Qantas Club is extending all paid lounge memberships for a further six months, bringing the total extension to 12 months. The validity of most complimentary Qantas Club lounge invitations is also being extended by a further six months.
Qantas originally extended the membership of all Qantas Club members by six months in late March 2020, after the airline was forced to close all of its worldwide lounges and ground international flights. Anyone with a paid Qantas Club membership (purchased either with a credit/debit card or Qantas points) as of 23 March 2020 was automatically given a six-month extension at the time. This includes Qantas Club members that joined through the AFF corporate scheme.
It’s now already almost six months since Qantas had to close all of its lounges. Some domestic Qantas lounges reopened in July, including many locations in Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. But numerous domestic lounges are still closed, including in Melbourne, Darwin, Hobart, Rockhampton and Gold Coast. At most major capital city airports, Qantas Clubs remain closed but members may use the Business Lounges which are open.
Where lounges have reopened, the service is actually quite good. But there are still temporary restrictions on guests and the use of complimentary lounge passes due to capacity constraints at some lounges.
Qantas says that it won’t reopen any more domestic lounges until more state borders are reopened. Meanwhile, all Qantas international lounges remain closed indefinitely as the Australian government’s international travel ban remains in place. In fact, Qantas has just laid off its staff at several overseas lounges including Singapore and Hong Kong.
With this in mind, Qantas has decided to now extend lounge memberships for a further six months. Qantas will automatically extend the expiry date of all paid-up Qantas Club members as of 23 September 2020 by six months. Eligible members are being notified by email.
More details about this new Qantas Club membership extension are available on the Qantas website.
In the Frequently Asked Questions, Qantas hints that alternative options may be available for members that would prefer a refund:
Do I have any other option for my current paid Qantas Club membership instead of an extension?
If you’re seeking other options, including a refund, please contact our Qantas Call Centre to discuss.
New Qantas Club memberships are not currently available for sale. Qantas Frequent Flyer members that reach Points Club Plus can continue to receive complimentary Qantas Club membership, but complimentary memberships are not being extended.
Qantas Club members will not receive new physical membership cards with a new expiry date as Qantas has suspended sending physical cards & membership kits until 31 March 2021. Digital membership cards can be accessed via the Qantas App.
Qantas Frequent Flyer has already extended members’ tier status by 12 months.
Virgin Australia also initially announced six-month extensions for paid Virgin Australia Lounge memberships back in April 2020. But with Virgin’s lounges now closed for almost six months already – and no reopening date in sight – a further extension is now inevitable.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas Club Lounge Passes & Memberships Extended 12 Months [was 6 months]
