Being cooped up is no fun, so there’ll undoubtedly be a surge of bookings for interstate travel once border restrictions are relaxed again. But with Qantas releasing scores of reward seats on domestic routes for future travel, why not get ahead of the pack and use your Qantas Points for an Australian outdoorsy adventure?
Classic Reward Seats are inherently quite flexible with no cash cancellation fees, and if it turns out you can’t travel due to continued restrictions, chances are you may be able to delay or cancel your trip without a points penalty either — Qantas currently has a waiver in place until 31 October 2020.
Here are the best ways to use your Qantas Points to explore your own backyard, and see Cairns, the Sunshine Coast, Launceston and Perth, possibly in 2021 and beyond.
COVID-19 DISCLAIMER: The situation regarding COVID-19 is constantly changing, and the impacts on travel remain quite fluid. We endeavour to keep our content as up to date as possible in this dynamic environment.
Using Qantas Points to fly to Cairns
| Status: open to visitors, though Queensland has strict border controls. |
Cairns is (usually) a tropical paradise and also a gateway to the popular town of Port Douglas. In better times, it’s not uncommon for many people to flock upwards from the chilly parts of Australia to Cairns during winter.
Situated in Far North Queensland (FNQ), readers unfamiliar with the area might be surprised to learn that Cairns is a 2-hour flight away from Brisbane, despite being within the same state.
Both Qantas and Jetstar have numerous routes into Cairns during usual operations: here were the routes as of January 2020:
Here are the Qantas Points needed for those reward seats, one-way and per-person, on either Qantas or Jetstar where applicable:
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Brisbane, Gold Coast, Darwin to Cairns | 9,600 points | 12,000 points | 27,600 points |
| Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth to Cairns | 14,400 points | 18,000 points | 41,500 points |
Using Qantas Points to fly to the Sunshine Coast
| Status: open to visitors, though Queensland has strict border controls. |
The airport serving the Sunshine Coast is located near the sunny beach town of Maroochydore. Nearby highlights along the coast include Mooloolaba, Noosa and Caloundra.
Need a break from the beaches? Just a short drive away is the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, where the scenery rapidly changes from sandy shores to undulating green hills and lush rainforest.
As the town is only 90km or so north of Brisbane, Jetstar and QantasLink don’t fly to Sunshine Coast Airport from within Queensland. These were the routes in operation at the beginning of 2020, and the points needed:
| Jetstar Economy | QantasLink Economy | QantasLink Business | |
| Sydney to Maroochydore | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | 18,400 points |
| Melbourne, Adelaide to Maroochydore | 9,600 points | N/A | N/A |
Using Qantas Points to fly to Launceston
| Status: all non-essential travellers need prior approval to enter Tasmania. Travel is not yet advised. |
Tasmania is often likened to a ‘mini-New Zealand’, and it’s not hard to see why. Along the East Coast, you’ve got beautiful (if not slightly chilly) beaches and attractions such as Wineglass Bay, plus an abundance of fresh seafood.
In the Central Highlands, there are many national parks and walking trails to tackle. Cradle Mountain is a popular tourist hotspot and you could be lucky enough to catch some snowfall during winter.
Then there’s the rugged West Coast of Tasmania, with endless wilderness and historic mining towns. Travellers might make a beeline to Strahan and Queenstown where adventurous pursuits await.
Although many people may automatically default to the capital Hobart as the gateway to Tasmania, Launceston is actually better-placed for most tourists who want to explore the island state.
| Jetstar Economy | QantasLink Economy | QantasLink Business | |
| Melbourne, Sydney to Launceston | 6,400 points | 8,000 points | N/A |
| Brisbane to Launceston | 9,600 points | N/A | N/A |
Using Qantas Points to fly to Perth
| Status: open to intrastate visitors. Western Australia has strict interstate border controls. |
It’s been previously said that Perth is one of the most isolated major cities in the world, known for its laid-back beaches, beautiful wine regions such as Margaret River, and the infamous quokkas on Rottnest Island.
Perth is also the gateway to other major attractions in Western Australia such as Exmouth and Broome, both in the state’s far north.
As a major capital city, Qantas and Jetstar usually have lots of flights to Perth. Here are the routes and points needed for them:
| Jetstar Economy | Qantas Economy | Qantas Business | |
| Geraldton, Kalgoorlie to Perth | N/A | 8,000 points | N/A |
| Broome, Port Hedland, Karratha, Newman, Paraburdoo to Perth | N/A | 12,000 points | 27,600 points |
| Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns to Perth | 14,400 points | 18,000 points | 41,500 points |
Summing up
Qantas Points are quite versatile within Australian and can be used to visit many destinations, thanks to its Jetstar and QantasLink arms for more regional flying.
Business Class on Qantas is priced quite high relative to the length of flight for these routes, so you might find that Economy Class is a better use of points. Reward seat bookings are also quite flexible, which should be useful during these uncertain times.
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