Best Points Programs for the Pacific

For the Pacific islands, the right program depends almost entirely on which island you are heading to. The deciding factor is each program’s published one-way Economy price to that island. Fiji is a two-program contest, at 17,900 Velocity Points against 20,700 Qantas Points from Sydney, as of July 2026. Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands lean heavily toward Velocity because only its tables list them as destinations in their own right. Lastly, the Cook Islands have swung to Jetstar, which now flies there nonstop.

The region has also had a shake-up that changes the old advice, with Fiji Airways now priced straight off the Qantas table and Air Vanuatu rewards gone altogether. Here is how the programs line up island by island, with current points prices and a verdict for each destination.

What changed in Pacific reward flying in 2024 and 2025

Three changes define the current landscape. First, even though Qantas’ award chart changed in pricing in 2025, Fiji Airways sits on the same Classic Flight Reward table as Qantas and American Airlines. Meaning its flights cost the same Qantas Points as a Qantas flight over the same distance. Second, Qantas Frequent Flyers have not been able to book Classic Flight Rewards with Air Vanuatu since 28 May 2024, as the airline shut down. This closed off what used to be a common points route into Port Vila. Third, Virgin Australia rebuilt a short-haul international network of its own. Meaning Velocity’s reward tables group Fiji with its trans-Tasman flying, and list Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands as short-haul international destinations in their own right.

The other thing to know is that distance determines the pricing in both big Australian programs. Sydney to Nadi is about 1,970 miles, which lands in the same mile band as the New Zealand routes. So Fiji costs no more in points than Auckland does. The smaller islands sit in shorter or similar bands, which keeps the whole region firmly in short-haul pricing territory.

One structural point helps families in particular. Velocity’s Family Pooling lets a household sweep Points and Status Credits to one nominated member. Because island holidays are so often booked four or five seats at a time, pooling is frequently what turns several small balances into one usable redemption. Keep the mechanics in mind. Pooled Status Credits leave the contributor’s account entirely, and credits received as a beneficiary do not count towards the Virgin Australia flown minimum that sits underneath status upgrades.

Qantas Points in the Pacific

Under the Classic Flight Reward table, an Economy reward from Sydney to Nadi costs 20,700 Qantas Points one way, with Business at 43,600. Both points are as of July 2026, plus taxes, fees and carrier charges. The airline-imposed surcharges are added to reward bookings, quoted at booking. Because Fiji Airways prices off the same table, those numbers hold whether the metal is Qantas or Fiji Airways. And combining the two airlines on one booking simply prices the total distance flown. A regional connection such as Dubbo to Nadi via Sydney still comes in at 20,700 Qantas Points in Economy because the whole journey stays inside the same band. Qantas’ own island flying has also grown. Brisbane carries direct Qantas services to both Port Vila and Apia. There is also a Sydney to Apia service via Auckland that has been operating since mid-2026. The full pricing sits in the Qantas Classic Flight Reward tables. Our step-by-step guide to booking a Classic Flight Reward seat covers the mechanics, including how to price multi-flight itineraries.

Jetstar widens the net further. Its own Classic Reward table prices Sydney to Nadi at 16,600 Points in Economy against 20,700 on Qantas or Fiji Airways. Which suits the leisure-heavy Pacific well. The one door that has closed is Air Vanuatu. Since 28 May 2024, its flights can no longer be booked as Classic Flight Rewards, so Qantas Points holders heading to Port Vila now need a Qantas group service or a different program entirely.

Two booking behaviours stretch the same balance further. Classic Rewards booked online carry no booking fee, and paid changes are modest. At 5,000 Qantas Points per person to change an itinerary or 6,000 to cancel, this suits island trips planned around wet seasons and school terms. And because the table prices total distance when connections are tight, regional Australians can often add a domestic leg to the same booking without moving up a band, exactly as the Dubbo example shows.

Velocity Points in the Pacific

A Sydney to Nadi Reward Seat is 17,900 Velocity Points one way in Economy and 35,500 in Business under the standard distance table. Undercutting the Qantas numbers on the same route, because Fiji sits in the same reward pricing territory as the Tasman. This is the region where Virgin Australia’s own network earns its keep. The shorter hops are cheaper again. Velocity’s published distance table prices a Brisbane to Port Vila Business Class Reward Seat at 23,500 Velocity Points plus $126 in charges, as of July 2026, a route short enough to fall one band down the table.

Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands are listed in Velocity’s own short-haul international reward tables alongside Fiji. The four island nations in all are the widest island coverage Virgin Australia has fielded since its relaunch. The usual rules apply. Carrier charges are payable on top and quoted at booking, and Reward Seat bookings earn no Points and no Status Credits. On the earn side, bank-to-airline transfers earn 2 points to 1 Velocity Point from ANZ Rewards, NAB Rewards, the Amplify Rewards family, and Amex Membership Rewards. While Westpac Altitude Rewards earns 3 to 1, all as of July 2026. Feed a Pacific redemption quickly, and transfer bonus promotions appear regularly. Our round-up of the best Velocity points-earning credit cards is the practical starting point if the balance is short.

One discipline matters more in the Pacific than almost anywhere else. Benchmark the points price against cash before you redeem. The island routes run frequent fare sales, and when an Economy sale fare lands close to the taxes and charges on a reward booking, the points are better saved for Business Class or a dearer season.

The Cook Islands: Jetstar opens the points door

Rarotonga is the odd island out because neither Qantas nor Virgin Australia fly there on their own aircraft, but the points door has opened from an unexpected direction. Jetstar operates the only nonstop flights between Australia and Rarotonga, from Sydney four times a week and from Brisbane since 18 May 2026. Those flights are bookable with Qantas Points off the Jetstar Classic Reward table at 20,700 Points one way in Economy. Air New Zealand feeds the Cook Islands through Auckland. The fallback when Jetstar dates do not line up is through its own program, which deals in Airpoints (until April 2026, Airpoints Dollars) at a fixed NZ$1 of value per point toward its fares. There is no outsized redemption to engineer on that side, but Airpoints can be built from Australia through transfers from Amex Membership Rewards and ANZ Rewards, and our guide to Air New Zealand Airpoints covers the program in full.

One caution worth stating plainly. The Velocity and Air New Zealand codeshare that reopened trans-Tasman earning for Velocity members is a Tasman arrangement. Its redemptions run only through Points + Pay rather than Reward Seats, and it does not extend to Air New Zealand’s Pacific island routes. Price the options at booking rather than banking on any of it.

How Qantas and Velocity compare island by island

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

The verdict falls out by island. For Fiji, Velocity has sharper standard pricing, while Qantas Points offers a wider choice of flights once Fiji Airways and Jetstar are included, so availability on your dates should decide it. With Vanuatu and Samoa, both programs now field their own aircraft, so let availability on your dates decide. For the Solomon Islands, Velocity holds the clearer coverage. Lastly, the Cook Islands, Jetstar’s nonstops hand the route to Qantas Points, with Air New Zealand’s Auckland connections as the backup. Our overview of Qantas and Velocity partners is worth a look before you commit a balance to any single door.

Whichever program you choose, confirm the reward seat before transferring bank points, as transfers cannot be reversed.

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.