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Qantas is touting Classic Plus Rewards as its newest way to add ‘more than 20 million’ points-based seats for redemption. In most cases, you’ll need many more points than a standard reward seat, but in exchange for greater availability. Is it worth it? This guide provides a neutral overview of Classic Plus Rewards’ mechanics.
How does Classic Plus work?
Classic Plus redemptions are dynamically priced. The number of points needed is based on Qantas’ lowest available cash fares in each cabin class at the time of searching.
Because Qantas fares are generally cheaper with a return journey rather than one-way, Classic Plus Rewards are also usually more affordable when booked as a return, rather than one-way.
The value you’ll get with Classic Plus is higher than Points Plus Pay (currently around 0.5 cents per point). But it’ll also usually be lower than a Classic Flight Reward, which can easily exceed 3 cents per point with Business and First Class rewards.
Here are the rates at which you can redeem a Classic Plus reward:
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- Classic Plus redemptions in Economy: 1.0 cents per point*
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- Classic Plus redemptions in Premium Economy, Business and First: 1.25 cents per point*
* Value per point including fees and taxes.
Unfortunately, Qantas reduced the value of Classic Plus redemptions in premium cabins from 1.5 cents per point to 1.25 cents per point in late 2025 without providing any notice.
What are the pros and cons of Classic Plus?
1. Classic Plus fares are priced separately from Classic rewards
If you combine a Classic Plus and a Classic Flight Reward fare, the two sector amounts will be added up for the final price. You aren’t able to take advantage of a lower single price for connecting flights, even if both airlines are on the same Classic Flight Reward Table.
This isn’t a problem for a return journey as the return sector is charged separately from the outbound anyway. But you can still access return Classic Plus pricing by combining it with a Classic Flight Reward sector in the other direction.
What about the popular Oneworld Flight Reward, which allows you to fly around the world in Business Class for 318,000 Qantas Points + fees and taxes? Unfortunately, Classic Plus flights are not included in that capped pricing.
2. Classic Plus upgrades will be considered before Classic Flight upgrades
If you’re hoping to nab an upgrade to Premium Economy, Business or First Class, those with Classic Plus bookings will be prioritised over passengers with Classic Flight Rewards bookings. This might give you the edge you need to snap up the remaining seats first.
Both reward seat types are still considered after passengers with cash bookings, though.
3. Economy Sale and Business Classic Plus are upgradeable
Usually, a Qantas international Economy Sale fare can’t be upgraded with points. But if you book one with Classic Plus, you can request an upgrade to Premium Economy or Business Class.
Another new perk for international Business Classic Plus bookings is that they are eligible for an upgrade to First Class. Usually, standard Business Classic Flight Reward bookings can’t be upgraded to First.
4. Points Club members earn limited Status Credits
As with Classic Rewards, Points Club (and Points Club Plus) members will still earn a limited number of Status Credits on Classic Plus flights. However, you won’t earn any Qantas Points on the booking, as before.
5. Change and cancellation fees remain the same
As with standard Classic Flight Reward bookings, you’ll need to pony up 5,000 points per person for changes and 6,000 points per person for cancellations with Classic Plus.
This is generally a good outcome as commercial fare policies tend to be stricter.
6. Fare differences will be charged in cash
Booked a Classic Plus Reward and need to change it later? A new rule that may not be immediately obvious is that any fare difference will be charged in cash. However, the 5,000-point change fee will continue to be charged in points.
Classic vs Classic Plus and Points Plus Pay
| Classic Reward | Classic Plus | Points Plus Pay | |
| Pricing method | Fixed based on distance, cabin class and airline. Same points cost per sector one-way or return. | Variable based on equivalent cash fare. Return fares better than one-way for international. | Variable based on equivalent cash fare. Return fares better than one-way for international. |
| Value per point | Variable (depends on the cash fare). Generally best value. | Economy: 1 cent per point. Premium Economy + Business + First: 1.25 cents per point. | Approximately 0.5 cents per point. Generally worst value. |
| Fees and taxes | Payable on top. | Payable on top, but factored into the value per point. | Included in the cost. |
| Points and Status Credits | No points earned. Only Points Club members earn Status Credits. | No points earned. Only Points Club members earn Status Credits. | Points and Status Credits earned based on fare type and membership. |
| Change and cancellations | Changes: 5,000 pts Cancellations: 6,000 pts | Changes: 5,000 pts Cancellations: 6,000 pts | Based on the rules of the fare selected. |
| Availability | Limited availability. | More availability. | Availability down to the last seat. |
Summing up
We don’t see Point Hacks readers using Classic Plus Rewards regularly. Standard Classic Flight Rewards offer far better value. However, casual users with points to spare may consider Classic Plus if that’s the only option available to them.
What do you think of Classic Plus Rewards? Let us know in the comments below.
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It seems classic flight rewards are all but disappearing except for the most inconvenient lerss popular times. Everything is being replaced by the much lower value classic plus. It has been a massive stealth devaluing of points.
I had a terrible experience recently as I booked a return flight from Sydney to Santiago with a classic rewards seat to Santiago and a Classic Plus on the way back. I needed to cancel the way there and was told Classic Plus fares cannot be emitted for one way, but only return. This rule was not explicitly mentioned anywhere and even on the Classic Plus Page in the Qantas site they say it has similar rules to the Classic rewards. Really frustrated with this.
I copied the bullet points below:
Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards have the same Reward Fare characteristics:
Upgradeable
Flexibility to combine between cabins and fare types in the same booking
Same Reward change and cancellation fees
No points or Status Credit earn (except for Points Club members)
Any additional charges for Classic Plus Rewards changes are payable in cash, with a change fee in points.
Qantas Classic Plus is a shameful grab for all our points.
I has just checked out the seat selection for next year and there is very few Reward seats available but lots of Classic Plus seats at double the number of points of the Classic
reward points.
I will be changing my rewards program to Virgin or another program
Good article. Hopefully it will remain true that these are just another “benefit” that you are free not to use if you don’t think the value is there. I’ve just gone through the nightmare process of trying to find and match reward flights as I compiled a RTW One World/Qantas trip. Along came some extra classic plus (One World airline) flights and suddenly the missing piece of my puzzle was filled. I didn’t care about the extra point cost as I’d already reached the 318000 point cap. A few extra $ in higher carrier charges was a minor problem in the big picture.
Sorry, they’re simply devaluing their Rewards liabilities by stealth by increasing the redemption rate in a second product. Now they can’t be accused of increasing Reward Flight costs, they’ll just offer less of them in favour of the more expensive option. If you want proof, look at how the sharemarket has responded over the past few days. The market can read the impact to the balance sheet, even if the QANTAS CEO is pretending the opposite.
Just release more Classic rewards flights instead of this mumbo jumbo. I have the lowest Krisflyer and Velocity status yet still easy to find points flights but QANTAS insists on pandering to elites.
More Coles less Woolies
More flights is great, but paying 2 to 3 times as much in Qantas points is not. In fact, my research today shows that to get to London in business class will cost just over 500,000 QFF points on every single flight Qantas is offering. And that’s just for one seat! Using Velocity points means that both my wife and I can fly to London in business class and still have points left over from 500,000. So clearly Velocity is twice as good as QFF. No doubt those people who have a million Qantas points will take advantage of the new system, since they can’t actually use those points on a Classic flight these days. But once they have used those points they will be in exactly the same situation as the rest of us: having to collect more than twice the Qantas points to get the flight we want. The solution is simple: If you want value for points shop at Coles not Woolies, buy your gas at Shell not Ampol and fly Virgin (Velocity) not Qantas or Jetstar (QFF). Qantas may have done Coles and Virgin a big favour with this sleight of hand.
Trying to find Classic Rewards for direct flights between Sydney and Joburg is now impossible. It only gives options for Plus and for flights via Dubai. What a ridiculous change…
Classic Plus will only appeal and have some utility for a very small subset of QFF members: those who save up points but only travel once a year, or every few years, and therefore don’t resent blowing literally millions of points for a one-off booking. But the ‘average’ QFF member who is a frequent flier will find little joy here. Once again Qantas shows her disdain for us.