QANTAS FREQUENT FLYER REVEALS THE BIGGEST STATUS CHANGES IN PROGRAM HISTORY | News
Qantas Frequent Flyer introduces key changes to status earning and retention since the program’s inception, allowing members to pass on and earn unused status credits through daily spend for the first time.
The changes, which follow extensive feedback from thousands of frequent flyers and leading loyalty experts, will be phased in starting later this year. They include:
Earn Status Credits on the Ground – a permanent way for members to earn money while flying, from Qantas credit cards to hundreds of program partners.
Status Credit Rollover – the ability for tiered members to roll over up to 50 percent of their excess Status Credits[1]which are currently being reset, from one membership year to the next.
More Lifetime Milestones – Greater recognition for Lifetime Gold members, including the ability to earn and “bank” up to five free years of Platinum status.
Enhanced tier benefits – an additional lounge invite for Silver members each membership year, in addition to new on-site vouchers and discounts for all higher tiers[2].
Removing program complexity – the retirement of overlapping sub-programs, including Points Club and Green Tier, in favor of one core recognition pathway.
Single Status Credit Goals – removing separate attainment and maintenance requirements in favor of a single goal for each level.
An enhanced digital experience – a new search tool on qantas.com that allows members to find international Classic Reward seats on Qantas and partner airlines in seconds.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the review will provide greater flexibility, faster recognition and more pathways to status.
“With more than 18 million members and nearly 40 years of loyalty, this marks a new era for the Frequent Flyer program in the face of a changing loyalty landscape.
“Our members have an incredible appetite for earning points, but we know they also place enormous value on their status. Our most frequent flyers tell us that maintaining status is the single most important milestone as a member, with thousands reaching or maintaining their level every day.
“These changes are about creating more opportunities for members to unlock their status, while ensuring the program remains as relevant and rewarding in the future as it has been for the past forty years,” Ms Hudson said.
Qantas Loyalty and Customer CEO Andrew Glance said the introduction of Status Credit rollover and on-the-ground earning represented some of the most significant changes in the program’s history.
“Traditionally, Status Credits are a benefit earned solely by flying. However, last year’s trial broke records for member engagement, proving they want more ways to accelerate their status.
“For this to become a permanent feature is great news for our members and also for our partners, who will benefit from the increased activity this will create.
“About half of the Status Credits our members earn each year are above their level thresholds. We give back value and ensure that hard-earned Status Credits in one year give members an edge the next.
“Lifetime Gold members have shown decades of loyalty to Qantas and we want to give them a clearer path to even greater rewards. Silver members are our largest group of tiered flyers, and these changes will also give them more travel benefits from the start.
“Our new reward seat search tool is also a significant investment in our digital experience. With more than 14,000 reward seats booked per day, the tool will provide a seamless window into our network and further increase the number of flights redeemed,” said Mr Glance.
Below you will find a summary of the program changes. Further details will be provided to members before they are introduced.
Status credits on the ground
All members can earn up to 140 additional Status Credits from ten daily categories each year. This follows a record-breaking trial in 2025, where members embraced earning Status Credits through credit cards, retail partners and utilities. Status credits earned on-site also count toward Lifetime tier, allowing members to reach Lifetime status more quickly. This expansion will launch later in 2026 and will coincide with the addition of more major partners to the program.
Credit transfer status
For the first time, members have the flexibility to roll over up to 50 percent of their unused Status Credits to their next membership year. Rollovers are limited to 100 Status Credits for Silver members, 350 for Gold and 500 for Platinum. This permanent benefit replaces the previous loyalty bonus offered to some members. This new rollover benefit will launch later in 2026.
More life milestones
Lifetime Gold members will now enjoy greater recognition on their journey to Lifetime Platinum. For every 10,000 Status Credits earned above the Lifetime Gold threshold, members receive one free year of Platinum status. These years can be ‘banked’ and activated at a time of the member’s choosing (with a limit of five years saved). This feature will launch in 2027.
Improved level benefits
Silver members enjoy an additional lounge invitation each membership year, in addition to new vouchers and on-site discounts for all Silver members and above. Additional benefits will be announced before the launch of the updated tiers in 2027.
Remove program complexity
Points Club and Green Tier will be discontinued later this year, with the most valued benefits integrated into the core frequent flyer program. This eliminates the program complexity and overlapping eligibility requirements of these subprograms. With the retirement of Green Tier, the airline will consider new ways to reward members who make sustainable choices when flying. Points Club and Green Tier will be gradually phased out from the end of 2026.
Single Status Credit Objectives
As Status Credit is rolled out and there are more earning opportunities locally, the program is also moving to a single Status Credit goal for each level. For example, Gold status requires 700 Status Credits annually (previously 700 to earn and 600 to maintain). The abolition of these separate reach and maintenance requirements will be introduced in 2027.
An enhanced digital experience
A new search tool will be launched next month on qantas.com that will display Classic Reward seat inventory across Qantas and 30 partner airlines in seconds. Members can search millions of seats by destination and cabin type over a twelve-month booking period.
