You can now earn Qantas points for all Uber rides, as well as Uber Eats orders. But, at the same time, Qantas is reducing the number of points that Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members can earn when booking an Uber to or from the airport.
The changes are related to the new Uber Rewards program that was announced last week. The scheme is currently being trialled in Australia and will be fully rolled out early next year. With Uber’s new loyalty program, you’ll have the option of converting your Uber Rewards points to Qantas Frequent Flyer points… but there are a few catches.
Converting Uber Rewards points to Qantas points
With the Uber Rewards program, you’ll earn points for every dollar spent on all eligible Uber rides, including overseas, as well as Uber Eats food deliveries. The earning rates are as follows:
- Earn 1 point per $1 on UberPool and Uber Eats
- Earn 2 points per $1 on UberX, UberXL, Uber Comfort & Assist
- Earn 3 points per $1 on Uber Premium
After earning 750 Uber points, you’ll have the option to redeem those points for a range of rewards including 200 Qantas points. In other words, 750 Uber Rewards points = 200 Qantas points. This means that on UberX rides, you’ll be earning the equivalent of 0.53 Qantas points per $1 spent. On Uber Eats orders, you’ll earn a measly 0.27 Qantas points per $1 spent.
If you want to convert your Uber Rewards points to Qantas points, there’s another catch. This benefit is only available to Gold, Platinum and Diamond members of the Uber Rewards scheme. To achieve Gold status, you would need to earn at least 1,200 points. Once a status tier is earned, you’ll get to keep it for six months unless you re-qualify.
If you’re already using Uber regularly, the new loyalty program could offer some new benefits. But it’s hardly worth going out of your way to use Uber for the Qantas points, when you can earn a flat 1 Velocity point per $1 for Ola rides. This increases to 2 Velocity points per $1 on rides to the airport, and you’ll receive the points directly into your Velocity account almost immediately.
Changes to earning Qantas points for airport rides
When Qantas initially launched its partnership with Uber in 2017, Qantas Frequent Flyer members were only able to earn points on rides to and from eligible Australian airports. The option to earn Qantas points directly is still available if you order an Uber ride to the airport via the Qantas App, however the number of points you’ll earn is changing.
From 13 December 2019, Qantas is removing the bonus points that were available on Uber rides to frequent flyers with Qantas status. Instead of awarding 2 Qantas points per dollar to Silver members, and 3 points per $1 to Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members, Qantas will soon give everyone a lower earning rate of 1 Qantas point per dollar spent on airport rides.
For rides to and from eligible Australian airports, this is still a better Qantas points earn rate than you’ll achieve via the Uber Rewards program.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Qantas-Uber tie-up
