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One of the major benefits that Qantas is touting for its reward seats is complete flexibility during COVID-19. Currently, this means free changes and refunds for domestic and trans-Tasman Classic Flight Rewards up to 28 February 2022. Other international Classic Flight Rewards booked before that same date can be modified up to 31 December 2022.
On a per-person basis, it normally costs 5,000 Qantas Points to make a change, or 6,000 points to cancel a booking entirely. So this fee waiver is certainly appreciated during a period of travel uncertainty. I know it’s saved me tens of thousands of points from changing my travel plans.
8 November 2021: Qantas has now updated the website to acknowledge this issue. You’ll now see the following message when trying to cancel a reward booking online. You should be able to safely cancel the booking online.
Information for Classic Reward Bookings: Due to an error, customers cancelling their Classic Reward Booking see information about receiving a Flight Credit. This is incorrect. Customers cancelling a Classic Reward Booking will receive a refund of their points, taxes, levies and surcharges.
Cancelling Qantas Classic Flight Rewards online
Right now, if you cancel your Qantas Classic Flight Rewards online, you’ll be greeted with this message about flight credits. You can safely ignore it, as Qantas has updated the site to state you’ll receive a full refund of points and taxes.
If you hit ‘Continue’, you’ll still see information about a flight credit (including the value of such credit). Once again, ignore that and proceed with the cancellation.
Your cancellation will be processed, with points usually returning within 48 hours and taxes within eight weeks.
What’s the best way to contact Qantas?
Sometimes you might need to follow up with Qantas to change or cancel a reward seat booking. Here are two ways to do it, with either social media or by calling up.
1. Social media
If your booking change or cancellation isn’t urgent, then contacting Qantas through social media might be a relatively stress-free option. Simply message Qantas on Twitter or Facebook with as much detail as possible, including:
- Your booking reference number
- Names of all the passengers on the booking
- The dates and routes of your flights
- The details of the flight you want to change to (if applicable)
If you’re changing a Classic Flight Reward, it’s very helpful to do a search first, and let the agent know the flights you found that still have reward seat availability. In a recent interaction, it took about 24 hours for an agent to reply to our request to change a Business Classic Flight Reward. The change was made straight away without any back-and-forth.
2. Over the phone
Heads up – if you don’t have elite Qantas Frequent Flyer status (at least Silver or above), you’ll likely be waiting on hold for a few hours or more.
If this is the case, you might want to use Qantas’ callback service, which is available in Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately, it appears the callback service isn’t always offered – it depends on the wait time.
But if it is offered, you’ll be notified by an automated message while on hold. If you accept the callback (press 1), then you’ll be able to enter the best contact number for them to call you back on. The call will hang up and a bot will contact you, later on, to put you at the head of the queue. When it works, it works quite well.
Of course, if you do have high enough status, this isn’t going to be an issue. As a current Platinum frequent flyer, my calls have been routinely picked up within 5 minutes. The flight changes are usually resolved within another 10 minutes.
When do I get my points and taxes back?
If you’re cancelling a Classic Flight Reward, you should get your points refunded quickly. This can range from immediately (especially if you’re calling up), to a few days at most. Taxes take a bit longer – you’ll usually be told ‘up to 8 weeks.’ Having said that, we’ve noticed that it’s averaging 5-6 weeks right now.
If you haven’t received your points or taxes back at the expected timeframe, then it’s probably time to contact Qantas again.
Summing up
We certainly feel more confident booking Qantas Classic Flight Rewards for international travel in 2022, thanks to the flexible policy. If you’re having trouble cancelling online, then contact Qantas via social media or give them a call.
If a passenger cancels their reward seat for a flight, does that reward seat go back into inventory for another person to book as a reward seat?
Hi Steph, it can, but it’s not guaranteed as other factors may stop a seat from being released back again.
I was tang to cancel via the app, somehow did not go even after 20 attempts. Looked into a computer and took 2 minutes. Thanks for the information.
Hi Brandon
Good article and nice to know QFF are giving full refunds through to 2022.
However nowhere in the article can i find link(s), or explanation as to HOW to cancel a Qantas Flight Award.
Sure there are a couple of screen shots with handy warnings but how do i get to those web pages? What i’d like to see, please, is a step by step link by link what do click on after typing http://www.qantas.com in the url bar.
I will keep searching and hopeully beat your reply:)
thankyou
Hi Rick!
You can access these options by going to ‘Qantas Manage Booking’ online and entering your itinerary PNR and last name.
Hi brendan,
I would like to ask you,please?
When i am changing the international classic rewards fee. It should be free of charge and it shown it the page that it will be zero change fee.
However, when it goes to the next page – it shown that the fee of 5000 points will be applicable? Do you have the same experience? Or the change fee points will be deducted and be credited later?
Hi Sugi, the fee should show as 0 points. If you have any concerns, you may need to contact Qantas.
Qantas are now advising when you go to cancel a reward flight:
When cancelling your flights, you will receive a Flight Credit for the value of your untravelled flights. Refer to our flight credit validity extensionThis will open a new tab or window in your browser. and the fare rulesThis will open a new tab or window in your browser. for your booking.
*****Information for Classic Reward Bookings: Due to an error, customers cancelling their Classic Reward Booking see information about receiving a Flight Credit. This is incorrect. Customers cancelling a Classic Reward Booking will receive a refund of their points, taxes, levies and surcharges.
If Qantas has cancelled your flight, for other options (including a refund) contact usThis will open a new tab or window in your browser..
Due to a high volume of requests, we’re currently experiencing longer processing times. Thank you for your patience while we work through these.
Hi Tess, thanks for the update. I have updated the guide accordingly.
A question for the more experienced.. I booked a business reward flight to Tokyo for Apr 2021. 90k on Japan Airlines I think is pretty good. The terms were clear, that I can cancel or change it with no charge. But it has been a week since I booked it, and now the booking is “confirmed” status, however when I try to change the booking, it says the booking “is still processing”.. do you know when it will be cleared and I can change or cancel on the website?
Hi Shinn, it appears your booking has not been ticketed by Qantas yet. This is a common issue with Japan Airlines flights. Since it has been a week, I would advise you to contact Qantas ASAP and get the booking manually ticketed.
Last year my reward flight cancelled, points back in 48 hours, taxes of around 500, 5 months!
qantas website says classic awards will be refunded and states that there is an error on the web page even though the button you select states credit only. In speaking with a NZ based agent yesterday who was awesome, she said that the free changes option will be going away before year end… and that current classic award cancellations are credited back to account and card in 8 weeks. I also a Had Virgin award cancelled on Sat points immediately in the account and $ credit to AMEX card today, which is totally amazing. Wonder if its to do with business models (public vs private equity)
It may be too late for this year, but I recently wrote to Choice to nominate Qantas for a Shonky Award for the poor refund experience.
Glad it’s not just me having this issue!
scotty from marketing and alan from joyce marketing must be best pals.
what a terrible way to manage and overwhelming amount of customer support requirements during the pandemic than to put most of your staff on unpaid leave, surely they could have offered temp jobs to these people who would have otherwise been put on leave in a customer service role sorting out these huge mess of phone calls.
suppose that would of cost money and its easier to put them on unpaid leave and collect government subsidies.
in comparison, singapore airlines, easy as a snack to get on to, no 5hour phone wait times
IME whereas QF is problematic Singapore Airlines is now a disaster area.
It has become impossible to communicate with the staff responsible for managing award flights. When you call and after a lengthy wait time, they refuse to put you through to the award team and take details for a call back. The call backs never happen. This has occurred three times in the last few weeks.
The online change date for free facility does not work.
I just cancelled a redemption flight and now have been short changed 106,000 miles on the refunded miles (the mile expiry extension not applied even though I have a screen grab of the refund page saying the “expiring” miles would be refunded).
I now can’t rebook because insufficient points in my account.
Whilst SQ is operating with these incompetent and shonky practices, I would recommend any readers to AVOID them completely.
Certainly I won’t be risking transferring any credit card points over to them.
My favourite airline just became an absolute nightmare and the very worst.
Qantas is so dodgy in this respect.
I refuse to let myself be fooled by Qantas’ current “millions of award seats” and “free cancellations/changes” marketing spiel, into impulsively booking any trips anymore. The refund process is a real pain, especially when you want to cancel (or have cancelled) the credit cards you used to make the original payment. I will only book now if I know my plans are very firm. I feel sorry for those who have not had much experience in dealing with this yet and are getting swept up in the marketing.
Virgin, on the other hand, has always been quick to refund points and taxes – usually within a few days – even during the pandemic. Why can’t Qantas be like this? Someone really needs to hold them accountable and ask them why.
Another aside – on a QF booking (whether is direct or via AA et al) you can use your Amadeus PNR to look at the QF seat map to see ALL the seats (blocked by QF and displayed as not available on the QF website/app) whether they are taken or not and who they are reserved for -eg 3A,C,D F are kept for QF crew and all that are offered to us lowly QF Silvers – I much prefer Lufthansa where we Senators can have the first row or other special seats and often have the seat next to us blocked unless a full flight , we can choose window seats on LX First and 1A on our beloved but sadly departed LH A380 First
OH and BTW I’ve had to cancel many QF flights booked via AA AdvantageFlyer for much lower taxes and points, over the past few months due to fluid border restrictions – and AA refund point instantly, and surcharges within 2-3 days (stil lfree, no nasty US$125 fee) Go American Airlines
Forgot to mention Im QF Silver, and no option for a call back is qiven If you call QF Direct 03-96585302 which used to be quicker, the functionality to choose an option doesn’t work and there is no mention of a QFF number
Just on a side note -I had to call QF to ask for an etik for a flight (domestic) I’d upgraded with points to Business A few years ago they stopped reissuing etiks after an upgrade was applied, and after calling QF told Id bee on hold for 1 hour, which turned into 2 hrs 14 minutes, finally spoke with an agent (indian based) kept telling me it was an etik issued by a travel agent,(i do have ANOTHER ETIK issued by AA on QF, but I gave agent the correct Amadeus PNR, maybe she was looking at that res/etik????) Call kept cutting out, Aussie broadband aint so hot ) and then disconnected -then MYSTERIOUSLY received 2 emails with ETIKS showing upgrade – and all it takes is 2 minutes on qatarairways.com to get my AA and QF issued etiks for ENTIRELY QF flights! And UPGRADED QF TICKET SHOWS 1x32KG BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE, whilst AA TICKET SHOWS 2x32KG (CORRECT). I’ve had many many problems with QF over the years using their Domestic and Asia feeder flights into/outta AUSSIEVILLE on Lufthansa and Swiss Global Tickets, and airport staff at SYD usually call security when you question the Business checkin staff who cant read their own QF website to see QF’s rules on these tickets and demand excess baggage payment for 3x32KG baggage GROW UP QANTAS Go Figure!!! I stil lcannot understand why QF doesn’t use AMADEUS to its full advantage after all these years!!! GOOD LUCK CALLING QF!!!!! And good luck with your refunds – this is a token (yet probably unfruitful for PAX) attempt to piss you off so they maximise their funds holdings etc , given most won’t argue for their rights)
Asked for callback at 9am, got woken by Qantas at 3am.
Hi, I’m glad you’re highlighting this issue, although I think you are being pretty lenient on Qantas as to their motives, as this is clearly not an accident that they have removed this functionality. They are stooping to new lows to get all of those pandemic points off their books, even if it means cheating loyal customers.
Also, not once have I ever received the call back option, and the social media direct messages service has also fallen off a cliff, it would appear that they are intent on making that avenue just as frustrating as the call centre.
After getting no response from the social media avenue, I resigned myself to spending a good chunk of my day on the phone. After 2 hours I was cut off. After the 2nd call (30 min wait) I was told the cancellation was processed. After 5 days of nothing and noticing that the flight was still in my upcoming schedule I messaged again. No response. I rang for a 3rd time (4hr wait) and was told it wasn’t cancelled the last time i called (no explanation). Was told it was definitely cancelled this time – 5 days later still no points, but at least it’s no longer in my list of upcoming trips. Honestly, just reinstate the functionality for us to cancel online and make life better for customers and the poor call centre staff.
I would love the 90 to 150 call wait time. Oh what joy that would be!
I’ve spent over 24 hours on hold over the last 7 days and not one word spoken with the call centre. Have never received the call back option. I would happily accept a 3am call also.
Also tried social media with no response. It really is beyond belief that the national carrier would treat their customers like this. They aren’t just a little bit below acceptable customer service standards, they don’t move the needle at all. Reputation crushed, whatever rep they had.
To add…if you give them a call maybe politely request for the cancellation to be processed as a priority so you can get your points back sooner rather than later.
IME call wait times last week were between 90 and 150 minutes so request the call back.
The money’s gonna take weeks to reach you (no positive comment to make on that score).
Also to note that if the award flight has been issued by a non-Australian QF office then getting points back can be a very lengthy process.
For this reason it can be better to keep changing the booking rather than trying to cancel (I recently changed over an EK first award several times for no charge – both date and route).
I wish I read this before cancelling today and rebooking. Now waiting nervously because it was cancelled over the phone and was told I would not receive any email confirmation of the cancellation etc
Hi Tammy,
Did they end up refunding your points? And if so, how long did it take?