Do you earn Status Credits on reward Flights?

Most of us know that we can earn Status Credits on paid flights. But what about reward flights booked with points? The short answer is no, but with one notable exception.

Reward flights booked with points are treated differently from revenue fares in both major Australian programs. So, most members will earn neither points nor Status Credits. But the exception is worth understanding because they affect how you should split your flying between paid fares and reward seats during a status year.

Earning Status Credits with Qantas

Under the rules on the Qantas Classic Flight Rewards page, you do not earn Qantas Points on Classic Flight Rewards. Status Credits follow the same default. A reward booking is not a revenue fare, so there is nothing for the earning tables to apply to.

The exception is Points Club. Points Club and Points Club Plus are rewards programs within Qantas Frequent Flyer that recognise members who earn large amounts of points both on and off the ground.

Points Club Members earn Status Credits on Classic and Classic Plus Flight Rewards that carry a Qantas (QF) flight number. Provided they hold the membership at the time they fly, and their Frequent Flyer number is in the booking before departure. Partner-marketed reward bookings do not qualify, even for Points Club members.

Qantas announced that the Points Club and Green Tier will be retired in late 2026 as part of the broader program overhaul. Existing benefits will run until their natural expiry. The ability to earn Status Credits on reward flights will become a credit card perk.

Qantas’ popular Double Status Credits offer also extends to Points Club members on reward seat bookings. If you happen to hold Points Club membership and registered for Double Status Credits at the same time, you can expect twice the usual earn rate.

Earning Status Credits with Velocity

Velocity is simpler and stricter. The program’s earn rules state directly that Status Credits cannot be earned on Velocity Reward Seat bookings. There is no membership sub-tier that unlocks an exception.

Status Credits are earned at 1 SC per $12 spent on eligible Choice, Flex, and Business fares and 1 SC per $24 spent on Lite fares. You won’t earn anything on a reward seat. Taxes and carrier charges paid in cash on a reward booking do not count towards anything.

Weighing up whether to pay cash or points for a particular Virgin Australia flight in a year where status matters to you? Our Velocity Frequent Flyer guide covers the program’s earning structure in full.

Upgrades are a different story

A common point of confusion is the difference between booking a reward seat and upgrading a paid fare with points. They are treated very differently.

In both programs, when you upgrade, you earn based on the fare you originally purchased. Qantas’s earning tables state that points and Status Credits are earned for the class of travel originally purchased, rather than the upgraded class. Velocity applies the same principle: members travelling on fares upgraded with Velocity Points, UpgradeMe Platinum offers, or bids earn Status Credits based on the fare class originally purchased.

Using points to move from Economy to Business does not zero out your earnings the way booking a Business Reward seat would. You keep the Economy fare’s points and Status Credits while sitting up front. You do not, however, earn at the Business rate.

This also applies to Qantas reward bookings. If you upgrade from a Classic Reward booking and you have Points Club/Points Club Plus, you’ll earn Status Credits at the class of travel originally purchased.

What this means for your status strategy

If you are chasing or retaining a status tier, the rule of thumb is simple. Go for paid fares. The smart pattern for many travellers is to book paid flights that earn Status Credits efficiently. Then, use points on redemptions where they return the most value per point.