QANTAS: MASSIVE overhaul of Qantas Frequent Flyer program. The good and the bad

Qantas is making it easier to earn Status Credits without setting foot on a plane, but there are positives and negatives. As part of its sweeping overhaul of the loyalty program, the airline will lift the annual threshold required to retain status, even as it introduces rollover credits and more flexible earning pathways.

For more analysis of the changes, read my post about the region-to-region search tool for Classic Rewards, and the roll-out of the Frequent Flyer changes.

Let’s see how many benefits Qantas gives back to its loyal flyers, when they are responsible for a 12% hike in earnings from the program, according to the latest Qantas financials released today.

Lifetime Gold gets a boost

Perhaps the most strategically interesting change is for Lifetime Gold members.

Instead of chasing the daunting 75,000 Status Credits required for Lifetime Platinum, a target out of reach for most mortals, members who surpass the Lifetime Gold threshold will now be able to bank up to five years of Platinum status, earned in 10,000-Status-Credit blocks. But hold one, couldn’t you earn Platinum for a year just by earning 1,400 Status Credits? I must be missing something.

This looks like a deliberate loyalty retention play. Once members hit the 14,000 Status Credit mark for Lifetime Gold, many begin looking at premium-heavy Oneworld partners whose Business and First Class cabins can outshine Qantas’. Think Cathay Pacific, or Japan Airlines, or Qatar, or even Oman Air. Giving Lifetime Gold flyers a pathway to Platinum without hitting 75,000 Status Credits may reduce that drift. The earnings are still hefty, however.

The loyalty business is booming

The changes come as Qantas Loyalty continues to print money. The division recorded EBIT of $286 million in the first half, up 12%, and the airline expects full-year growth of 10–12%.

Loyalty is no longer a side hustle. It hasn’t been for a while. It’s now a core profit engine, often more profitable than actually flying! And tweaking status mechanics is part of protecting that revenue stream.

2PAXfly takeout

We have prepared a couple of more detailed posts on the upsides and downsides of these really significant changes to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, the biggest since back in 2024.

These changes provide more ways to earn, especially Status Credits. They give more flexibility with the rollover of Status credits and provide a better ladder to improved benefits once you have achieved Lifetime Gold. But there is a cost: a higher number of Status Credits required to retain your status, and the abolition of the Green Tier and Points Club paths to earn Status Credits. There will be winners and losers with these changes.

This isn’t a horrible devaluation, but nor is it unbridled generosity. It’s a balancing act designed to keep high-value members engaged and spending without letting the top tiers become too easy to hold. It seems firmly aimed at retention of customers, as it should. It is, after all, a ‘loyalty’ program.

For frequent flyers, you may need to change your strategy to maximise ground earnings, use the new rollover provisions, and don’t assume last year’s retention maths continues to apply.

For me, the most exciting is the upgraded Classic Reward region-to-region search tool, which is scheduled for debut in March 2026. I can’t wait, especially if it actually delivers on its promise.

I need to get back to my Double Status Credits promo bookings now.