Qantas Platinum One Frequent Flyer Guide

Platinum One status in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is only within reach of Australia’s most highly-travelled road warriors, but comes with significant perks to make it worth your while.

Among them, a free Platinum card for your partner or significant other, no fees for extra-legroom seating in economy and same-day flight changes at no charge.

How to earn Qantas Platinum One status

You’ll need to notch up a whopping 3,600 status credits in a single membership year - three times the retainment level of Platinum - to earn or keep a Platinum One card, and at least 2,700 of those status credits need to have been earned by booking Qantas QF flight numbers.

Qantas Platinum One is the pinnacle of the program and reserved for the most serious of flyers.

That includes, of course, bona fide Qantas flights, along with codeshares on its partner airlines such as Emirates, China Southern and Canada’s WestJet.

Status credits can also be collected on Oneworld airlines such as British Airways and Cathay Pacific, on selected Jetstar services and also on Fiji Airways, although these serve only as a top-up to your regular Qantas flying.

You’ll also need to take at least four Qantas, QantasLink or points-earning Jetstar flights each membership year to keep your status, although that’s hardly a challenge for Qantas Frequent Flyer members earning at least 2,700 status credits on Qantas flights alone.

Flying long-range on the Qantas A380 will help you reach Platinum One status sooner.

A massive 180 return trips (in other words, one every two days or so) in discount economy between Sydney and Melbourne will land the 3,600 status credits needed for Platinum One, as would 45 return trips in business class (itself almost a weekly endeavour).

It gets easier if your travel takes you further abroad. Seven return Qantas business class trips to London will do the trick, as would 15 return runs to the likes of Singapore or Bangkok at the pointy end..

Lounge access for Qantas Platinum One members

Lounge access for Platinum One frequent flyers is much the same as for regular Platinum members.

That includes free use of domestic Qantas Clubs and business class lounges when flying with Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates or any Oneworld member airline,in which you can bring two guests both before and after your flight.

Additionally, Platinum One members have the power to nominate one other person for complimentary Qantas Platinum status.

That could be a partner, friend, or somebody they travel with regularly – and when flying together, this provides lounge access for the Platinum One member plus up to five other people.

A bartender shakes up a concoction in the Qantas' First lounge at London Heathrow.

It works like this: the Platinum One member can bring in two guests as usual, then there’s the traveller with the gifted Qantas Platinum status who can access lounges on their own accord, and beyond that, two additional guests as allowed in with the secondary cardholder.

When jetting overseas, your Platinum One card opens the doors to the superb Qantas International First Lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore as well as the Qantas International lounges in London and Los Angeles, whether flying with Qantas or another Oneworld airline.

In the Singapore First lounge, Platinum One members enjoy services such as suit steaming, shirt pressing and shoe shine plus first shot at the showers – a handy perk if you’re arriving at the airport after a busy day at the office or on the road.

You’re also welcome to visit the business and first class lounges of all Oneworld airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and more, plus Emirates lounges whether travelling with Qantas or Emirates and the Fiji Airways Tabua Lounge in Nadi International Airport.

Oneworld’s handy lounge finder points you in the right direction if you’re at an unfamiliar airport.

On Qantas and other selected airlines, the baggage allowances are as follows, based on airline, cabin class and destination:

Qantas domestic flights

• In economy: 2 x 32kg
• In business class: 3 x 32kg

Qantas and Emirates international flights

To North and South America (all classes): One extra checked bag for economy and premium economy and two extra checked bags for business and first class travellers, with 32kg allowed in each bag.

To all other destinations: The weight-based system applies, with Platinum cardholders allowed 50kgs in economy, 60kgs in premium economy and business and 70kgs for a first class ticket.

Platinum One members have a very generous baggage allowance on Qantas and Oneworld airlines.

International flights on Oneworld partner airlines

Holders of the shiniest Qantas Platinum status card will also enjoy Oneworld Emerald benefits. This means that when flying with airlines such as American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and others in the alliance, your baggage allowance will depend on where you’re travelling: 

• On domestic Australia journeys: Two checked bags weighing 23kgs each.
• To the Americas: Three bags of no more than 32kgs each.
• To all other destinations: Your allowance is 50kgs total, regardless of how many bags you bring up to that total weight.

There are exceptions to this rule based on weight restrictions associated with the type of aircraft you fly on, which may see your luggage need to be transported as freight. 

For use on Australian domestic flights, Platinum frequent flyers also receive a free electronic Q Bag Tag to attach to their luggage, which can be used in lieu of a traditional paper baggage tag.

More perks for Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum One

As with Qantas Platinum, you’ll earn double points on Qantas, Jetstar and American Airlines flights (including codeshares), and enjoy Oneworld Emerald benefits such as priority boarding, check-in and baggage handling across the Oneworld alliance, but there’s even more…

Complimentary Platinum membership for family or friends.

A nominated family member or friend will automatically receive Platinum frequent flyer status, allowing them access to the airline’s domestic business lounges and international first class lounges along with a higher luggage allowance and a better chance of upgrades.

That also brings about Express Path cards with both Qantas and Emirates to shortcut the queues when you’re departing Australia or returning home.

However, express departure lanes at many Australian airports are being opened fleetingly due to a lack of staff available to manage them.

Your nominated Platinum gift membership nominee will enjoy access to many First class lounges around the world.

This gifted membership will however be tied to the activity of the Platinum One member nominating them, so if this person fails to maintain their status and drops back to Platinum, their nominee recipient will lose their gifted Platinum status, reverting to their previous membership tier.

Complimentary ‘extra legroom’ seating

One of the biggest differences between Qantas Platinum and Platinum One status for highly-travelled road warriors is complimentary access to extra legroom seating on eligible flights, where available, from the time a booking is made.

This includes the prized ‘Row 4’ on Boeing 737 and two-class Boeing 717 flights at the front of economy, the emergency exit rows on the same aircraft, and similar bulkhead and exit row seats on domestic A330 services too.

Other passengers travelling on the same reservation as a Platinum One member enjoy this perk as well. Seats can be selected via the Qantas website.

Just make sure the Platinum One member’s frequent flyer number has been attached to the booking before selecting seats, which unlocks all available seating options and ensure the usual ‘extra legroom’ fees are waived.

Free flight changes on the day of departure

When travelling on domestic Flex fares, Platinum One members can ask at the airport to be moved to an earlier flight on the same route at no extra cost, provided check-in for the earlier flight is still open and there is a seat available.

Any fare difference owing between the original flight booked and the flight taken will also be waived as a guaranteed benefit, so although Flex fares do permit same-day changes for all travellers, this ensures no extra costs are incurred for doing so, if the new flight being taken is more expensive.

Complimentary flight changes on other fare types such as Red e-Deals aren’t guaranteed, but it never hurts to ask what’s possible, or if Qantas is “flow forwarding” – that is, proactively moving passengers to earlier flights – which can also benefit Platinum and Gold members.

Improved telephone assistance with fee waivers

Flight reservations made over the phone with Qantas normally attract an assistance fee of up to $70 per booking in addition to the regular fare, fees and charges you’d pay for booking the same ticket online.

But for Qantas Platinum One members, those telephone assistance fees are always waived.

Platinum One members have access to a VIP booking assistance team.

The same is true when calling Qantas to make flight bookings using Qantas Points. While these fees are generally waived for all members making partner airline bookings that aren’t available online, for Platinum One members, this fee is waived on all itineraries.

While it can be faster to make a simple booking online, this fee waiver is particularly handy when planning more complex trips such as ‘Oneworld Rewards’, which can be used to take round-the-world flights on points.

Flight upgrades for Qantas Platinum One

Platinum One members are at the top of the pecking order when it comes to swapping your points for a better seat onboard through the Classic Upgrade Rewards system.

On international flights, upgrade requests are approved up to seven days before departure and ahead of all other frequent flyers – including Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze cardholders.

Through their lounge access benefits, Platinum One travellers can also ask for an ‘on departure upgrade’ at the airport service desk, which is a great way to reward yourself after a successful business meeting or when upgrades simply weren’t available online or over the phone.

If a family member is travelling with you on a separate booking – or even on their own – Platinum Ones can request points upgrades on their bookings which will be treated as though the Platinum One member were travelling themselves.

In short: Platinum One frequent flyers have the best chance at scoring an upgrade using their points than any other frequent flyers.