Best Points Programs for the Middle East and Africa from Australia

Flying west on points changed significantly in 2026. Emirates redemptions now sit on their own, more expensive Qantas reward table. Etihad has dropped out of the Australian points ecosystem almost entirely. While Velocity‘s Qatar Airways partnership now offers the best-value redemption on this route. As of July 2026, Sydney to Doha in Business Class cost 119,500 Velocity Points compared to 143,000 Qantas Points for Sydney to Dubai on Emirates. Africa, meanwhile, remains a partner-airline game in both programs. Here is where each program now stands for Dubai, Doha, Johannesburg and beyond. Including the current anchors and the traps to avoid.

What changed for Middle East reward flights in 2026

Three changes reshaped this corridor. From 31 March 2026, Qantas shifted Emirates onto a standalone Classic Flight Reward table with higher pricing across every cabin. Only months after moving it onto the main Qantas table. Classic Flight Rewards are Qantas’ fixed-price reward seats. From 18 February 2026, Emirates First Class reward seats also became exclusive to Qantas Silver members and above, with children under nine barred from First redemptions altogether. For many Australians, Etihad is no longer part of the mainstream points ecosystem. It left the Velocity partner ranks in mid 2025 and exited Amex Membership Rewards as a transfer partner in June 2026.

Against that backdrop, the Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways relationship now anchors the corridor. Virgin Australia’s VA1 to VA29 Doha services are operated by Qatar Airways under a wet lease. This means Qatar supplies the aircraft and crew, and they are priced for reward purposes exactly like Qatar’s own flights.

One habit protects you through all of this churn. Check the rules again at booking time. This corridor has now changed several times in a year. Prices, eligibility and even which airline sits on which table are only quoted definitively when you book.

Qantas Points and the new Emirates table

Emirates remains the main way to spend Qantas Points for flights to Dubai and beyond, but at higher prices. A one-way Emirates Business Class Classic Flight Reward from Sydney to Dubai costs 143,000 Qantas Points. This applies to bookings from 31 March 2026. This is up from 130,100 previously, as of July 2026, with taxes, fees and carrier charges on top. Carrier charges are the airline-imposed surcharges added to reward bookings, and Emirates’ are the heaviest in this guide. They approach $1,850 all-in on the longest premium itineraries, as of July 2026. Qantas’ own framing of the change is that Emirates Economy rewards still require fewer points than the general partner table. Qantas now prices Business in line with other partners, while Economy remains the relative bright spot.

Budget for the cash component as carefully as the points. Those charges increase with distance and cabin class, so include them in any value calculation. Finding a flight to Dubai is rarely the problem, since Emirates remains one of the largest foreign carriers serving Australia. From July 2026, Emirates operates long-haul flights from five Australian capital cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The reward seat is the scarce ingredient.

The First Class rules deserve their own caution. Silver status or higher is now required to book Emirates First with Qantas Points. Passengers must also be at least nine years old. Our full guide to using Qantas Points on Emirates flights covers the new pricing and restrictions in detail. While our walkthrough of booking a Classic Flight Reward seat applies to Emirates bookings the same as any other.

Velocity Points and the Qatar Airways route

The Velocity route west runs through Doha, and one feature sets it apart. Thanks to the wet lease described above, reward pricing on VA1 to VA29 matches Qatar Airways’ own flights exactly, so you’ll pay the same number of Velocity Points whichever service you book. Pricing examples current at July 2026 put Sydney to Doha in Business Class at around 119,500 Velocity Points plus roughly $500 in taxes and carrier charges. The network also extends well beyond the Gulf. Velocity’s published long-haul tables price one-way Economy Reward Seats from the east coast through Doha to Western Europe from 80,000 Velocity Points, or 65,000 from Perth, plus charges, as of July 2026.

Two practical notes round out the picture. Points Upgrades to Business are available on the Virgin Australia Doha services for members on Economy Flex fares, extending to Choice fares for Gold members and above. This gives travellers a second way to secure a Business Class seat. Requests must be confirmed at least 48 hours before departure, and unsuccessful requests can join a waitlist if seats open later. Submit your upgrade request early, rather than relying on airport availability. Velocity’s other key strength is its broad range of bank transfer partners, as of July 2026:

• ANZ Rewards: 2 points to 1 Velocity Point
• NAB Rewards: 2 to 1
• Amplify Rewards (St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA): 2 to 1
• Amex Membership Rewards: 2 to 1
• Westpac Altitude Rewards: 3 to 1

The mechanics sit in our guide to moving points into Velocity, with current offers tracked in our Velocity transfer bonus round up.

Africa on points, and the KrisFlyer warning

Both programs rely on partner airlines for flights to Africa, and the options are better than many collectors realise. Through Velocity, South African Airways covers the Perth to Johannesburg run as a partner redemption, although you’ll have to call to book. Through Qantas Frequent Flyer, the partner reward table lists Royal Air Maroc, Oman Air, Royal Jordanian and EL AL among its airlines, adding North Africa and the Levant to the map. While Emirates offers extensive connections through Dubai on the new Emirates table, the additional flight counts towards the bookings total distance and points price.

KrisFlyer is the main exception. When Singapore Airlines repriced its awards from 1 November 2025, the Africa, Middle East and Turkey zone took the steepest increase of all. It was up 10 to 20 per cent across cabins against roughly 5 per cent moves elsewhere, per Singapore Airlines’ own summary of the changes. A KrisFlyer balance still works through Singapore. However, for this corridor it is now a more expensive option. Australians with flexible bank points should compare Qantas and Velocity first.

KrisFlyer’s own Advantage tier rose more steeply again under the same published changes, with Business awards to this zone up 18 per cent, and the new dynamically priced Access awards sit above that again. This does not make KrisFlyer a balance worthless for the corridor. However, the miles now buy 10 to 20 per cent less value west of Singapore than they did before November 2025, depending on cabin.

How Qantas, Velocity and KrisFlyer compare for the Middle East and Africa

The table below compares one way reward prices under each program. Points prices are per person under each program’s tables, correct as of July 2026, and exclude taxes, fees and carrier charges unless stated.

The best option is clearer here than on most corridors. As of July 2026, Business Class to the Gulf costs 119,500 Velocity points against 143,000 Qantas in Business, so it is the first quote to pull. For Economy to Dubai specifically, Emirates through Qantas Points remains cheaper by design, at 53,100 Points for the Sydney to Dubai distance against 57,800 on the general partner table, as of July 2026. For Emirates First, check your status before planning your redemption. And for Africa, match the program to the gateway. Choose Velocity for Johannesburg from the west coast, and Qantas Points for the Emirates network and the newer partner table additions. As ever, confirm the seat before transferring bank points, and keep our overview of Qantas and Velocity partners handy when weighing which balance to build. And if the Gulf is only a stopover on the way to Europe, run the same comparison again for the second sector, because through pricing often changes the answer.

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.