Qantas Points upgrades for Jetstar business class

Qantas Points are pretty much Australia’s de facto second currency, even if the recent devaluation and the expansion of Classic Plus reward seats has seen them fall out of favour with many frequent flyers.

So it doesn’t hurt that there will soon be a new way to out those points to good use.

Economy class passengers on selected Jetstar international flights from early next year will be able to apply for an upgrade to Jetstar business class with Qantas Points, in the same way as they can already do on all Qantas flights.

This option will be limited to flights made on Jetstar’s Boeing 787 fleet, which currently darts from Australia to the likes of Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and Seoul – although several new destinations are on the shortlist for 2026.

Jetstar's Boeing 787 business class.

However, it hasn’t yet been revealed how many Qantas Points will be required to bump up to Jetstar business class.

As a general rule, the number of points needed to upgrade from economy to business depends not only on the distance of the flight but what type of economy ticket you’re holding – cheaper fares require more points.

On Qantas flights to Asia, what’s called an International Classic Upgrade Reward from economy to business can cost anywhere from 35,900 points to 70,000 points to the likes of Singapore and Bangkok, for example.

Longer routes to Japan and South Korea peg the economy-to-business upgrade rates between 43,100 and 83,600 points.

Those points-based upgrades to Jetstar business class will be rolled out as each of Jetstar’s 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners emerges from an extensive make-over program beginning in January 2026, with the first jet expected back in the skies by the end of February.

Jetstar's Boeing 787 business class.

The refurbishment will see new business class seats installed, and there’ll be more of them, with the business cabin soaring from 21 to 44 seats – and that capacity boost should help when it comes to landing a successful upgrade.

Just don’t get too excited: Jetstar’s new 787 business class will still be more akin to premium economy, with recliners instead of lie-flat beds. Jetstar is also keeping the current 2-3-2 layout and 38” pitch.

While the new seats won’t include video screens, they will come with a “device holders (and) a power outlet.”

The 787 upgrade will also add Wi-Fi to the 787s, although its not known if business class passengers will enjoy full free access throughout their flight or receive something like 60 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi before having to enter their credit card details to remain online.