Yahoo Finance Qantas Frequent Flyer shake-up to make flying cheaper for members
Your money is expected to go further under the new scheme.
Qantas is putting the finishing touches on its Frequent Flyer program that could make flying cheaper for members.
Travellers have been using points to reduce the huge cost of flying and their money is set to go a little further under the new scheme. There have been complaints about the lack of available rewards flights as well as the number of points required to book a seat, and it appears Qantas has listened.
The airline is expected to launch the new-look program in April and it could see a new subscription tier, rumoured to be called 'Classic+', operate alongside the already existing Classic Flight Rewards and Points Pay Plus.
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At the moment, customers can use a set number of points to score a Classic Flight Rewards seat, or have the airfare price converted to points in the Points Pay Plus scheme.
Under Classic+, travellers could convert one Frequent Flyer point to 1 cent for an economy seat, meaning a $100 flight would only set you back 10,000 points.
The price of a Classic+ seat is set to be based on the lowest possible fare when Classic Rewards have sold out for the flight, according to the Australian Financial Review.
“We're still working to finalise the frequent flyer improvements, which are responding to what members are telling us about the importance of redeeming points for flights at the times they most want to fly,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
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“It's a significant investment that will deliver great value for members, but it also makes sense for the program and our partners."
Qantas has recently invested $50 million into its loyalty program to ensure more seats are available to its 15 million members.
Best ways to use your points
Flight upgrades: 2-8 cents per point
Business class flights: 3.5-6.5 cents per point
Premium flights: 3-4 cents per point
Economy flights: 1.3-2.5 cents per point
Hotels or car rentals: 0.65-0.85 cents per point
Gift cards or products: 0.3-0.6 cents per point
Charity donations: 0.7-0.8 cents per point
A Qantas member was recently prompted to use 19,000 points to reduce their fuel bill by $100 when filling up the tank at a BP but frequent flyer point expert Angus Kidman said there were better ways to spend points.
Kidman crunched the numbers and said users should try to get at least $20 worth of value from every 1,000 points spent.
"A fuel offer that only gets you about $5 in value for each 1,000 points really isn't going to cut the mustard,” the Finder expert told Yahoo Finance.
"19,000 points is enough for a return Sydney-Melbourne flight, which will easily give you $200 or more in value.”
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