How to book Qantas flights using points from non-Qantas credit cards

With Qantas having recently hiked the number of Qantas Points needed to book most flights, savvy travellers may be considering their other options in the loyalty space. Even if you plan to keep flying with Qantas, it pays to know the other ways that you can secure seats using points. For instance, by earning flexible credit card points, and redeeming those points through the frequent flyer programs of Qantas’ other partner airlines.

For example, did you know that you can also book Qantas flights via The British Airways Club? And by using Asia Miles from the loyalty program of Cathay Pacific? These are just two of the many alternative programs through which you can get yourself a seat on Qantas. All without parting with the higher numbers of Qantas Points these tickets would now otherwise command.

But how can you earn these other types of points from credit card spend? The key is to have a credit card attached to a flexible rewards program. Some of the popular programs in Australia include:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• ANZ Rewards
• Citi Rewards
• NAB Rewards
• Westpac Altitude Rewards

These programs offer a number of transfer partners, providing you with options when you redeem your points. This can include spending points on Qantas flights. That can be the case even if your credit card isn’t a ‘direct earn’ product attached to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, like this.

Qantas American Express Ultimate

Find Out More & Apply

Read the guide

Sign-up Bonus:

Up to 90,000 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

13 January 2026

Earn 70,000 bonus Qantas Points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, plus an additional 20,000 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 13 January 2026. New Amex Card Members only. T&Cs apply.) This card includes an annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit, two Qantas lounge passes, 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.

Book Qantas flights from flexible credit card points

Let’s say you’re planning a Business Class jaunt from Sydney to Perth. When booked through Qantas Frequent Flyer, you’d need 43,600 Qantas Points + $98 in taxes, fees and charges for a Classic Reward seat.

But what if you had Avios to spend through The British Airways Club? The same seat on the same flight costs even less, requiring 38,750 Avios plus $65.17. This is what we mean by being able to book Qantas using flexible credit card points, rather than with Qantas Points directly.

Hmm, but what if you have access to Asia Miles with Cathay Pacific? That same flight would cost just 33,000 Asia Miles, plus $549 HKD (around $109 AUD). Sure, you’re paying around $11 more in fees and charges… but you’re also saving more than 10,000 frequent flyer points in the process. That’s by using Cathay rather than Qantas Frequent Flyer.

So, even if you have Qantas flights in your sights, you don’t necessarily need a Qantas-affiliated credit card to book them. You can take advantage of having flexible points. These would give you access to other frequent flyer programs too, with a greater number of opportunities when it’s time to spend them.

Transferring credit card points and booking Qantas via partner airlines

The frequent flyer programs of British Airways and Cathay Pacific are just two of the options available for booking Qantas flights via flexible credit card points. Here are all of the options available from flexible credit card points programs in Australia. We’ve excluded those that are changing imminently, like CBA Awards which is about to remove almost every points transfer partner.

Just keep in mind that when you book reward flights, the taxes and fees may often be payable in that program’s home country. For instance, how the co-payment amount is calculated in Hong Kong dollars when redeeming through Cathay. On most credit cards, this may trigger an international transaction fee in the region of 3% of the payment value.

Before transferring your reward points…

Keep in mind that different frequent flyer programs can have access to different reward seats. In our example, every program we’ve highlighted could ‘see’ the same Business Class reward seat on the same flight. But this isn’t always the case.

Qantas generally makes more reward seats available to its own Qantas Frequent Flyer members. Especially so, those with elite status (Silver or higher, but even greater at Gold and beyond). So it can still pay to have Qantas Points at your disposal, when the flight you want is only bookable through Qantas itself.

But the beauty of online searching is that you can check what’s available to the partner program of your choice. More importantly, you can see how many of that program’s points or miles you’d need, and what you’d pay in taxes and fees. Then, you could book your Qantas flights by transferring points from your credit card to that program, only as required.

Be mindful that frequent flyer programs can have differing policies on things like points expiry. Policies can also differ on how reward booking changes and cancellations are handled. Consider these policies before you transfer and book.

Summing up

There are many ways that you could book Qantas flights using flexible points earned from a non-Qantas credit card. Given the different earning, conversion and redemption rates, you’ll want to do your own sums to see which combination is the most cost-effective for the types of reward flights you’d typically book. Ditto, for the routes you’d usually aim to get a reward seat on.

Don’t forget as well, by having flexible points, you’re not stuck with just one airline or alliance. Programs with Singapore Airlines as an option can be a great way of unlocking reward seats on The Lion City’s home carrier itself, as well as across Star Alliance. Anything that makes it easier to secure reward flights in the cabin you want, to the destination you desire, is a win in our books.

Also read: The benefits of flexible rewards programs