Most people are surprised to learn that Qantas Frequent Flyer has two Classic Award Charts. One for Qantas and selected airlines, and one for Partner Airlines.
The key to maximising value is to stay within one chart, otherwise the points required will be calculated as two awards and added together.
In this post:
Which Airlines Are In Which Qantas Classic Award Chart?
The Qantas award chart is mainly Qantas, Fiji Airways and American Airlines. You have a much larger selection of airlines from Table 2.
| Qantas (Table 1) | Partner (Table 2) |
| Qantas, Jetstar*, Airnorth^, Fiji Airways, Air Vanuatu, American Airlines®, and Emirates (for Emirates bookings up to 31 August 2020). | Air France, Air Niugini, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, China Eastern, Cathay Dragon#, EL AL, Emirates (for Emirates bookings from 1 September 2020), Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, KLM, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. |
How Many Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Do I Need?
Qantas Class Award charts are distance based and divided into 10 zones. Sydney to London is Zone 10 (144,600 points one way in Business Class) whereas Sydney to Los Angeles is Zone 8 (108,400 points one way in Business Class).
On the Qantas website, the Qantas and Partner charts are shown separately. We’ve combined them to make it easy to compare the points needed for First Class or Business Class award seats.
Qantas First Class Classic Award Chart
Below is the First Class award chart for Qantas and Partner airlines, side by side for easy comparison.
| Qantas | Partner | ||
| Zone | One-Way Miles | First | First |
| 1 | 0-600 | 27,600 | 29,000 |
| 2 | 601 – 1,200 | 41,500 | 43,500 |
| 3 | 1,201 – 2,400 | 62,200 | 64,500 |
| 4 | 2,401 – 3,600 | 85,500 | 89,800 |
| 5 | 3,601 – 4,800 | 102,600 | 107,700 |
| 6 | 4,801 – 5,800 | 123,100 | 129,300 |
| 7 | 5,801 – 7,000 | 142,300 | 149,800 |
| 8 | 7,001 – 8,400 | 162,800 | 170,800 |
| 9 | 8,401 – 9,600 | 189,800 | 199,300 |
| 10 | 9,601 – 15,000 | 216,900 | 227,500 |
Qantas Business Class Classic Award Chart
Below is the Business Class award chart for Qantas and Partner airlines, side by side for easy comparison.
| Qantas | Partner | ||
| Zone | One-Way Miles | Business | Business |
| 1 | 0-600 | 18,400 | 20,000 |
| 2 | 601 – 1,200 | 27,600 | 30,000 |
| 3 | 1,201 – 2,400 | 41,500 | 43,800 |
| 4 | 2,401 – 3,600 | 57,000 | 61,200 |
| 5 | 3,601 – 4,800 | 68,400 | 75,000 |
| 6 | 4,801 – 5,800 | 82,000 | 90,000 |
| 7 | 5,801 – 7,000 | 94,900 | 104,500 |
| 8 | 7,001 – 8,400 | 108,400 | 119,200 |
| 9 | 8,401 – 9,600 | 126,500 | 139,200 |
| 10 | 9,601 – 15,000 | 144,600 | 159,000 |
How Do I Get The Most Value From Qantas Classic Awards?
The three key ways to maximise the value from your Qantas Classic Award redemption are to stay within one award chart, use the zones to your advantage and build in a stopover under 24 hours.
Stay Within One Award Chart
Choose your airlines carefully so you stay within either the Qantas or Partner award chart. If you mix the two, you will be charged for two awards and require significantly more points.
A Sydney to London flight in Business Class requires 144,600 points each way if you stay on Qantas metal. However, if you fly Qantas to Perth and then onward to London via Dubai you will be looking at 180,700 points.
One to keep in mind when putting together an award routing using the Premium Award Booking Magic Trick.
Use The Distance Based Zones To Your Advantage
Understanding distance between two cities using the Great Circle Mapper helps you find award routings at the top end of the distance based zones that Qantas use to determine points required.
For those going to Europe, Athens is a great option as the distance from Sydney is 9,516 miles (or at the top end of Zone 9). That’s a saving of 18,100 points each way compared to other European options like London and Paris.
Build In A 23 Hour Stopover
The long layover or short stopover is a favourite of the Points Brotherhood. A 23 hour gap between two flights is considered a single award, but once you exceed 24 hours you are looking at two awards (and more points required).
We’ve used this hack to visit the Louvre in Abu Dhabi (using Emirates generous Chauffeur Drive service) and to see Helsinki or spend quality time in a First Class lounge.
Bottom Line
You’ll get the most value from your hard earned Qantas Frequent Flyer points by sticking to one of the two award charts. The moment you mix and match, you’ll effectively be redeeming two awards and pay a significant premium.
