QANTAS: Frequent Flyer changes evaluated, and when they roll out

Qantas is billing these largely status-related changes as a ‘new era’ for Frequent Flyers. Here’s what’s coming, what I think of it, and when it will arrive. Read on to find out what it means if you’re chasing Silver, protecting Gold or sitting comfortably at Platinum.

March 2026: A better reward search tool

This is the change I am most excited about. I hope it delivers on its promise: a new Classic Flight Reward search engine. One that shows availability across Qantas, Jetstar, OneWorld, and 30 partner airlines.

You’ll be able to search millions of seats across a 12-month window by destination and cabin.

Love

If it works properly, this may be the most practical improvement of the lot. And, we only have a few days or weeks for its implementation

Late 2026: Status Credit rollover arrives

For the first time, members can carry excess Status Credits into the next membership year. How many you can roll over depends on your status.

• Gold, Platinum and Platinum One: rollover 50% of excess Status Credits
  • Cap: 300 for Gold
  • Cap: 500 for Platinum and Platinum One
• Silver: rollover 25%
  • Cap: 100

This initiative will replace the current Loyalty Bonus, which is about 50 status credits per 500 you earn.

Why, on the whole, this is good

If you regularly overshoot your target, those extra credits won’t vanish on your anniversary date. You’ll be able to start the next year with a buffer by rolling over some status credits from the previous year. That could mean fewer status runs for us all.

Late 2026: Status Credits on the ground

Status Credits won’t just come from flying anymore, as they have until now. From later this year, you will also be able to earn them from spending on Qantas-branded credit cards.

Now, this will be good for loyalists who hold a Qantas-branded card and spend big on it. But remember, this is designed to get you spending on your card to benefit the Loyalty branch of Qantas as much as it benefits Frequent Flyers.

And it’s not just Qantas-branded cards. Members will be able to earn Status Credits via everyday spend on credit cards, banking, utilities, hotels, fuel, retail and more.

Crucially, these ground-earned Status Credits will also count towards lifetime status. Full details of all of this are yet to be announced.

Why this is mainly good

You’ll no longer be 100% dependent on flying to retain your tier or improve it. But don’t expect miracles, caps will apply to spend. Flying will still be privileged and do the heavy lifting.

Late 2026: One recognition pathway

Points Club and Green Tier will be retired. These provide alternative paths to earning additional Status Credits, but they did sort of provide weird exceptions to the standard pathway. I’ve never been able to take advantage of them, so don’t see them as much of a loss. However, the ability to earn five or 10 status credits to top up your total, and to be able to earn Status Credits on flights using points redemptions was important to a subset of frequent flyers.

It is promised that some of those benefits will be folded into the core program.

2027: One Status Credit target for achievement and requalification

In 2027, Qantas moves to a single Status Credit target per tier. You will need to earn the same number of Status Credits for achieving a tier, as you will to re-qualify. Up until then, you receive a discount for requalification. For example to earn Platinum you need 1,400 Status Credits, but to retain, you just need 1,200 currently. From 2027 it will be 1,400 to attain or hold.

Bad

This is just bad. It just makes it harder for frequent flyers to retain their status tier. This feels like the payback for providing other pathways to earn Status Credits. Not a fan.

2027: Lifetime Gold gets an upgrade?

Lifetime Gold members chasing the near-mythical 75,000 Status Credits required for Lifetime Platinum will get an alternative reward path. It will still require a hefty Status Credit earn, but at least the benefits are incremental on your way to Lifetime Platinum.

For every 10,000 Status Credits earned beyond the Lifetime Gold threshold, members receive one complimentary year of Platinum. Milestones sit at:

• 25,000 SC
• 35,000 SC
• 45,000 SC
• 55,000 SC
• 65,000 SC

Up to five years of Platinum can be banked and activated when it suits you.

Now, I might be missing something, but couldn’t you earn an extra year of Platinum just by earning another 1,400 Status Credits? However, the banking and delayed activation are an innovation.

Why I’m ambivalent on this

This is a retention play. Once members hit Lifetime Gold (14,000 SC), many look at flying on premium-heavy Oneworld partners that provide better service than Qantas instead. Think the likes of Japan Airlines, or Oman Air for example. This ‘improvement’ is an attempt to keep those lifetime Gold members engaged. On the surface, I’m not sure its going to work. Still, it will give more opportunities to sample the benefits of the Qantas First Lounges, which will be appealing to some, including me.

2027: New tier benefits

There is a lot of detail still to be released on this. The lounge voucher thing will appeal to Silver and Gold particularly, not so much to Platinums. The discounts could be attractive depending on the rates. We will have to wait until closer to launch to get those details.

To summarise, Silver members and above will receive additional lounge invitations and discounts across Qantas Hotels, Holidays, Marketplace and Wine.

2PAXfly takeout

These changes are substantial. They do surprise, because these days, when an airline promises an ‘improvement’ to their Frequent Flyer scheme, that is almost certainly effectively a devaluation. There are some devaluation, or negatives here, but on the whole it looks promising.

As always, the ‘proof will be in the pudding’, as they say. There will inevitably be some ‘devil in the detail’ too.

For me, the new Classic Reward search facility will be the litums test on whether these are improvements for Frequent Flyers or for Qantas Loyalty.