Qantas have this morning announced some “enhancements” to their Frequent Flyer program.

In a nutshell the enhancements are: More Seats. Less Fees. More Choice. New Rewards. Better Recognition.

REWARD SEAT AVAILABILITY
Qantas have increased the number of available award seats to 500,000 annually across its network, so it should be easier to redeem your points.

FEES
Fees will be reduced by up to 50 per cent on International Classic Flight Reward seats, saving members on average $200 per return journey. For example, a return Classic Flight Reward seat from Sydney to London will see fees reduced from $1,080 to $700 in Business while a return Economy reward seat from Sydney to New York will see fees reduced from $360 to $180.

VALUE
Fewer Qantas Points will be needed to book an economy seat on international flights (about a 10% decrease in points required), although you’ll need more Qantas Points (approx 15% more) to snare a seat in premium economy, business class and first class – and more points to upgrade, too (approx 9% increase to upgrade).

RECOGNITION
Qantas have introduced a “Lifetime Platinum” status level for the very frequent flyer. You will need to earn 75,000 status credits to qualify.

CHOICE
Qantas is adding new frequent flyer partnerships with Air New Zealand, China Airlines, and coming soon Bangkok Airways, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

NEW
Qantas recognises that a lot of their Frequent Flyer members earn most of their points through purchases, so they are introducing a new “frequent buyer” called THE POINTS CLUB. The new Points Club will include two tiers with entry gained based on a member passing an annual points-earned criteria. For the first time, members will be able to unlock flight and travel benefits – including lounge access and bonus status credits – as well as member-exclusive offers and discounts across Qantas Frequent Flyer through their everyday points earn.

The entry-level Points Club tier will be accessed through earning 150,000 points (primarily on the ground) in the membership year, whilst Points Club Plus tier, with richer member benefits, will have a higher annual threshold. Points Club will be launched in late 2019.