlines or Singapore to take the flights in and out of AU to new heights.  QF just hasn’t worked out how to truly retain customer loyalty.

No mention of status credits so a shift to revenue based status might still be possible. 

Qantas could halve the points required to fly Jetstar and I still wouldn't go near Jetstar with a barge pole. My Qatar Airways Qpoints and Singapore Airlines krisflyer points balances are increasing nicely - thank you Qantas.

QANTAS has become such a joke and an embarrassment to Australia. Once as a Premium flyer, if you got to the airport early and there were seats available, the would happily move you. Not any more. (Unless you have a higher priced fare) Better quality meals and drinks were once served on all flights. Not any more. Once support was given to the tourism industry and the international travel trade. Not any more. Overseas travel companies book Australia with SQ or other carriers now. I would argue that a frequent flyer reaching Platinum though flying economy or if lucky premium economy (because higher is ridiculous) shows the airline far greater loyalty than those who can afford Business and First. If they have that sort of money, they don't need a loyalty program.  I recently checked the price for Business Class from Sydney to LA in March and it was OVER $9k each way. So $18+ grand for the return trip. The same money would buy a 14 night Mediterranean all expenses paid cruise for two. I am around 2400 status credits short of lifetime gold. But the reward at the end of that journey is fading away. Well done QANTAS, there won't be much left to erode after this round.

Toasters are looking like great value now!

 QF you have spurred me to look at the best possible fare from your competitors...to Europe there is about a 2k saving on offer with the likes of TK and SQ .. Pocket the savings and forget the points! 

What. An. Outrage. This is almost the straw that breaks the camels back. I am almost speechless...

Flying Hawaiian Airlines on Velocity points used to be one of the best deals under the Velocity program.

Being able to book these seats with Qantas means one thing for certain: there will be far more competition for the same seats.  It also might mean that this is the signal that the relationship between Hawaiian and Virgin is about to end and these seats will no longer be accessible on Velocity points - is that correct?

For all those complaining about the absence of classic reward flights on international services - I booked a classic rewards trip to the US in Business class yesterday. So they are there, but you have to get in quickly.

Ah I see the reception to the qantas news is well received. I'm sure the focus group that qantas tried this on must have all been qantas board members

Who'd have known the new CEO would be just like the old CEO

The carrier charges are an absolute rort.

Not surprising they are making it easier to use points on Jetstar, the constant inference to their budget carrier in everything they do is a clear tactic to get more and more traffic on these flights, they can try all they want, I have never set foot on a Jetstar plane, and hopefully never will, if QF can’t accommodate me I just find another airline that will.

Herewith the changes I suggest would enable everyone to participate and enjoy reasonable value in the QF program - cease paying Qantas CEOs and their board cohorts outrageous fees for their positions and cease the "almost" free trip entitlement packages for their family and extended families.  Employees who have left Qantas over ten plus years ago are still on the freebie trip packages ie approx $100 for a standby business class ticket from Melb to USA for family members and or their partner.  

Honestly, it is really time to forget about all these loyalty schemes.   They have become far too complicated and always weigh in the airlines advantage.   Turn the clock back some 40 or more years and we never were chasing such things, but we still got to travel. and quite a fair bit too.     That's my experience.     I now pay for my tickets for the best deal on whatever route or destination I want to go to and keep my life simple.   I no longer bother with these  loyalty schemes.

This waffle from QF can be summed up as "pissing in our pockets and telling us it's raining".

The QF devaluation of points has continued to such an extent I have cancelled my credit card, changed insurance providers, and made a number of other changes that are geared around earning extra points in a competing, and more honest, points program.

Well done QF … you continue to stab your most loyal supporters until their slow death comes to fruition . 

Shows you that Qantas feels no threat from Virgin generally or their recent Qatar international alignments. 

Watch the next Qantas financial report and another bumper year for the FFlyer department.  

Where are we on freeing up those slots at major airports? 

Good on you lot that fly virgin and other international carriers but Qantas is huge, growing and have the kahunas to do this. 

The core issue with the current state of the loyalty scheme is that it feels increasingly marginalised. While it is understandable that rising costs necessitate adjustments for airlines to maintain profitability, these loyalty programs have evolved far beyond their original intent of fostering brand allegiance.

Today, loyalty schemes are major assets for airlines, valued not just for their ability to drive customer loyalty but also for their integration into everyday consumer spending habits. These programs have become so significant that they now operate as standalone business units, complete with their own budgets and CEOs. This underscores how much airlines value these schemes—not just as tools for customer retention but as revenue-generating entities in their own right.

What needs to be highlighted to consumers, however, is that the value of these programs comes directly from us—from our spending on flights, fuel, and everyday purchases. Despite this, airlines like Qantas seem to overlook the delicate balance required to maintain consumer trust and loyalty. With increased competition and shifting consumer sentiment, Qantas’ position as the preferred carrier is no longer as secure as it once was.

If rival airlines such as Virgin or Qatar were to introduce innovative loyalty options—such as point-swapping arrangements or programs that honor Qantas points for ongoing patronage—it could pose a significant challenge to Qantas. Business travelers and frequent flyers, always seeking the best value, would likely reconsider their brand loyalty. This could lead to a more equal distribution of loyalty, forcing airlines to genuinely compete for customer allegiance.

All it would take is one airline with the vision and courage to ignite a “loyalty war,” and the dynamics of customer retention could shift dramatically. For Qantas, this serves as a critical reminder: maintaining loyalty is not just about increasing costs or reducing benefits but about delivering consistent value and respecting the trust of its frequent flyers.

Unfortunately this is likely an accounting trick coming into financial year end to dress up this years result.  By devaluing points the Group can write down the liability value of Member's points on their balance sheet, and take a one-time sugar hit to their P&L.  Not unexpected when the CEO is the former CFO.  And no surprise the announcement will all be made by May for June year end arrives.

As for the product deterioration, this week my wife and kids flew long haul in broken A330 biz class seats with no recline.  The staff were too embarrassed to even say anything to them during the entire flight (though they did fawn over the Platinum flyer in the row behind for 8 hours...)

Surprise surprise from QF. Pay more get less, and that’s if you can even find a seat in anything other than economy. How can there be no Business seats on the day the reward seats are open for booking ? Con job. 

For those who made it life time silver or gold - good on you.

Time to leave Qantas with pride and head over to other Asian airlines (such as SQ, CX, MH, JL and CI just to name a few) who are more competitive in pricings and reward redemptions.  Far better cabin service, inflight entertaining and catering and most importantly, newer and more clean aircrafts!  Could you believe Qantas still flies old A330s and limited A380 & B787 to all the international routines, and mostly very OLD B737s for domestic!

QANTAS has left much to be desired!

Just bight the bullet and change to Velocity and a different o/s airline.  

The QFF loyalty scheme is marketed to make you feel like you have no other choice but to stay shackled to the airline because of your reticence to abandon whatever your points total is, whilst all the while treating you like a schmuck.  The huge money the QFF scheme makes comes from selling the points to businesses who buy them to make offers to you, and when you do respond to these third-party points offers (e.g. opening a credit card, changing utilities or health funds) it's golden handcuffs all over again.  It has now become a voracious ripoff. Very little to do with customer loyalty and everything to do with customer capture.

Wow, just wow... Not one single positive comment. After their year from hell in 2024, what on the face of this earth was QF management thinking about when they dressed this up?

The massive problem here, is that there is very little option for those who have invested time into the scheme and have millions of points and a regular stream coming in, to jump ship and go somewhere else. And boy does QF know it... That's how they get away with this. I used to be able to upgrade on all my domestic trips every month, and come out with some net points profit to build up a stock, from my monthly spending on non-flying. But ever since the last increase in upgrade points costs, that's no longer possible, and this will make it worse.

It's going to need some serious commitment from members including myself, to move elsewhere to show them it doesn't work to screw us over. But this sure as hell has me at the tipping point to do just that and switch to earning/spending elsewhere... Especially combined with their lack of support for international options out of MEL.

Thank you for nothing Qantas...

I don’t really see much of a problem with it and it has been some time since the number of points have increased  (what hasn’t increased in 5 years?) but I fly mostly domestic/NZ and redeem domestic so there really isn’t much impact as the additional points earn on flights offsets the increases.

Time to move  (probably was a few years ago).  Most of my points are earned from Visa and Amex credit card purchases (I rarely fly with Qantas).   Can anyone advise of credit cards that have the flexibiilty to earn points  that can be used on other airlines as well as Qantas?

And when will the other shoe drop I wonder:  

i.e., the change to revenue-based Status Earn, which seems to be the way of the "brave new world" for FF programs.   

Any change to RTW classic rewards?

I stopped being loyal to any given airline post COVID, and I'm glad I made that choice (turns out I fly enough to hold statud on a few).

I've never actually had bad luck with redemption - I had to fly over Christmas time last-minute from Mexico to Australia, and options were available in all cabins on QF, Emirates, Latam and American for next-day departure. However, the carrier fees are absurdly high (on some redemptions it has been cheaper to just buy a ticket), earn rates are pretty slow now and just...meh. Nothing feels like they're rewarding loyalty. So why be loyal?

Qantas ! Oh Qantas !  The Spirit of Australia !!

We always fly to Europe using one of the Middle Eastern carriers.    What a great job they do.

Qantas is a poor performer in aviation.

Article quote: Emirates will moving back onto the same redemption table as Qantas, resulting in an increase in the number of Qantas Points required for premium travel 

Wouldn't that be a decrease in the required QF points? I booked MEL-DXB-LHR v.v on EK recently for 455,000 points in F, That would be 433,800 on the QF table. As already stated, the taxes and fees are steep - I paid circa $4.1k in fees.

As an aside, if you want to get to the USA East coast, there is often good points availability on EK to their USA East Coast cities in J & F (BOS/JFK/IAD/MIA) but the challenge is usually getting seats in both directions to/from Aust-DXB. Try BNE and PER instead of MEL/SYD, then do  domestic connection. Yes, a bit more flying going via DXB, but I would rather 14hrs in A380 F on the 2nd leg DXB-IAD, than doing a domestic transcon in USA via LAX.

Fun Fact: DXB-LHR-MIA is the exact same mileage as DXB-MIA direct (6,817nm), as it passes overhead LHR, assuming Great Circle routing.

Not really much to be upset about. The rare as hens' teeth classic reward seats are going to be more expensive but they only exist in the imagination of Qantas so we will all just be keeping our points less valuable points same as we do now.

We've been Joyced again, and he's not even here!

This is why I fly SQ and accumulate their points using velocity bonus offers. QF is a joke as a loyalty program. Can you believe, that once when I lost my passport in Europe less than 24 hours before my flight back and had to no show, SQ re-booked me on the same business class seat 1 week later for FREE with NO FEES ! If it was QF they would have made me sell a kidney to pay for a flight back. SQ will always have my lifelong loyalty after that as they proved their loyalty to me when I needed them the most. QF won’t even bother to reward your loyalty to them. 

SMOKE AND MIRRORS. Qantas points suffering from shrinkflation have accelerated. They talk about classic rewards seats needing more points but good luck finding them as there are very few and seldom seen. The vast majority are in the even higher Classic Plus category. Oooh, they think everyone's really jumping for joy(ce) on getting an upgrade on Iberia Finnair and Hawaiian yet we need them on Emirates as they are a true global airline that flies to numerous European destinations rather than just London and Paris. Jetstar announcement is cheaper till you buy food on board. Difficult task in winding the points down and will be jumping to SQ as this FF program cannot deliver the benefits easily that they claim to offer. Accumulating a million points is easy, spending them the way one wants is challenging unless you purchase a a vacuum cleaner. They've ruined a very good Frequent Flyer program just like they've ruined a great airline, and that harms customers and shareholders in the end.

Qantas fell from grace a long time ago. They're now an airline with mostly old aircraft. The cabins, IFE and catering is abysmal compared to other full service carriers. What was once the pride of Australia is no more. How was this allowed to happen? Meanwhile, Joyce and co. walk away with millions in their pockets. It's nothing short of criminal.

There’s a simple answer. Fly with a different carrier. 

An airline going backwards in everyway and being left behind. Total lack of loyalty and awareness of the customer, an old and ageing fleet and shortage of aircraft. Joyce and Goyder are the chief architects of this and Hudson has been groomed by them. 

Life time gold and long time platinum here.  But this will be the last year.  Old aircraft poor international schedules, high fares, and a terminal FF program.  Nothing to stick around for.   Shame.  

I've been lifetime gold for years and was previously careful to maintain P1 status with Qantas, but have quite deliberately let it drop to P in the last year as I now travel internationally almost exclusively with Singapore (way better hard and soft product, more modern fleet, better on time performance).

When the Classic Plus changes came through last year, I made a decision to pull my Qantas credit cards and shift to an Amex where I can hold my points in a neutral account. I'm so glad I did for exactly this reason. I now have the flexibility to use points on a range of airlines without being tied to Qantas' spiralling product and points redemption rates. If the redemption rate with Qantas is poor, I just use the points with other airlines (mainly Singapore and Virgin). When Qantas dropped the conversion rate on Amex to QFF pints, I started flying more with Singapore (which made me appreciate how poor Qantas' product is and how much they are trading on crusted-on frequent flyers).

The point is that it is way easier to shop around now with FF points programs. The Qantas FF program only has value because people use it. If you're disappointed by this decision, I encourage you to shop around for international premium cabin experiences. You'll realise that Qantas is decidedly third rate.

Having read such strong reactions to this topic, I wonder whether there are any truly independent bodies who are capable of assessing the pros and cons of the major airlines' FF programs, in order that consumers may make informed decisions?

If they do DSC again this year Q1, I bet this is to copy what BA did just before the changes to BAEC.

Get the money from customers expecting being able to retain/reach certain status level, only to screw them up wtih shifting goal post. All above the line and legal of course.

Further proof (as if you needed more) that Joyce's disease has infected the whole body politic of QF, from the board down to management. It is beyond recovery.