With 120,000 Qantas Points currently running on the American Express Qantas Ultimate card, which offers two complimentary passes to Qantas Club lounges, we thought it might be a good time to take refresher on how to obtain and use the passes.
This guide will walk you through all the different Qantas lounge passes out there, how to earn them and how to use them before your next Qantas flight.
Qantas has gradually shifted from paper to digital complimentary lounge passes over the years, making it easier for frequent flyers to manage their lounge passes on the go.
The benefit of having the passes online is that you can transfer them to any other Qantas frequent flyer member instantly. They can then assign it to one of their flights, or gift it onwards to someone else.
Types of complimentary Qantas digital lounge passes
There are four types of Qantas digital lounge passes:
- Domestic lounge invitation: these can be used at any Qantas Club domestic lounge when departing on a Qantas or Jetstar flight number.
- General lounge invitation: these can be used at any Qantas Club domestic lounge, Qantas International Lounge or Qantas operated International Business Lounge (excluding Los Angeles) when departing on a Qantas or Jetstar flight number.
- P1 – Benefit lounge invitation: in addition to the above, the P1 Benefit passes can also be used at Qantas First Lounges, and can be transferred to anyone.
- Titanium – Benefit lounge invitation: these can also be used at any Qantas First Lounge, but are not transferable to anyone else.
All Qantas lounge passes are only valid at Qantas-operated lounges when departing on a QF or JQ flight number. There are also some Qantas lounges which are excluded for various reasons, such as capacity issues or limited-access restrictions. Most notably is the Qantas operated oneworld lounge in Los Angeles.
How to earn complimentary Qantas digital lounge passes
The main way to earn complimentary Qantas digital lounge passes is to have them included with your credit card. Currently, these cards bundle two general Qantas club digital passes:
Qantas Silver Frequent Flyer status will earn you one lounge pass each year.
Platinum One Frequent Flyers earn two P1 Benefit passes a year which can be used at First Lounges, and also be transferred to any other Qantas Frequent Flyer member.
The Qantas Premier Titanium Mastercard also includes two First Lounge passes each year – which can be used at either the Sydney or Melbourne First Class lounges, but they cannot be transferred to other members travelling separately from the cardholder.
How to use Qantas digital lounge passes
Log in to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account and click the ‘Lounge Invitations’ link to the right-hand side.
If you have eligible invitations, they will show up here. It shows their expiry dates and their status – either available, linked to a flight, or transferred.
To transfer your invitation to another Qantas frequent flyer member, simply scroll to the bottom of the page and enter their membership number and surname. Unlike Family Transfers, the recipient of these passes does not have to be family.
On the bottom of this same page, there is a list of your upcoming Qantas flights (only the first leg will show up). Click on Link Invitation to begin the process.
The next page will show all the eligible lounges you can access before your flights.
In this example, a P1 Benefit invitation unlocks four lounges ranging from the Launceston Regional Lounge to the Qantas International First Lounge in Melbourne.
Once you have decided, simply assign the pass to the lounge of your choice through the drop-down menu.
A confirmation email will be sent to you. Keep it for your records.
On the day of travel, look out for the code ‘LPAC’ on your boarding pass. This is what the lounge agents will be checking for at reception to confirm your eligibility.
If you log back online, you will see the pass has been allocated to a flight. If you change your mind, simply click ‘Cancel’ and it will become available for linking again.
Qantas digital lounge passes must be linked at least 24 hours before a flight, and you cannot unlink an invitation within 24 hours of the flight, or it will be forfeited.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use my Qantas digital lounge passes in Singapore? Unfortunately, the Qantas Singapore Lounge is currently off-limits for digital lounge passes due to capacity restraints. This is expected to be lifted in November 2019 when a new Qantas First Lounge opens in Singapore.
- Can I use my Qantas digital lounge passes in Hong Kong or London?
Yes, the Qantas Premium lounges in Hong Kong and London are both available for digital lounge passes, prior to flights with a QF or JQ number. - Can I use my Qantas digital lounge passes in Los Angeles?
Yes and no. The Qantas Business Class Lounge in Los Angeles TBIT is co-operated by Cathay Pacific and British Airways, so it is technically not a ‘Qantas-operated lounge’. General lounge passes are not valid for entry to this lounge.
The Qantas First Lounge in Los Angeles is not affected though, so P1 and Titanium Benefit holders can use their passes for this lounge. - Are there any other Qantas lounges where digital passes can’t be used?
Yes. In Perth, Qantas digital passes cannot be used for the Perth International Transit Lounge in T3, or for the Domestic Business Lounge prior to international flights.
The Qantas Melbourne Domestic Business Lounge also appears off-limits, as only The Qantas Club shows up in the example above.
Summing up
Overall, Qantas’ new digital lounge portal is an improvement for most travellers, since you can gift passes to other guests instantly, as well as see what lounges you can use them for in advance. The P1 and Titanium benefit passes are great for new travellers to access First Lounges.
Just be mindful of the terms and conditions associated with them. In particular, they need to be linked up to 24 hours before the flight, and cannot be unlinked the day before travel. Voluntary flight changes can cause them to be forfeited if you do not unlink them in time.
Also, unlike physical lounge passes that remain valid even when you do not turn up to the lounge on the day of travel, you will end up forfeiting your digital lounge passes if you are a no-show.
Amex have made a special request to Qantas to extend the expiry date so will see what happens there. Since you don’t receive the invites until after you book the flights you have no idea what the expiry of the complimentary passes will be. Is there any way to work out what the expiry will be prior to booking the flight?
In future do I need to book and travel based on the Amex billing anniversary?
With the American Express Ultimate Card, the 2 digital Qantas Club passes are issued about 2 weeks after you make your first purchase with Qantas. As such, I would assume that you first Qantas transaction on this card was made in October the previous year, which is why your digital passes have a 9 October expiry.
It is our understanding that Qantas Club passes work differently to say complimentary flights, where you must book your flight before the expiry, but can travel for up to 365 after this date. The Qantas Club passes must be used before the expiry date.
In future, remember that with the Amex Ultimate, the Qantas Club passes expiration date is based on your first Qantas purchase for the card year (ie with the card year being based on your Amex billing anniversary).
Qantas Gold members receive complimentary access to all Qantas Club and oneworld Business lounges.
You are correct, normal lounge passes (e.g. those from the Qantas Platinum credit card) aren’t valid for the Qantas Business Lounge in LAX.
The ‘yes’ refers to the fact that P1 Benefit and Titanium Lounge passes do work for the Qantas First Lounge in LAX.
Hence, the answer to the general question “Can I use my Qantas digital lounge passes in Los Angeles?” is ‘yes or no’ depending on which lounge you’re trying to access.
I understand your frustration with not being able to use general passes for the QF Business Lounge in LAX – I had similar issues years ago with paper passes.
Can I use my Qantas digital lounge passes in Los Angeles?
Yes and no. The Qantas Business Class Lounge in Los Angeles TBIT is co-operated by Cathay Pacific and British Airways, so it is technically not a ‘Qantas-operated lounge’. General lounge passes are not valid for entry to this lounge.
Let’s make it clear. The answer here is actually NO.
I received 2 free l0unge passes with my Qantas Platinum Credit Card.
I was quite disappointed to know that you cannot use these passes in LA.
I’m buying my way into a lounge instead.