No single program stands out across all of South-East Asia. Two measures determine the comparison. They are route coverage and the published one-way price to each anchor city. Qantas Points buy the widest spread of routes across the Qantas, Jetstar and partner networks. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer often provides strong reward availability into and beyond Singapore. Velocity works best as a Bali currency, with one way rewards from 22,500. It also complements the other two programs. Recent changes have mostly favoured Economy travellers, with KrisFlyer trimming its Economy rates to Asia in late 2025. Here is how the three main contenders compare for the region, with current pricing anchors and a verdict by traveller type.
Three programs reach South-East Asia in different ways
The Qantas group carries the broadest Australian network into South-East Asia, through Qantas’ own flights and Jetstar’s leisure routes. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia’s own aircraft serves Bali, its highest-profile short-haul international route. Its partnership with Singapore Airlines opens the rest of the region through Changi. Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program remains the specialist. Everything runs through Singapore. The airline also releases Saver reward seats. This is its cheapest fixed-price reward tier. Saver rewards can be booked up to 355 days in advance, and miles are easy to earn from Australian cards.
Pricing mechanics differ too. Both Australian programs price by distance band, so Bali and Singapore sit one and two steps beyond the Tasman (Australia to New Zealand). However, KrisFlyer prices awards by geographic zone under the award charts introduced on 1 November 2025.
Qantas Points to South-East Asia
A one-way Economy Classic Flight Reward from Sydney to Bali costs 23,300 Qantas Points plus around $147 in taxes, fees and carrier charges. In Qantas’ current examples, that figure is the first of two anchor prices used for comparison. Singapore sits further out at 3,908 miles from Sydney, so it falls in the 3,601 to 4,800 mile band, where a Qantas-operated Business Class reward costs 82,100 Points one way. The full pricing table appears in the Qantas Classic Flight Reward tables. Our guide to booking a Classic Flight Reward seat also shows how to price any itinerary by distance.
Two levers stretch a Qantas balance further in this region. Jetstar’s own reward table prices Sydney to Bali at 20,700 Points in Economy, compared to 23,300 on Qantas. When fixed-price Classic seats run dry, Classic Plus Flight Rewards are available to every Qantas destination at variable pricing. This provides another option during school holiday periods. Cathay Pacific also expands the avaliable options for travellers flying via Hong Kong, using the higher-priced Qantas partner reward table.
The partner table carries more of this region than most collectors realise. Malaysia Airlines, China Airlines, Philippine Airlines and SriLankan Airlines all sit on the current list alongside Cathay Pacific. This means a Qantas balance can reach Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila and Colombo without touching another program. The trade-off is that partner airline rewards cost more points. At the Singapore distance band, partner Business prices at 90,000 Points compared to 82,100 on Qantas’ own aircraft. Treat the partner table as a fallback when Qantas-operated reward seats are unavailable, rather than your first option.
Velocity Points to South-East Asia
Velocity plays two distinct roles here. The first is reward flights to Bali on Virgin Australia’s own aircraft. Reward Seats are priced at 22,500 Velocity Points one way in Economy under the short-haul international table. This is one band above the Trans-Tasman rate, as of July 2026, with carrier charges quoted at booking. The second is Singapore Airlines. As a Velocity partner airline, seats can be booked directly with Velocity Points. Its flights from Australia to Singapore and across Asia can be booked with Velocity Points, though be aware that Velocity adds carrier charges to Singapore Airlines redemptions. Be sure to check the cash component before assuming a bargain.
Velocity also has a third role. Velocity Points transfer to KrisFlyer miles at Velocity’s published rate of 1.55 to 1. The transfer rate reduces the amount of your points, but it converts them into Singapore Airlines’ own currency, which tends to see better reward availability than partner access allows. Our guides to transferring points into Velocity and the best Velocity points-earning credit cards explain how to earn more Velocity Points.
As with all leisure-heavy routes, benchmark against cash before redeeming, because Bali in particular runs frequent fare sales throughout the year. When an Economy sale fare is close to the taxes and charges on a reward booking, it is usually better to pay cash, earn on the fare, and hold the points for a cabin or a season where they work harder. The same test applies to Singapore Airlines cash sales before spending KrisFlyer miles on an Economy Saver.
KrisFlyer after the November 2025 reprice
Singapore Airlines adjusted its award charts for bookings from 1 November 2025, with some changes benefiting Australians and others increasing costs. Economy Saver rates for flights within Asia and the South West Pacific, which covers Australia to Asia, came down by 5 per cent, while Business and First Saver rates in those zones rose by 5 per cent. A new dynamically priced Access award type now offers seats at higher rates when Saver and Advantage inventory is gone. The airline’s summary of the changes is published by Singapore Airlines, and we covered the details in our KrisFlyer award changes explainer.
KrisFlyer’s enduring strengths in this region are practical. Singapore Airlines does not add fuel surcharges to its own award tickets. Its reward availability from Australia to Singapore and onward remains the program’s core strength, and miles are easy to accumulate locally through bank transfers, including from Velocity. The program has also added Scoot award flights, starting from 1,500 miles one way for short hops, which extends a KrisFlyer balance across the low-cost network once you are in Asia.
Two more features complete the KrisFlyer comparison. Advantage awards, the flexible tier above Saver, rose by 10 to 15 per cent in the same reprice. So the gap between finding a Saver seat and settling for the next tier has widened. On the other hand, the program’s regular Spontaneous Escapes promotions discount selected Saver awards, typically by 30 per cent, for near-term travel, which suits a spontaneous Asia trip well.
How Qantas, Velocity and KrisFlyer compare for South-East Asia
The table below compares one way reward prices under each program. Points prices are per person under each program’s standard tables, correct as of July 2026, and exclude taxes, fees and carrier charges.
| Program | Bali | Singapore and beyond | Its edge |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 23,300 Points one way in Economy, or 20,700 on Jetstar | Qantas Business at 82,100 Points one way from Sydney, plus other airlines like Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong on the partner table | Widest route map/partners |
| Velocity Frequent Flyer | Own-metal Reward Seats from 22,500 Points in Economy | Singapore Airlines partner seats, now with carrier charges | Feeds KrisFlyer at 1.55 to 1 when needed |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Via Singapore only | Economy Saver rates to Asia down 5 per cent since November 2025, no fuel surcharges | The strongest reward availability through Changi |
Which program is the better choice? For Bali, keep both Qantas Points and Velocity Points available, then book whichever program has reward seats. Since both programs put their own aircraft on the route and Jetstar undercuts everyone in Economy. With Singapore, and for anywhere in Asia reached through it, KrisFlyer is the program worth building your balance with, especially in Economy after the November 2025 cut. For premium cabins on flexible dates, compare the Qantas Business reward price with a KrisFlyer Saver reward and book whichever is available.
As always, confirm the reward seat before transferring bank points, because transfers are irreversible. Our overview of Qantas and Velocity partners explains the range of redemption options available if you want to transfer your points.
Frequently asked questions
Fees, rates and figures quoted are correct at the time of publication and should be verified directly with each provider before acting on them.
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