American Express is offering a huge haul of bonus Qantas Points for new Card Members who apply for the Qantas Business Rewards Card. As business travel comes bouncing back, this is a great opportunity to make the most of your business spending and turn it into a First Class flight. How rewarding! Or perhaps, you could cleverly use the points to save money on your business’ upcoming journeys.
As international travel returns with a vengeance, it’s more important than ever to have a stash of Qantas Points up your sleeve. More airlines are returning to Australia as well, bringing a dazzling range of First and Business Class experiences to our shores. Wherever you’re headed, travel better with the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card.
This guide is brought to you with support from American Express, a Point Hacks commercial partner. Please note that American Express provided the factual information required for this article. All opinions expressed are solely those of Point Hacks.
American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card benefits series
- Part 1: Best uses of 180,000 Qantas Points
- Part 2: Maximising points and passes
- Part 3: Complimentary Travel Insurances
- Part 4: Business-friendly features
Features and benefits of the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card
If your business is looking to earn Qantas Points when travelling, including a healthy bonus on top when you fly with Qantas, then make sure to read on.
Note this card is a charge card. A charge card is different to a standard credit card in that it has no pre-set spending limit. You just have to pay your balance back in full each month.
With this card, the points your business earns go directly to its Qantas Business Rewards account. That gives flexibility, by being able to transfer points onwards to any other Qantas Frequent Flyer member. This can include business owners, but also employees or clients – wherever those points go, they will be of great use.
In addition, complimentary Travel Insurance is included, provided you pay for the return trip using the card. You’ll also be gifted two complimentary domestic Qantas Club lounge passes each Membership year after making an eligible purchase on the card.
The business can also earn triple Qantas Points on eligible Qantas flights when they’re booked with the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card. All up, the Card certainly makes travel more rewarding.
To sweeten the pot, eligible new Card Members also receive a $450 Qantas Flight Voucher in the first year. This completely offsets the card’s $450 annual fee – not to mention what your business could do with its serve of bonus points.
Read more in our guide to the American Express Qantas Business Rewards card.
Best uses of 160,000 Qantas Points
Earn your bounty of 160,000 bonus Qantas Points when you apply for the Card by 31 July 2022 and spend at least $3,000 on purchases within the first two months. Those bonus Qantas Points, along with all points earned on purchases, will be credited directly to your Qantas Business Rewards account.
If your business is new to the Qantas Business Rewards program, enrolling for the first time comes with an extra serve of 20,000 bonus Qantas Points as part of this offer. That puts the bonus at up to 180,000 bonus Qantas Points.
Whichever bonus amount applies to your business, the business can later transfer those points out to an individual’s Qantas Frequent Flyer account, in amounts of 3,000 Qantas Points or higher. For instance, you could send a staff member 20,000 Qantas Points to cover an upcoming business trip, while keeping the rest in the business’ hands for another day.
At Point Hacks, we always recommend using points for flight rewards and upgrades rather than merchandise or gift cards. That’s because the value those Qantas Points can unlock is the greatest in the air with flights and as businesses return to the skies, using Qantas Points to cover flights can deliver some great savings for the company too.
Here are just some of the fantastic ways you can spend your bonus Qantas Points.
1. Fly Qantas Business to Europe (one-way)
Let’s start big! With at least 160,000 Qantas Points, you can easily fly Qantas Business to Europe from 108,400 points to 144,600 points per person. You’ll still have plenty of points left over for a smaller trip later on.
For example, Qantas’ new Perth-Rome flight costs just 108,400 Qantas Points in Business. From Perth, the airline’s non-stop flight to London is 126,500 Qantas Points. Both flights are on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, featuring Qantas’ modern Business Suite. If you start your trip from the eastern states, then it’s a flat 144,600 points in Business.
This price of 144,600 Qantas Points is the maximum cap for a one-way journey. That means you can tack on additional Qantas connecting flights (such as from a regional city to Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane) at no extra points cost. As an alternative, you could also travel from Sydney to London via Singapore aboard Qantas’ refurbished Airbus A380 and enjoy its brand new experience in Business.
2. Fly Emirates or Qatar Airways Business Class to Europe (one-way)
If you want to travel to Europe with a partner airline instead, that’s possible too! Fly the fabulous Qatar Airways Qsuites from Australia to Europe for a maximum 159,000 Qantas Points one-way. Emirates Business Class costs the same in points. And if you snag Emirates’ Airbus A380, you can enjoy a beverage at the onboard bar.
If you start from Perth, then you can fly the same products to destinations such as Rome, Venice or Vienna for only 119,200 Qantas Points per person. What a steal.
Note that both airlines have relatively high carrier charges (surcharges) on top of the points needed. Recently, Emirates raised its charges to cover the rising price of oil. But we’ve run the sums, and you can still get good value out of your Qantas Points at the pointy end.
3. Fly Emirates First Class from Perth to Rome
Emirates First Class flights are one of the most lavish ways to redeem your Qantas Points. Qantas Frequent Flyer is also one of Emirates’ only partners that has access to Emirates First Class reward seats.
You can also enjoy the luxuries of First Class on Emirates’ Sydney-Christchurch flights from 1 December 2022 when the route returns. In First Class, expect to pay 64,500 Qantas Points one-way or 129,000 Qantas Points return.
Prefer a longer uninterrupted journey instead? For 170,800 Qantas Points, you could also fly Sydney-Dubai or Perth-Dubai-Vienna (or Rome or Venice) in First Class. What a way to celebrate joining Qantas Business Rewards, for those who qualify for the maximum bonus of 180,000 Qantas Points!
4. Soar to Asia in Business Class, return
180,000 Qantas Points can go a long way if you’re looking at flights to Asia. Just 68,400 Qantas Points are enough to enjoy Qantas Business from Sydney to Asia, including Manila, Singapore and Bangkok. You can sneak in a return trip for 136,800 Qantas Points, all-up.
On partner airlines, it’s a bit pricier. Japan Airlines Business Class to Tokyo is 90,000 Qantas Points one-way due to being a greater distance away. Your balance could be just right to snag a return ticket if qualifying for the full 180,000 Qantas Points.
5. Qantas Business to the US (one-way)
You can fly from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Los Angeles for 108,400 Qantas Points one-way, or go all the way to New York for 144,600 Qantas Points. Your connection from LA to New York would be operated by Qantas’ partner American Airlines. But this can be booked on a single ticket, as part of the one Business Class reward.
One of the best things about this redemption is that the taxes and surcharges on American Airlines are minimal as well.
But if an island getaway is more your style, how about Sydney or Melbourne to Hawaii for 82,000 Qantas Points? That’s 164,000 Qantas Points for a return trip. Given you can also earn Qantas Points for your business’ everyday purchases using your American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card, that goal sits within easy reach.
Or if you’ve already planned a journey to North America, you could also use your Qantas Points for flights within the US. Alternatively, zip up to Canada, down South America, onward to Europe and more. Example rates for Business Class travel include:
- 41,500 Qantas Points: Los Angeles to Miami one-way.
- 57,000 Qantas Points: San Francisco to New York one-way.
- 57,000 Qantas Points: US east coast to western Europe and UK, e.g. New York to London.
6. Take yourself and a loved one to NZ or Fiji, Business Class return
Fiji Airways is another key Qantas partner – and like American Airlines, has the added benefit of being on the same rewards table as Qantas. This means you can combine Qantas, Fiji Airways and American Airlines flights in one reward and pay the same rate.
Just 41,500 Qantas Points will see you sitting happily in a new-ish Airbus A350 on the Sydney-Nadi route. That’s 83,000 points for one return trip in Business or 166,000 points for two people return. After all, the experience is better shared, right? Your sign-up bonus will almost get you this goal, and for those who are new to Qantas Business Rewards, the full 180,000 Qantas Points bounty is more than enough.
These same rates also apply for Qantas flights from Sydney to New Zealand, Fiji, or Perth. Certain flights feature the Airbus A330 which has the carrier’s Business Suites. It’s a comfy ride.
7. Explore the globe, fly Round the World in Economy
Does a solo trip around the globe sound good? If you can part with 132,400 Qantas Points, you’ll unlock a great-value reward that lets you travel up to 35,000 miles (56,327 km) with oneworld partner airlines. You can stop in up to six cities and fly in any direction of your choice.
Want to upgrade that journey to Business Class? It’s more accessible than you think. Just save up 318,000 Qantas Points in total. The sign-up bonus from the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card gets you at least halfway towards that goal.
8. Save on up to 20 domestic flights
Is international travel not high on your list of priorities? That’s fine – Qantas has plenty of domestic options to tickle your fancy. Reward flights in Economy start from 8,000 Qantas Points. With 160,000 Qantas Points to spend, you could book up to 20 one-way flights (10 return trips) between Sydney and Melbourne.
If your business qualifies for the higher total offer of 180,000 Qantas Points, that becomes 22 one-way flights or 11 return trips between the same cities.
But how about those longer domestic routes? Brisbane to Perth clocks in at 18,000 Qantas Points, per person one-way. With 160,000 Qantas Points to spend, that more than covers eight one-way flights or four return trips. With the full bounty of 180,000 Qantas Points, make that 10 one-way flights or five round trips.
9. Splurge on up to 27 domestic upgrades to Business
Upgrades on domestic flights can be quite affordable if you (or your workplace) book Flexible Economy fares. You can upgrade to Business on a shorter flight like Sydney-Melbourne from 5,400 Qantas Points (29 times, with 160,000 Qantas Points to spend).
On the same fares aboard longer transcontinental treks, 10,900 Qantas Points can land you a one-way bump up (that’s 14 one-way upgrades from 160,000 Qantas Points).
9. Book Qantas Business on domestic routes, up to 9 times
We spoke previously about upgrading Qantas domestic flights with points, from an existing ticket paid with cash. On the other hand, you can also use Qantas Points to redeem Classic Reward seats in Business outright.
This means your perch in Business is guaranteed from the moment you book – you don’t need to book in one cabin, and then put through an upgrade request.
So how many points do you need for all these various routes? It all depends on the distance between the two destinations, but you can just use the Qantas Point Calculator instead.
The shortest routes in Business Class need 18,400 points while the longest domestic flights in Business Class need 41,500 points.
Summing up
Hopefully, this list will give some inspiration to use up to 180,000 bonus Qantas Points + $450 Qantas Flight Voucher if you take up the American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card.
At the time of writing, Qantas is waiving all change and cancellation fees for Classic Reward seat bookings, up until 30 September 2022 (or 31 December 2022, for international bookings). Wherever you’re headed, you just have to book by 30 September 2022. Enjoy peace of mind knowing you can get your points and taxes back if you’re unable to fly.
This article was originally written by Evin Tan Khiew, with updates in June 2022 by Chris Chamberlin.
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