This is a great deal and you’ll earn at least $150 worth of Qantas Points for your flight.
You’ll have to fly through Sydney to Johannesburg. Domestic connections from Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide on Qantas are included in the price. Flying from the Gold Coast adds ~$30, whilst flying from Canberra, Hobart, Darwin and Cairns adds hundreds.
Domestic South African connections on British Airways subsidiares Comair and kulula.com are not included.
For informational purposes, the only two nonstop services to South Africa are with Qantas from Sydney and South African Airways from Perth. You can probably expect Qantas to launch direct services to Cape Town on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the next couple of years.
The last time we saw Qantas flights to South Africa on sale was back in March for $50 cheaper than this time—and connections to Cape Town and Durban were included. Still, this is a great price and Johannesburg is a good place to start and end your journey.
I can also see flights to Cape Town via Doha with Qatar Airways pricing from $1,130 return, but that would add around 10 hours to your journey each way.
If you would like some inspiration for going to South Africa (and info on how to get there on points), check out our destination guide.
Depart: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide
Arrive: Johannesburg
Dates: now until mid-June 2020 (excluding September and December; these are the best times to go)
Airline: Qantas
Cost: a flat $1,149 return from all cities
Example found:
Where to credit points: Depending on where your existing points balances lie, you may choose to credit these flights to Qantas Frequent Flyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, British Airways Executive Club, American Airlines AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
For example, a return Economy Class ticket from Sydney to Johannesburg will net you 7,500 Qantas Points + 80 Status Credits. These points are worth $142.50, according to our valuations. You’ll earn more for any domestic connections.
Read more in our guide on how to choose which program to credit your frequent flyer points to.
Lounge access: If you hold Qantas Gold or above status, are a Qantas Club member or have Qantas lounge passes with one of these credit cards, you will get access to Qantas and associated partner lounges; American Express Card Members get access to the Sydney and Melbourne Amex lounges; and Priority Pass members can gain access to lounges/eateries in all airports listed above except Perth.
Best credit card to use for purchase: Credit cards that offer bonus points for booking travel
Booking link: you can book directly through the Qantas website. Make sure you add your frequent flyer number to your booking. You can avoid the credit card booking fee by instead paying by BPAY or POLi. Sale ends 4 August or when fares sell out.
Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. Fares may disappear quickly, so we suggest booking as soon as you are confident in your travel dates.
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