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In January 2025, Qantas Frequent Flyer announced a series of program updates — some genuinely beneficial, others less so. Chief among them: a sweeping overhaul of Classic Flight Reward pricing that kicks in on August 5, 2025. While Qantas would prefer to highlight the positive changes its making, the recently unveiled award charts reveal a broad devaluation of 15-20% on most redemptions.
Here's an overview of all of the Qantas Frequent Flyer changes and a look at the new redemption tables.
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Overview of the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program Changes and Enhancements
Outside of the Classic Flight Reward pricing changes, which we'll cover in greater detail, three “new benefits” will be available to Frequent Flyer members. Each will roll out between mid-2025 and sometime next year.
- More premium reward seats with airline partners. Beginning later 2025, Qantas will make up to one million additional seats available for booking. Alongside additional award availability, you can redeem points for Premium Economy seats on Finnair, Air France, KLM, and Iberia, and book Classic Reward flights on Hawaiian Airlines.
- More rewards with Jetstar. Starting in 2026, Frequent Flyer members can use Qantas Points to upgrade to business class on Jetstar. This benefit coincides with a major revamp of the airlines' business-class cabins.
- Earn more points on Qantas flights. Starting July 22, 2025, Frequent Flyer members will earn up to 25% more Qantas Points on top of the base points earned on domestic Qantas flights. Those with Silver elite status (and above) will start to earn additional Status Bonus points on Qantas-marketed premium cabin bookings.
Qantas To Shake Up Classic Flight Reward Pricing in August 2025
The most significant change coming to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is the Classic Flight Reward pricing shakeup that'll kick off on August 5, 2025. From this date on, some awards will increase in price; others will require fewer points.
For those unfamiliar with the program, Qantas offers two types of redemptions: Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards. The former are cheaper but less widely available — while the inverse is true for the latter.
Qantas didn't release new award charts at the time of its January 2025 announcement. However, we now know what the new charts will look like; you can find the new Classic Flight Reward table below. These updated charts take effect on August 5, 2025, but current rates will apply to all bookings made before that date.
Jetstar awards
We'll start with the good news before sharing the bad news. If you prefer to use your Qantas Points to book Jetstar-operated domestic flights within Australia or New Zealand, you'll soon redeem fewer points. Rates on routes such as Sydney to the Gold Coast will drop by 11% this August. One-way awards will start at 5,700 points instead of 6,400 points.
Qantas and preferred partner awards
Qantas uses a separate award chart for awards on its flights and select preferred partners — which will be Emirates, Fiji Airways, and American Airlines going forward. Here's the new award chart for these redemptions:
Across the board, award rates are increasing by up to 20% in premium cabins — particularly on long-haul flights in business and first class.
Related: 1,200+ American Airlines Routes That You Can Book for Just 8,000 Qantas Points (for now)
Other partners
In addition, a new partner Classic Flight Reward table is coming as well. This chart covers redemptions on Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Oman Air, WestJet, and several other carriers:
Like with the Qantas and preferred partner chart, new rates are generally 15% higher in short-haul economy, while long-haul flights are seeing increases of 20% in premium economy, business, and first class.
Classic Flight Rewards on Emirates
Qantas Points have long been useful for booking Emirates premium cabin awards, including the airline's luxe first class. Currently, Emirates is lumped into the “other partners” award chart. But effective August 5, 2025, Emirates will join American Airlines and Fiji Airways in the preferred partners award chart.
The good news: Some economy-class awards will get a little cheaper. However, first- and business-class Emirates awards will increase in price. If Emirates First is on your bucket list, now’s the time to book.
Here's a snapshot of what a popular redemption could look like come August:
- First Class from New York (JFK) to Dubai (DXB): 170,800 points + taxes and fees (up from 149,800 points).
- Business Class from JFK to DXB: 113,900 points + taxes and fees (up from 104,500 points).
- Economy Class from JFK to DXB: 43,200 points + taxes and fees (down from 45,000 points).
Again, these changes aren't rolling out immediately. You have several months to book Emirates awards at current partner rates:
Related: When Do Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Expire?
Book Now or Later?
If you have a trip planned for after August 5, here's a reference guide to help you determine whether to book before or after the new award chart takes effect.
- Qantas, Jetstar, Fiji Airways, and American Airlines: Book now. Award rates will increase by up to 20% on August 5, 2025 (except for a few short Jetstar routes, which are getting cheaper).
- Emirates: A mixed bag. Some economy awards are getting slightly cheaper. However, business and first class awards will rise by 7,000–28,000 points one-way, so book premium cabins before August.
- All other Qantas partners: Book now. Nearly all awards are increasing across all cabins, with premium cabins going up by 15–20%.
Final Thoughts
Qantas Frequent Flyer is implementing a few program changes with the rollout expected to continue well into 2026. For award travelers, the most meaningful changes will debut on August 5, 2025. On this date, Qantas is cutting the number of points required for Jetstar awards by 11% while simultaneously hiking all other Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Upgrade Rewards by up to 20%. Thus, the time is now to book awards that will soon get more expensive.
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