Qantas has quietly introduced a new upgrade option called Confirmed Upgrades, giving eligible passengers the chance to purchase an upgrade and receive confirmation within 12 hours of payment.
The new product sits alongside Bid Now Upgrades, which also uses cash (or a mix of cash and points). But unlike Bid Now, which is only confirmed close to departure, Confirmed Upgrades will be offered at a set price and for a limited time only.
Until now, Qantas customers hoping to move into a premium cabin generally had two choices. You can request a Classic Upgrade Reward using Qantas Points and wait for the airline to process it closer to departure, or place a Bid Now offer and hope it’s accepted.
What are Qantas Confirmed Upgrades?
According to Qantas, Confirmed Upgrades allow eligible customers to purchase an upgrade offer and receive confirmation within 12 hours of payment. Unlike Bid Now Upgrades, there is no auction-style process. Instead, customers are presented with a fixed price offer and can choose whether to accept it.
Qantas says the new upgrade type offers:
- Upgrade confirmation within 12 hours
- A fixed upgrade price with no bidding required
- The ability to select premium cabin seats before waitlisted upgrades are processed
Importantly, Confirmed Upgrades are purchased rather than redeemed with Qantas Points, though Qantas notes that some upgrade types can combine cash and points depending on the offer presented. In our experience, it’s usually better to opt for cash only, as points often don’t offer great value in this case.
How do Confirmed Upgrades compare?
The introduction of Confirmed Upgrades creates four distinct upgrade pathways for Qantas passengers.
| Upgrade type | Payment method | Confirmation timing |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Upgrade Reward | Qantas Points | From 7 days to 24 hours before departure, depending on status |
| Bid Now Upgrade | Cash or cash + points | Within 24 hours of departure |
| Confirmed Upgrade | Fixed-price offer | Within 12 hours of payment |
| Domestic On Departure Upgrade | Qantas Points | Confirmed immediately if successful |
For frequent flyers, Classic Upgrade Rewards remain the most attractive option in terms of value. Qantas continues to prioritise these requests ahead of Bid Now upgrades.
But it seems that Confirmed Upgrades will be offered before Classic Upgrade Rewards are processed. It’s safe to say that there will likely be a premium for this guarantee.
Who can access Confirmed Upgrades?
At this stage, Qantas appears to be making Confirmed Upgrades available through targeted offers. The airline’s comparison table states that Confirmed Upgrades are available ‘on receipt of an exclusive offer’, suggesting customers will only see them if Qantas decides to make one available for their booking.
As with Bid Now Upgrades, factors such as route, fare type, cabin demand and expected load factors are likely to influence availability. As with all upgrades, you’ll still only get points and Status Credits at the original fare level.
Qantas has not yet published detailed eligibility criteria or pricing information. At the time of writing, none of our upcoming bookings on Qantas was eligible for a Confirmed Upgrade offer, so we don’t have any pricing examples to analyse yet.
Summing up
Qantas’ new Confirmed Upgrades won’t replace the value offered by Classic Upgrade Rewards, particularly for frequent flyers with large points balances and elite status. In fact, it might diminish the usefulness of Classic Upgrade Rewards, as those paying for Confirmed Upgrades may secure their seats before points-based upgrades are allocated.
But for travellers who prefer certainty over waitlists, the new option could prove attractive. If Qantas presents a reasonably priced offer, paying for a confirmed seat in Premium Economy, Business or First may be preferable to crossing your fingers and waiting for an upgrade to clear.
The biggest unknown is pricing. Once travellers start receiving offers, we’ll get a better sense of whether Confirmed Upgrades represent good value. If you get an offer, let us know in the comments below!
Qantas American Express Ultimate
Offer ends: 28 Jul 2026
- Bonus points
- 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Annual fee
- $450 p.a.
- Earn
- 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.
Qantas American Express Ultimate
Offer ends: 28 Jul 2026
- Bonus Points
- 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹
- Annual Fee
- $450 p.a.
- Earn
- 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.
Earn 50,000 bonus Qantas Points¹ with the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card when you apply online by 28 July 2026, are approved, and spend $5,000 in the first 3 months.
Will this be for Award seat redemption seats or for paid seats or for both
This certainly appears to be another way to devalue normal points upgrades – if they are given priority over those. Even though they will charge a premium for certainty it seems likely there will be some who will pay it and therefore less options for those seeking a normal classic rewards upgrade.
Thanks for the article Brandon. I think this is a welcome addition to upgrade options.
The Classic Reward Upgrade timing in the article appears incorrect. My wife and I got confirmation of a Classic Reward Upgrade about two months ago for a flight at the end of July. We were surprised too!
Sorry, but being pedantic and the son of a journalist, I have to say “Until now, Qantas customers hoping to move into a premium cabin generally had ‘a’ choice”, not two choices!
Qantas always innovates new ways to screw its customers if they truly value our business, every upgrade should be confirmed immediately.
I don’t understand this argument at all. If you want a guaranteed seat in a premium cabin, just buy one. Upgrades are obviously a cheaper way to fly in comfort but come at the cost of not being guaranteed. Why should an airline give away seats as upgrades for less than they could sell them for?
When you make 40-50 flights per year it gets rather expensive!
So you get frequent flyer points for the trips you do pay top $$$ for, and use those points to get a higher status and bid for upgrades!
I would be more than happy to pay for business class fares if I only made 2 or 3 flights per year, but adding another $100,000 for all of them to be business would be crazy!!!!!
This new system increases Qantas’s revenue and reduces the chances of people, like me, getting an upgrade using points
Agreed JD.