Qantas is currently giving a 30% discount on the points required for Classic Flight Rewards. The discount applies to Economy award flight bookings on Qantas and Jetstar. With the discount, Classic Reward flights can be booked for as little as 4,480 Qantas points (plus taxes).
To be eligible for the 30% discount, the flights must be between 17 April and 29 December 2018. The offer ends on Monday 12 March 2018.
The Qantas award discount does not apply to itineraries that include a transfer between Qantas and Jetstar. According to the promotion’s terms & conditions, itineraries that include a transfer “from or to the international Qantas or Jetstar gateway” are also ineligible, for some reason.
This is a good deal, but our members would like to see the discount extended to bookings in Premium Economy, Business and First class. Some members also point out that the discount does not apply to the taxes & carrier charges payable in addition to the points. Qantas fuel surcharges can add several hundred dollars to the cost of a “reward” flight. For example, the USD834 (~$1,065) in charges payable on a return award flight from Los Angeles to Sydney are higher than the price of a regular airfare on some airlines!
Pretty sure you can get a return flight for less than US$834 without using points most of the time. A quick look at May/June shows as low as $US730 on other airlines.
The Qantas Classic Flight Reward discount makes domestic Economy redemptions good value on most routes. A Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney now costs just 5,600 Qantas points and $35.83 in taxes & charges with the discount. A Jetstar flight on the same route is only 4,480 Qantas points plus $29.98.
The significant carrier charges imposed on international bookings makes the value of redeeming Qantas points on many routes marginal. But there is some value to be found. A return Qantas Economy award booking from Perth to London on Qantas’ new non-stop flight now costs 77,000 Qantas points and $680.47. Of these extra charges, Qantas “carrier charges” account for $360 and the UK Air Passenger Duty adds $138.80. But this is still reasonable value compared to paying the regular fare, which is often well over $2,000.
Virgin Australia ran a similar promotion last month, offering 30% off points on Velocity reward flight bookings. Virgin’s promo was more generous because it applied to all classes of travel, as well as flights on several partner airlines. The promotion also ran for several weeks instead of just five days.
Of course, the BIG difference between such promotions when comparing QF and VA is that VA don’t have fuel fines. So, that QF MEL-LAX redemption in economy costs under this promotion 31,500 point and AU$250. With VA the same route was something like 31,400 points and AU$34.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: 30% off Qantas economy classic rewards (ends 12 March)
