You can upgrade Qantas flights using American miles — but is it worth doing?
You can already use American Airlines miles to upgrade American flights. You can also redeem American miles to upgrade British Airways and Iberia flights booked into some high-fare classes.
But American Airlines promised earlier this year to introduce the ability to upgrade flights on other partners using AAdvantage miles in 2024. Now, it's starting to make good on this promise by introducing the ability to upgrade Qantas flights using American miles. Here's what you need to know.
Upgrading Qantas flights with American miles
The good news is that you can redeem American miles or cash to upgrade most Qantas-operated flights through the Plusgrade website. Almost all fares — including AAdvantage award tickets and travel booked through online travel agencies — can be upgraded, with the primary exception being sale fare classes for international flights.
Once you've booked your Qantas-operated flight, you can check whether your flight is eligible and the upgrade rates by heading to the Plusgrade website. Once there, you must enter your Qantas confirmation code and last name.
You must upgrade each segment individually if you have multiple Qantas-operated flights on your ticket. Assuming your fare is eligible, you'll initially see an option to bid for a cash upgrade. Using the slider, you can choose a specific amount to bid for your upgrade.
Here's the default bid for me to move from Qantas premium economy to business class on a long-haul flight from Sydney Airport (SYD) to Santiago Airport (SCL) this summer. For my flight, the potential bids range from $585 to $3,490 per person.
You can also toggle from cash to miles to see the number of American miles required for an upgrade. You can't change the number of miles you bid for the upgrade, as it is static for your specific flight and date.
You may see multiple upgrade options depending on the class you've booked and the cabins offered on your flight. If you have multiple passengers on your reservation, you must request to upgrade all of the passengers. If you only want to upgrade some passengers, you may be able to contact the agency or airline you booked with and ask to separate the travelers you don't want to upgrade from your reservation.
Once you submit an upgrade request, you'll get a confirmation email from Qantas. However, upgrades won't be confirmed until 24 hours or less before departure. So, you won't know until shortly before your flight whether your upgrade bid was successful.
You can cancel your request anytime before Qantas confirms your upgrade. If you requested an upgrade with cash, you can change your bid anytime before your upgrade is confirmed. You can only submit new upgrade requests up to five hours before departure for domestic flights and 10 hours before departure for international flights.
Related: How to earn miles in the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Is using American miles to upgrade your Qantas flight a good deal?
The short answer is no. Using American miles to upgrade Qantas flights usually won't be a good idea. Let's look at a few real-life examples that will give you an idea of what value you can expect to get when redeeming American miles to upgrade your Qantas flight.
For my premium economy flight from Sydney to Santiago this summer, I could request an upgrade for 64,400 American miles per person. But I'd only find out within 24 hours of my flight whether my upgrade cleared, and the upgrade cost would be on top of the 70,000 American miles and $72 I already paid per person for my fare.
The upgrade rates are pretty unimpressive when you consider you could redeem 82,500 miles per person — just 12,500 miles per person more than I paid for my premium economy award ticket — to book into the Qantas business-class cabin on this flight. Of course, there wasn't award availability when I booked (and there still isn't), but the upgrade still comes at a hefty premium over the standard award pricing.
But perhaps the more damning aspect is that I could outright buy a one-way, business-class ticket through Qantas' codeshare partner LATAM on the same flight for $2,309.50 per person. Not only would my business-class seat be guaranteed then, but I'd also save the miles I redeemed for my premium economy flight and earn rewards on my fare and credit card spending.
But let's check another flight to get a second data point. Based on the American AAdvantage partner award chart, I can fly from the continental U.S. to the Asia Pacific region for 40,000 miles per person in economy, 65,000 miles in premium economy, 80,000 miles in business or 110,000 miles in first (assuming award availability permits).
For a one-way economy award flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Sydney, Plusgrade quoted me a rate of 66,900 miles or between $800 and $3,625 for an upgrade to premium economy. But, if I found premium economy award availability on this flight, I'd only need to redeem 25,000 more miles based on American Airlines' partner award chart to book a confirmed premium economy award.
Meanwhile, I could request an upgrade from economy to business class on this flight for 95,500 miles or between $1,215 and $5,165. Remember that if I found business-class award availability on this flight, I'd only need to redeem 40,000 more miles than I'd redeemed for my economy fare to book a confirmed business-class award.
You can often find premium economy tickets for around $3,000 round-trip on the Qantas flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, so you may find better value by either buying a paid premium economy fare or setting up award availability alerts for your dates if you don't want to fly in economy on this long-haul flight.
Especially considering the massive difference between the award rates you could book via the AAdvantage partner award chart (if you find award availability) and the upgrade rates, I can't say it's a good value to redeem American miles to upgrade your Qantas flight.
Related: Best uses of American Airlines miles
Bottom line
American AAdvantage now lets its members upgrade Qantas flights using American miles. The loyalty program has indicated it will also add the ability to redeem American miles for upgrades on other Oneworld partners in the future.
More options to upgrade flights using miles are always welcome. However, consider whether you'll get good value before using cash or American miles to upgrade Qantas flights. In many cases, you may be better off redeeming for a premium-cabin award (if there's availability) or booking a paid fare in the higher cabin — assuming you haven't booked your flight yet or you've booked a fare you can freely cancel.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.