Use Qantas Points to Book Eurostar Trains

Matt Graham
Baron, France - July 29, 2020: A Eurostar e320 high speed train is driving from Paris to London on the LGV Nord, the North European high speed railway line, in the french countryside.
You can now use your Qantas points to book Eurostar train journeys. Photo: Adobe Stock.

You can now use Qantas Frequent Flyer points to book selected journeys on Eurostar and SNCF high-speed trains within Europe.

Qantas recently ended its partnership with Journey Beyond, which had made it possible to book the Indian Pacific and Ghan trains with Qantas points. But thanks to Qantas’ partnership with Air France and KLM, there is now a roundabout way to redeem Qantas points for high-speed trains to or from Brussels.

You may already know that you can redeem Qantas points for Air France and KLM flights across both airlines’ entire networks. Air France and KLM both also sell selected train connections with “AF” and “KL” flight numbers. These train connections are available to book with points on the Qantas website.

SNCF train available to book on the Qantas website
You can book SNCF trains with “AF” flight numbers on the Brussels-Paris route on the Qantas website, using points.

KLM and Air France sell train connections on specific routes between Brussels, Antwerp and their hub airports in Amsterdam and Paris. These are intended to connect to KLM and Air France flights.

Which trains can you book with Qantas points?

The Qantas website does not recognise Antwerp as a booking location, so you would not be able to book a train to or from Antwerp with Qantas points online. (This may be possible via the contact centre.)

However, you can book the following train journeys on the Qantas website:

  • Brussels Midi/Zuid train station to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), with a KL flight number and operated by Eurostar
  • Brussels Midi/Zuid train station to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), with an AF flight number and operated by SNCF

It’s possible to book these as standalone journeys, as an alternative to flying. For example, on the Amsterdam-Brussels route there are KLM options available by both air and rail. (The rail option has far fewer taxes & carrier charges.)

AMS-BRU Eurostar train available to book using Qantas points
You can book selected Eurostar train journeys with points on the Qantas website.

You can also book a train that connects to an Air France or KLM flight beyond Paris or Amsterdam. This is priced as a single through-booking. So for example, it’s just 20,000 Qantas points + taxes & carrier charges for a Business Class booking from Brussels to Copenhagen via Amsterdam.

BRU-AMS-CPH award using a mixture of KL services on the Qantas website
Screenshot from the Qantas website.

Unfortunately, you can’t book other Eurostar routes (such as Paris-London) using Qantas points. Qantas flights to Paris commence in July 2024.

How this works

If you book an Economy Class ticket on a KLM service operated by Eurostar, you’ll be seated in the “Standard” cabin aboard Eurostar. If you have a KLM Business Class ticket, you’ll get a seat in Eurostar’s “Premium” cabin.

Eurostar Premium gets you a more spacious seat, as well as complimentary food and drinks served to your seat. Premium tickets also include Eurostar Lounge&More lounge access at Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station.

According to the FAQs on the KLM website, when travelling from Brussels you can check in and collect your train ticket at the Air France/KLM Air&Rail Terminal at Brussels-Midi/Zuid station. When travelling to Brussels, you would check in as normal with the airline operating the first part of your trip and collect your train ticket there.

Air France and KLM do not appear to sell standalone train tickets, so it’s possibly not intended that you can just book a ticket that does not include a flight. But if connecting to/from a flight in Paris or Amsterdam, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum
Matt Graham
The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 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.
Matt Graham
________________________

Related Articles

Community Comments

Join the discussion →

Loading new replies...

henrus Feb 18, 2024 #1

100% an error because standalone trains weren’t part of the deal. Oh well enjoy why it lasts.

It’d be interesting to see if this is actually good value or not.

Reply Like

j jase05 Feb 18, 2024 #2

100% an error because standalone trains weren’t part of the deal. Oh well enjoy why it lasts.

It’d be interesting to see if this is actually good value or not.

I guess it depends on individual circumstances but the last time I traveled from Brussels to CDG it was for memory about $110 in first class and I think second was about $70.
The flex fares were more expensive

Reply Like

Mr H Feb 19, 2024 #3

Last year I travelled from Maidstone to Kishinev by train, mostly in premium classes. The Eurostar from London to Paris was very impressive but cost as much as the rest of the journey combined. I enjoyed the experience but compared to flying, the premium experience seemed to extend only to the on-board product. There was no access to lounges (no access for First class in London, Paris lounge was shut) and no check in for luggage so you had to wait with luggage on crowded station concourses. The food and drink was mostly chargeable. I know this is comparing apples and oranges, but France seems to have decided that short flights should be done by train so the comparison will be made...

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...
Jean Prouvaire Feb 20, 2024 #4

I'm surprised you weren't able to access the Eurostar lounge in London traveling first class as it's supposed to be for Business Premier passengers and Carte Blanche and Etoile Club Eurostar members (also certain Amex card holders). Unless by "first class" you mean "Standard Premier" which is their mid-tier travel class? I've never been to the lounge (travel Standard if and when I do take the Eurostar), but it looks reasonable for a train lounge.

The big advantage of the Eurostar over flights for me is the ease with which you can get to and from the stations. When staying in central London (as I typically do) getting to St Pancras train station is a lot more convenient than getting to any of the airports. And while I try to get to an airport 2-3 hours prior to departure for international flights, for the Eurostar I've cut it as fine as - IIRC - 20 minutes (granted, that was cutting it very fine and due to a mixup on my part). Similarly, the train drops you off much closer to the heart of Paris than flying. So you save hours on both ends, which is why it's now my preferred way of crossing the Channel.

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...
Gold Member Feb 20, 2024 #5

Interesting article Matt, thanks.

I just recently purchased Bruges-Paris (Gare Du Nord) Business/Premium Class with Eurostar including a local “first class” domestic connection on Dutch carrier between Bruges and Brussels using the b-Europe.com website for $125 AUD one-way. Excluding the domestic connection, the Eurostar leg would have cost about $100AUD outright.

Considering Qantas want 10K QFF + 21 Euro for a Standard (ECONOMY) cabin seat, I think I’ll stick with booking direct and avoid Qantas bookings. And based on the limited searches I made, Qantas isn’t even offering Business/Premium class tickets on that leg for many weeks at a time. But if they did, it would be reasonable to expect a similar price to the Amsterdam-Brussels route at 20K QFF + 21 Euro considering they’re roughly the same time and distance. Even then, still very poor value.

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...
Mr H Feb 20, 2024 #6

I'm surprised you weren't able to access the Eurostar lounge in London traveling first class as it's supposed to be for Business Premier passengers and Carte Blanche and Etoile Club Eurostar members (also certain Amex card holders). Unless by "first class" you mean "Standard Premier" which is their mid-tier travel class? I've never been to the lounge (travel Standard if and when I do take the Eurostar), but it looks reasonable for a train lounge.

There are two classes of travel on Eurostar - First Class (called Premier because France) and Second Class (called standard class). First class comes with two variants - called confusingly standard and business. Same seat, the difference is that one has lounge access and a meal on board, when the other has no lounge and only offers sangas. Oh, and one is more than triple the price of the other. Call me cheap, but I'm not going to pay over $400 for a cup of coffee and an omelette - and judging by the uptake of sandwiches in my carriage, nor was anyone else.

View image at the forums

Reply 4 Likes

click to expand...

Join the full discussion at the Australian Frequent Flyer →