Qantas Frequent Flyer members will soon be able to earn both Qantas points and Accor ALL points when flying with Qantas or staying at Accor hotels.
The double-dipping of Qantas points and Accor ALL points will be a feature of a new wide-ranging partnership, launching between Qantas Frequent Flyer and Accor ALL in mid-2021. Accor ALL (which stands for Accor Live Limitless) is the loyalty program of Accor Hotels, which owns brands including Sofitel, Mercure, Peppers, Pullman, Novotel, Mantra and Ibis.
Qantas says its deeper partnership with Accor will also provide members of both loyalty programs with more opportunities to redeem points. And there will be “exclusive benefits for top-tier members”. That could include extra benefits for Qantas Silver, Gold, Platinum & Platinum One frequent flyers when staying at Accor Hotels, and vice versa.
Qantas and Accor members will receive more details early next year. But we already know that the strategic partnership will cover all Qantas domestic & international flights. It will also include Accor’s 1,240 hotels in the Asia Pacific region, however hotels in other parts of the world won’t be part of this arrangement.
“From next year, eligible members of Qantas’ and Accor’s loyalty programs will earn twice when they fly or stay with the two brands. This is an entirely new way to recognise the loyalty of our frequent flyers which we know will be very popular,” Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said.
This new partnership is welcome news for members of both the Qantas Frequent Flyer and Accor ALL programs. But we would question Qantas’ claim that this will be the first partnership of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Shangri-La Golden Circle Club have already had a similar partnership for a long time.
In Australia, Virgin Australia’s frequent flyers can already receive a one-time status match with the Hilton Honors or IHG Rewards Club programs when they reach Velocity Gold or Platinum status. However, the Velocity partnerships do not extend beyond a one-time status match. There’s no double-dipping of points or any other extra benefits.
Further afield, American Airlines AAdvantage already has an extensive relationship with World of Hyatt whereby members of both programs can receive a complimentary status match with the other program. United Airlines and Emirates also have close partnerships with Marriott Bonvoy.
It’s already possible to transfer Accor ALL points to Qantas Frequent Flyer points (as well as many other frequent flyer programs) at a 1:1 conversion rate. But under the new partnership, hotel guests would be able to earn points with both programs simultaneously.
What can Accor ALL points be used for?
Being a hotel loyalty program, you can of course redeem Accor ALL points for hotel stays at Accor properties. But there are no award charts with Accor ALL – instead, 2,000 Accor ALL points are worth €40 (~$65) towards a regular room rate.
You can also redeem Accor ALL points for experiences or transfer your points to 33 different frequent flyer programs. Ironically, you could even transfer Accor ALL points to Velocity Frequent Flyer.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas to launch in-depth partnership with Accor ALL
