Time to read:
5 minutes
Posted:
February 24, 2023
Updated:
January 7, 2026
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Even when there isn’t a Qantas Double Status Credits promotion, going on a ‘status run’ is one of the most efficient ways to rack up those Status Credits so you can enjoy (or keep) those elite perks sooner.
Status runs aren’t limited to just taking flights solely to boost your Status Credits. You can work smarter, not harder, by making small tweaks to existing holiday or work travel plans to maximise your Status Credits earn.
Here are some of the best flights to take in order to fast-track your way to Qantas Silver status or above. Remember, you need to accumulate:
- Silver: 300 Status Credits (250 SCs to retain)+ 4 QF sectors
- Gold: 700 Status Credits (600 SCs to retain) + 4 QF sectors
- Platinum: 1,400 Status Credits (1,200 SCs to retain)+ QF 4 sectors
- Platinum One: 3,600 Status Credits (at least 2,700 SCs from QF tickets)
You may also be interested in the routes that can earn Velocity status the quickest.
Top tips to maximise a Qantas status run
The goal of a status run is to earn as many Status Credits as possible while keeping costs low. Good news – this generally means paying for sale Business Class fares, so at least you can enjoy the journey in greater comfort. Of course, you can still do status runs in Economy, but the earn rate is much lower, so keep this in mind.
Here are our top tips at a glance for maximising Status Credits.
- Buy Business Class fares, particularly on international routes.
- Purchase a return ticket.
- Stick to Qantas-operated flights.
- Make as many connections as possible.
- Try to originate your journey in a smaller capital city or regional airport to lower the price.
- When travelling to Bali or Auckland, try to fly via Sydney on the Airbus A330 for more comfort.
- If you have Points Club or Points Club Plus, you’ll earn some Status Credits on reward flights (reduced from normal earn rates). But it’s better than nothing and they do get doubled when a Double SC promotion is on.
- If you want to guarantee a spare seat next to you, purchasing a ‘comfort seat’ over the phone will earn you a second set of Status Credits. It costs the same as the base fare, but without additional fees or taxes.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
- Sign-up Bonus:
- Up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Rewards Earn Rate:
- 1.25 Qantas Points earned per $1 on eligible everyday purchases. 2.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services in Australia. 0.5 Qantas Point per $1 at government bodies in Australia. After a total of 100,000 Qantas Points is earned in a calendar year, the everyday earn rate will change from 1.25 to 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent.
- Annual Fee:
- $450 p.a.
- Offer expires
- 5 May 2026
- Earn 70,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus an additional 30,000 Qantas Points when you spend a minimum of $1 on your Card within 90 days of paying your second year annual Card Fee¹. (Offer ends 5 May 2026. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply.) This card includes an annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit, two Qantas Club Complimentary Lounge Invitations after eligible Qantas spend each year, complimentary international travel insurance, and Qantas Wine Premium Membership (valued at $99). Earn 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 on everyday spend, 2.25 on Qantas purchases, and 0.5 on government payments. The annual fee is $450.
NAB Qantas Rewards Signature
- Sign-up Bonus:
- Up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points + $250 cashback
- Rewards Earn Rate:
- 1 Qantas Point earned per $1 spent up to $5,000, then 0.5 points per $1 thereafter, capped at $20,000 per statement period, plus 1 additional Qantas Points earned per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services²
- Annual Fee:
- $420 p.a.
- NAB is offering up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points for new cardholders of the NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card¹. The card includes complimentary insurances, such as International Travel Insurance, Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty Insurance³, and earns 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on the first $5,000 per statement period, then 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 on spend up to $20,000.
Qantas Money Platinum
- Sign-up Bonus:
- Up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points
- Rewards Earn Rate:
- 1 Qantas Point per whole AU$1 on Domestic Spend up to $10,000 per statement period and 0.5 thereafter. 1.5 Qantas Points per whole AU$1 equivalent on international spend plus 1 additional Qantas Point per whole AU$1 on selected Qantas spend
- Annual Fee:
- $349 for the first year, $399 p.a.
- Earn 60,000 Qantas Points when you spend $5,000 in the first 90 days, plus 40,000 bonus Qantas Points if you haven’t earned Qantas Points with a credit card in the last 24 months. Enjoy two Qantas Club lounge passes annually, complimentary international travel insurance, and 0% p.a. on balance transfers for 12 months (3% fee applies). The annual fee is $349 in the first year, then $399 ongoing. Earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent and 1.5 Qantas Points per AU$1 spent overseas.
Best routes to do a Qantas status run on in 2023
The fastest and cheapest way to accumulate lots of Status Credits is to fly Qantas international Business Class via multiple cities, especially when there is a Double Status Credits promotion. Nouméa is a particular favourite of savvy frequent flyers, due to its sharp pricing during sale periods.
Here are some routes that have been quite popular with readers:
- Bali (via Sydney/Melbourne)
- Jakarta (via Sydney)
- Nouméa (via Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane)
- Auckland/Christchurch/Wellington (via Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane)
- Tokyo (via Sydney)
- Santiago (via Melbourne & Sydney)
- London (via Brisbane & Singapore)
Pricing can be very variable so we won’t post many specific examples, but in general, aim for dates that have Business Sale availability. The example below features a simple Brisbane-Melbourne-Christchurch return for $1,351. During a Double Status Credits promotion, you could net 480 SCs at the cost of $2.81 each, which is decent.
We’ve left out domestic routes because the fares are generally much higher. But if you mainly fly domestically, try to fly to/from regional ports via one or two stops.
As a rule of thumb, you want to try to keep costs under $4 per SC during Double Status Credit promotions. If you can get it under $3 (like in the example above), then that’s a winner.
Don’t ignore Jetstar Plus, Max and Business Max bundles
A little-known tip is that Jetstar Plus, Max and Business Max bundles earn Qantas Points and Status Credits at quite high rates, at odds with the low-cost nature of the airline.
- Economy Plus Bundle: earns at standard Economy rates
- Economy Max Bundle: earns at flexible Economy rates
- Business Max Bundle: earns at Business rates
For example, flying Jetstar Boeing 787 Business Class from Cairns to Osaka will earn you 130 Status Credits one-way, with fares as low as $1,000. The catch is you need to book a Business Max fare which costs around $200 more than the base Jetstar Business fare.
Or if you’re just hopping from Sydney to Melbourne, $164 will get you flying like a king. Specifically, the Economy Max bundle includes full fare flexibility (free changes and refund to credit), inflight meal credit, 30kg baggage, free extra legroom seating, 1,200 Qantas Points and 20 Status Credits.
That’s not bad, considering the cheapest Qantas fare of the day is $150 for discount Economy, which earns 800 Qantas Points and 10 Status Credits and has change fees.
International airline partners offer Qantas Status Credits
If you fly with Qantas oneworld partners, such as American Airlines or British Airways, you can also earn Qantas Status Credits by putting your Qantas Frequent Flyer number on the booking.
American Airlines’ domestic First Class (equivalent to our Business Class) is usually affordable, compared to Australian pricing. This gives an excellent way to bolster your Status Credits while you’re stateside.
For example, a US$640 (AU$920) First Class fare from Chicago to Los Angeles via Dallas Fort Worth could earn you 160 Status Credits on the side. These flights (‘R’ code) credit as Business Class with Qantas.
As our sister site, Australian Frequent Flyer, also reports, other airlines and routes you could consider are:
- British Airways Club Europe (intra-Europe Business Class): earns at Business Class rates and fares can be quite good if you’re connecting via London.
- Cathay Pacific Business Class (intra-Asia): you can get around 300 Status Credits for a return Business Class journey with Hong Kong as a transit point (e.g. Seoul to Singapore). Fares can be had for under AU$1,200 return.
- Malaysia Airlines Business Class (intra-Asia): although Status Credits earning rates are heavily curtailed for MH flights to Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East, that’s not the case within Asia. A Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Seoul return journey would net 240 Status Credits for $2,985.
- Finnair round the world fares in Business Class: Finnair sometimes has round the world Business Class sales for under $6,000 per person. If you can get all flights on oneworld partners, you’ll earn many hundreds of Status Credits.
Summing up
If you are looking to lock in your Qantas Frequent Flyer status and have some cash on hand, then the routes above could be some good ones to research. Remember, the more segments flown, the more Status Credits are earned. The trick is to find discounted fares that involve transits to make the most of your journey.
Want to understand the basics of Status Credits? Make sure to watch our video below:
Do you have any other suggestions to add to our guide for the benefit of other Point Hacks readers? Share in the comments below!
The best Qantas status runs and tips in 2023 was last modified: January 7th, 2026 by
Community Comments
Does the “Double Status Credits” offer on Qantas apply to both travellers in a couple booking together? Or do couples need to make separate bookings on their Qantas app to qualify individually for the double status credits?
Hi Sai, the DSC offer applies to the traveller. Each traveller will need to register for the offer, regardless of the number of people on any booking they may take. Only those who register are eligible for the offer, and you need to select which offer you’d prefer (double points or double status).
I didn’t know about the Jetstar tip, thanks!
I need 25 SC’s to get gold status and doing a quick day trip from MEL – SYD was starting to get costly if I booked flights via Qantas. So I went ahead and booked JQ flights using the Starter Max option and I’m all good now, at half the price!
Any update on when the next Qantas Double Status Credit promo will be offered???
I’d like to know too….
A useful article, if you are fixated on status.
Spoiler alert – status is for mugs and very much yesteryear’s gig, during times when status was ridiculously easy to attain. How certain assumptions and traditions prevail…
Yesterday’s fluster cluck of a QF promotion (from the customer position) should serve as yet another salient lesson as to why it is dumb to invest in the one loyalty program and have all of your eggs in the one basket. That there needs to be special promotion even to release award inventory at all, should give pause for thought.
In this case, those points in non QF programs such as BA and AA took home the spoils. just remember, folks, even if you want to travel on QF you don’t have to assign your flights to the carrier’s program. Your have choices.
It wasn’t just the access to the award inventory that imploded yesterday. It was also the processing of bookings – one of mine went through OK and was ticketed, another appeared be on track and appeared on my QF online account, but simply disappeared before ticketing. Now I have woken up to a one way trip to LA, but no way home on a premium cabin QF award (but I can fix that later thanks to a mixed loyalty strategy).
Abject blithering incompetence on the part of QF. Oh yeah, the change flight option wasn’t working either.
Now on my last first / biz RTW award trip it took redemptions from VA Velocity, QF FF, Avianca Lifemiles and Alaska Mileage Plan to create the itinerary. It would have been very hard to do so with the one program alone.
My nephew is about to take his bride-to-be on their overseas honeymoon thanks to my United MileagePlus miles. My niece just went overseas on my Avianca Lifemiles.
On my next RTW it will take redemptions from QF FF, SQ Krisflyer, Alaska Mileage Plan and Avianca Lifemiles, etc.
QF has its strengths and weaknesses, just like any other FF program. One of those is that it is extremely easy to amass QF points – but not necessarily from buying airfares rather non travel FF partner spend. Similarly VA Velocity.
Focus on the points, not the status. Diversify.
Oh yeah – some poor newbie was just being given the exact opposite advice on a recent thread on the PointHacks “sister site” AFF. Inevitably, certain traditions and assumptions prevail and are hotly defended be certain strident voices therein aided and abetted by biased moderators even when shown to be factually incorrect with the evidence (hopefully that has or is changing). Give me strength.
Have you considered writing an article on how you would plan your next RTW experience? It sounds like you’ve got a good system in place and I would certainly be interested in finding out more.
Does anybody know, if segments or from to only calculation is done to accumulate status points with reward bookings for Qantas Club members?
Matt, good article and you take great effort to answer every comment, well done! A 2022 update would be great now International travel without PCR preflight is open again.
One of the headings reads: Best routes to do a Qantas status run on in 2020. Is this still relevant or are you just running old material?
Hi P John Williams, the routes are certainly still correct in theory, though now with the added complication of COVID-19 border restrictions. With thousands of articles on our site, this one has a lower priority for an update given that international travel hasn’t recovered enough to encourage status runs. We’ll update it later on if the situation improves and Qantas comes out with more public Double Status Credits offers.
On Qantas though its impossible to add more connections because its much cheaper direct unlike VA and only the higher priced flex tickets are available on more connection bookings.
Just clarifying the current offer states ‘Qantas operated flights’ so that excludes Noumea, which is operated by Air Caledonia.
I’ve just done some research and both Aircalin and Qantas operate between Sydney/Brisbane and Noumea. You’d just need to make sure you’re on the Qantas-operated flights (QF flight numbers 89-92).
Hmmm Probably only worth it if you fly for business and your company is paying for it! 🙂
Pay close to 2,ooo AUD just to get Gold status when you can purchase Qnatas club membership for less than 400 AUD/year is a bit of a stretch.
Just saying.
Not sure whether these prices were originally based on specific sales, but they are most definitely not normal pricing or available currently, so quite misleading. You should make clear that this information is not up to date so you don’t disappoint others. Also, if they are based on sale pricing, you will probably be aware that DSC offers never happen at the same time as a sale, so pretty much impossible that people would be able to access the SC cost to earn ratios you’re advertising.
Good point! I have added in a note to prevent the same confusion from happening again.
Hi Matt, can you earn SC on bookings made using QFF points?
No, you do not earn points or Status Credits on any award bookings in any program (to my knowledge).
Nothing seems to work if I am starting from Sydney, because most QF international flights start from Sydney and there isn’t an option to do domestic transfers? Or am I missing something?
Have just added in a Sydney example. Transiting through Melbourne or Brisbane usually helps to maximise Status Credits earn.
Hi Matt, what is considered “low-season” travel for the route to Bali? I’ve been searching all day and long to find the business class flights for $1,977, but I haven’t even come close.
Cheers!
I’m seeing those fares on some Wednesdays and Saturdays in November and February. Check out this search on Google Flights and note the filters I have applied.
Hi Matt,
I dont see where you apply filters for this?
Thanks PK
If you are on a desktop, you’ll see the filters of Bags / Stops / etc in between the search bar and the results.
Hi There,
Just a quick question with regards to using the Qantas website for bookings. As an example, When I book a flight from MEL – DELHI – MEL, I am given several options eg. MEL-SIN-DEL and back on the Qantas website. However when I book MEL-SIN and then try to separately book SIN – DELHI the Qantas website does not allow me to do so? Any tips or tricks on using the Qantas website to make bookings on routes where Qantas is not the predominant carrier such as India?
Try the multi-city search tool or just book directly through the other airline.
can you please tell me if bookings made through Amex travel via travel credits received for Amex Qantas CC with receive double SC`s?
I’m not 100% sure on this but given that Qantas Points are not earned on the portion of the booking made with the travel credit (see PDS), I’d guess that Status Credits are not earned either. So it is probably best to book through Qantas using cash to make sure you get the SCs you want.
Hi both – I can say from experience that yes, you will earn the double status credits from Amex Travel spend using a travel credit. You simply don’t earn any MRP on the travel credit portion of the spend – you’ll earn the full points/miles and status of the flight you’re booking.
When I try the Adelaide/Brisbane/Singaport/London in the Qantas SC calculator (all Business class) I only get it to 350SC. Double to 700SC What am I missing, does the return leg need to be the same?
Yes, return leg needs to be the same for that example. The more segments, the more SCs are earned.
Best I can get locally is CBR – HTI @ $9/SC
Any from Perth?
Perhaps a couple of the Adelaide examples could be extended to Perth (with an additional cost).
One of the first articles I’ve clicked through to all year and it has no information for Perth flights :\
Just added in a Perth example 😉