Biggest Qantas Frequent Flyer change ever explained for travellers

Qantas Frequent Flyer’s changes to earning and retaining status are the most significant since the program began nearly 40 years ago, the company says.

For the first time, more than 18 million members can rollover unused Status Credits and earn them through everyday spending.

An insider says the changes follow feedback from thousands of frequent flyers and leading loyalty experts, and this represents a new era for the Frequent Flyer program in the face of a changing loyalty landscape.

IN SHORT

+ Earn Status Credits from Qantas credit cards to hundreds of program partners.

+ Status Credit rollover means tiered members can rollover up to 50 per cent of their excess Status Credits. Currently, these reset from one membership year to the next.

+ Lifetime Gold members can earn and bank up to five complimentary years of Platinum Status.

+ There’s an additional lounge invitation each membership year for Silver members, and vouchers and discounts for all higher tiers.

+ Overlapping sub-programs (like Points Club and Green Tier) are being retired, so there’s one pathway.

+ Separate “attain and retain requirements” are gone, in favour of a single target for each tier level.

+ There’s a new search tool for qantas.com to help members find international Classic Reward seats on Qantas and partner airlines.

IN PERSON

“These changes are about creating more opportunities for members to unlock status, while ensuring the program remains as relevant and rewarding in the future as it has been for the past four decades,” says Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson.

She believes the overhaul will deliver greater flexibility, faster recognition and more pathways to status.

“Our members have an incredible appetite for earning points,” she adds. “We know they also place immense value on their status. Our most frequent flyers tell us that status retention is the single most important milestone as a member, with thousands achieving or retaining their tier every day.”

Qantas loyalty and customer CEO Andrew Glance says the introduction of Status Credit rollover and on-the-ground earning represents some of the most significant changes in program history.

“Around half of the status credits our members earn each year are over and above their tier thresholds,” he explains.

“We are giving value back, ensuring hard-earned status credits in one year give members a head start in the next. Lifetime Gold members have shown decades-long loyalty to Qantas, and we want to give them a clearer pathway to even greater rewards.

“Silver members are our largest group of tiered flyers, and these changes will also deliver more travel benefits for them right from the outset.”

He also says over 14,000 reward seats are booked each day, and the website’s new search tool will help customers to find them.

THE CHANGES

Explained by Qantas, in the team’s own words.

+ Status Credits on the Ground

All members will be able to earn up to 140 additional Status Credits each year from 10 everyday categories. This follows a record-breaking trial in 2025, where members embraced earning Status Credits via credit cards, retail partners and utility providers. Status Credits earned on the ground will also count towards Lifetime tier balances, helping members to reach Lifetime status sooner. This expansion launches later in 2026 and will coincide with more major partners joining the program.

+ Status Credit rollover

For the first time, members will have the flexibility to rollover up to 50 per cent of their unused Status Credits into their next membership year. Rollovers will be capped at 100 Status Credits for Silver members, 350 for Gold, and 500 for Platinum. This permanent benefit will replace the previous loyalty bonus offered to some members. This new rollover benefit will launch later in 2026.

+ More lifetime milestones

Lifetime Gold members will now enjoy greater recognition on their journey towards Lifetime Platinum. For every 10,000 Status Credits earned beyond the Lifetime Gold threshold, members will receive a complimentary year of Platinum status. These years can be ‘banked’ and activated at a time of the member’s choosing (with a limit of five banked years). This feature will launch in 2027.

+ Enhanced tier benefits

Silver members will enjoy an additional lounge invitation each membership year, alongside new on-the-ground vouchers and discounts for all tiered members Silver and above. Additional benefits will be announced before the new-look tiers launch in 2027.

+ Removing program complexity

Points Club and Green Tier will be retired later this year, with the benefits valued most integrated into the core frequent flyer program. This will remove program complexity and the overlapping eligibility requirements of these sub-programs. With the retirement of Green Tier, the airline will consider new ways to reward members who make sustainable choices when they fly. Points Club and Green Tier will be phased out gradually from late 2026.

+ Single Status Credit targets

With Status Credit rollover and expanded earning opportunities on the ground, the program will also move to a single Status Credit target for each tier. For example, Gold status will require 700 Status Credits annually (previously 700 to attain and 600 to retain). The removal of these separate attain and retain requirements will be introduced in 2027.

+ An improved digital experience

Launching next month, a new search tool on qantas.com will display Classic Reward seat inventory on Qantas and 30 partner airlines in seconds. Members will be able to search millions of seats by destination and cabin type over a 12-month booking period.