Qantas Frequent Flyer Program's Expansion Sparks Concerns Over Rising Costs

Qantas has unveiled major changes to its Frequent Flyer program, offering expanded access to premium cabin reward seats and partner airlines worldwide.

The move has, however, sparked concern among frequent flyers, who fear the changes could come at a higher cost.

Starting later this year, Qantas will introduce a range of new benefits for its members, including the addition of one million Classic Reward seats on partner airlines such as Air France, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines and KLM, News.com.

The new changes also come with an increase in point requirements for reward seat redemptions and higher fees. From August 2025, frequent flyer members will need to use more points to book both domestic and international reward flights, as well as upgrades.

For example, a Sydney to London economy reward fare will now cost 63,500 points and AU$263, up from 55,200 points previously. Similarly, a business class seat from Sydney to Melbourne will increase to 19,300 points and AU$76, from 18,400 points and AU$55, 9News reported.

"These changes are designed to further enhance the ways our members can book Classic Reward seats and the destinations and cabins they can access when they fly," Qantas Loyalty CEO, Andrew Glance, said.

Despite the higher costs, Qantas is introducing some positive changes to its Frequent Flyer program. Starting in July, members will earn up to 25% more points on domestic flights. Additionally, the airline is introducing Jetstar short-haul domestic flights with reward seats available for as low as 5,700 points.

Another significant change in the Frequent Flyer program is the removal of the earning cap for tiered members traveling in premium cabins.

While these changes are being welcomed by some members, many remain concerned about the overall impact of the price hikes.

Steve Hui, CEO of iFlyFlat, criticized the decision, calling it a "dangerous gamble" for Qantas. Hui argues that while the addition of one million Classic Reward seats on partner airlines may seem like a valuable expansion, these seats are still controlled by the partner airlines, which could limit the benefits for Qantas members, Sky News reported.

"This path feels like a dangerous gamble for Qantas," Hui said. "Partner airlines ultimately control their seat availability, and they can reduce access at any time. If that happens, Qantas frequent flyers could end up with absolutely no seats to book."

Qantas's Frequent Flyer program, which currently boasts around 17 million members, generated AU$511 million in revenue during the 2024 financial year.