Qantas has begun selling a new type of lounge membership that gives you access to Qantas Club and international Qantas Business Lounges for 28 days at a time.

Qantas Club Flexible could be useful if you’re planning to do lots of travel over a short period of time, but don’t want to stump up for an entire year of lounge membership.

With a Flexible membership, you’ll still need to pay the $129 joining fee. On top of that, you’ll pay $99 per 28 days of membership. This means, for example, that you could enjoy four weeks of Qantas Club benefits for $228. Or, you could use Qantas’ lounges for 12 weeks at a total cost of $426.

Qantas Club Flexible membership auto-renews every 28 days, but you can cancel at any time. You just need to cancel at least three days before the end of your billing cycle. (You’ll still keep your benefits until the end of your current 28-day period.)

This program is similar to the 30-day Admirals Club memberships that American Airlines used to sell.

“We have been focussed on listening and responding to customer feedback over the past 12 months, and we know our customers are looking for flexible options when it comes to lounge access,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

“Qantas Club Flexible gives customers the choice to enjoy the benefits of our Qantas lounges in a time frame that suits them – the perfect option for travellers who don’t fly every month.”

What Qantas Club Flexible membership gets you

Qantas Club Flexible gets you many – but not all – of the same benefits that you get with a regular annual Qantas Club membership. These include:

• Access to Qantas-operated Qantas Clubs, Qantas Regional Lounges and Qantas international Business Lounges when flying the same day on a Qantas or Jetstar marketed flight
• The ability to request on-departure domestic upgrades in the lounge
• Additional checked baggage allowance on Qantas marketed and operated flights (special offer valid until 31 March 2025 only)

See the Qantas website for full details.

The differences between Qantas Club and Qantas Club Flexible

However, some benefits remain reserved for “full” Qantas Club members who pay upfront for a 1, 2 or 4 year membership. These extra benefits include:

• Access to partner and associated lounges when flying Qantas or Jetstar
• Access to American Airlines Admirals Club lounges when flying American Airlines
• Option to bring a guest into the lounge who is also flying the same day with Qantas or Jetstar
• Option to purchase an Annual Guest card
• Additional checked baggage allowance (permanent benefit)

The extra guest and the ability to access Qantas’ partner lounges are big benefits of full Qantas Club membership. Qantas has a large lounge network in Australia, as well as lounges at key overseas ports like Singapore, Hong Kong, Auckland, Wellington and London.

But most other overseas airports are served by contracted partner lounges. A Qantas Club Flexible membership won’t get you in.

Also keep in mind that the AFF member discounts on Qantas Club membership only apply to 1, 2 and 4 year memberships.

Is Qantas Club Flexible a good deal?

If you just want to use Qantas’ lounges for one or two months – or perhaps you want to fill a gap before you qualify for Gold status – then this could be quite a good deal. While the additional baggage allowance is on offer, this could also be useful if you need more checked baggage for a specific trip.

However, if you want to keep your membership for a whole year, the total cost would be $1,416. (That includes the $129 joining fee and 13 payments of $99.) It would be cheaper to purchase an annual membership for $828 – or $689 as an AFF Gold or Platinum member.

If you just want to use Qantas’ lounges once or twice, you may instead consider using single-entry Qantas Lounge Invitations. You can get one of these when you earn Silver status, or two annual invitations as a benefit of reaching Qantas Points Club or with certain credit cards.

Would you buy a Qantas Club Flexible membership? Let us know on the AFF forum!

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 80 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.