Qantas Reduces Points and Surcharges for Economy Awards
Qantas, the highest-ranked airline in the world in terms of safety, added another feather to its cap this week by announcing a reduction in the number of points required for economy-class award flights. Qantas also reduced the hefty carrier-imposed surcharges it places on award tickets booked through the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
While the number of points was only lowered by about 10%, the carrier-imposed surcharges are dropping between 20-30% thanks to lower worldwide fuel costs. Qantas deserves a tip of the hat, and it would be great if more airlines (such as British Airways) lower carrier-imposed surcharges, especially now that fuel costs are significantly lower.
Qantas is reducing the number of Qantas Points required for economy Classic Flight Rewards that fall within zones 4-10 of the Qantas Classic Flight Reward table. This includes selected international destinations across Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa. The number of points required on selected economy Classic Flight Rewards with partner airlines Fiji Airways, American and Emirates has also been reduced.
Round-trip flights from Melbourne to Los Angeles on Qantas or bookings on partner carrier American from Los Angeles to Sydney drop 6,000 points for a total of 90,000 points. Carrier-imposed surcharges decreased $190 to $419.32. By comparison, American's AAdvantage charges 75,000 miles and $104.76 for a round-trip economy award ticket from Los Angeles to Sydney.
Qantas became the 11th transfer partner of Citi ThankYou rewards earlier this year, and while this announcement helps lessen the sting of an underwhelming award chart, Qantas still isn't necessarily the most valuable partner. That said, if your travel plans will take you to Australia and you're sitting on a ton of Qantas or Citi ThankYou points, this is great news.
Will you book an award flight to Australia now that Qantas has reduced redemption rates and surcharges?
[card card-name='Citi ThankYou® Premier Card' card-id='221410120' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month