With the festive season creeping up, many of us are busy planning our holidays for Christmas and the New Year.
But with the cost of living putting pressure on everyone’s wallets, smart travellers are looking to save money on flights wherever possible.
As Australia’s largest loyalty program with more than 15 million members nationwide, Qantas’ points-based Frequent Flyer program is a great way to save money on travel.
And chances are you are making purchases every day without realising you could be accumulating Qantas points in the process.
So, here’s our guide to the easy things you can do today to start racking up as many points as possible. And remember, even the small stuff adds up!
Getting fuel
Qantas has partnered with BP to offer up to two Qantas Points for every litre purchased of BP Ultimate Unleaded and one point for every litre of other fuel.
You can also collect additional Qantas points by buying eligible products in-store.
As Australia’s largest loyalty program with more than 15 million members nationwide, Qantas’ points-based Frequent Flyer program is a great way to save money on travel
To redeem, customers need to join BP Rewards, link it to their Frequent Flyer account and scan their Qantas card when making transactions.
Shop smart for groceries
Members of the Everyday Rewards program – the loyalty membership for Woolworths, Big W, BWS and select Ampol locations – can choose to earn Qantas Points rather than discounts.
To redeem, simply switch your redemption preference to Qantas Points in the Everyday Rewards app and you’ll earn 1,000 Qantas Points for every 2,000 Everyday Rewards points accumulated.
Members can also use the app’s features, such as Boosts or special offers, to accumulate points up to six times quicker.
Everyday Extra members, Everyday Rewards’ paid program, will earn points twice as fast as they earn double the Rewards points and have access to exclusive offers.
Qantas has partnered with BP to offer up to two Qantas Points for every litre purchased of BP Ultimate Unleaded and one point for every litre of other fuel
Walking
Whether it’s running errands or a regular afternoon stroll, any kind of movement can earn you Qantas Points on the airline’s Wellbeing app.
Once downloaded, the app will record how many steps you take every day and reward you with points for meeting movement goals.
Additional points can also be earned by completing quizzes under the app’s ‘Check-up’ sections. These include prompts to check your vehicle’s brakes, fire alarm batteries and blood pressure. Each questionnaire earns up to 15 Qantas Points.
Using up your leftovers
Qantas has partnered with food waste reduction company Saveful to reward Frequent Flyers for using up their leftovers.
The free app allows users to search for recipes using the ingredients they already have.
To redeem Qantas Points, Saveful users need to link their app to their Frequent Flyers accounts and complete four weekly in-app surveys to earn 100 points.
Linking Frequent Flyers and Saveful also puts users one step closer to Qantas’ Green Tier – which includes a reward of choosing either 50 Status Credits, 10,000 Qantas Points, or to offset three tonnes of carbon emissions.
Members of the Everyday Rewards program – the loyalty membership for Woolworths, Big W, BWS and select Ampol locations – can choose to earn Qantas Points rather than discounts
Users of the Qantas Wellbeing app can earn Qantas Points for meeting their movement goals
Online shopping
Frequent Flyers members can download Qantas’ free web extension called the Points-Prompter which will alert users when they could be earning points.
When searching for products online, results in Google will show how many points can be earned by purchasing the same product through Qantas shopping.
A similar prompt will also appear when shopping on one of Qantas’ partner stores – such as Country Road, Apple, Jeanswest and more.
The extension is available for Chrome, Firefox or Safari.
Credit cards
While it requires a bit more effort than our other point-earning hacks, Qantas has partnered with a range of banks to offer credit cards with Qantas Points perks.
The card with the highest earning potential is the ANZ Frequent Flyer Black with up to 130,000 Qantas Points up for grabs for an annual fee of $425.
Several cards also offer complimentary access to Qantas lounges – including the CommBank Ultimate Awards credit card, which offers two lounge visits and can earn a rate of up to 1.2 Qantas Points per $1 spent.
To browse all the credit cards that offer Qantas perks, check the Frequent Flyers website.
Uber offers Frequent Flyers members Qantas Points for rides to and from select major airports
Getting to the airport
Uber offers Frequent Flyers members Qantas Points for rides to and from select major airports.
Reserved rides are worth one point for every $1 spent, while normal rides are valued at one point for every $2 spent.
To start earning, users must link their Uber account to their Frequent Flyers account and can book eligible rides through either app.
M+ BONUS ARTICLE: Confessions of a flight attendant – Secret rules that determine who gets stellar service on a flight and who gets ‘accidentally’ hit by the trolley
By Neil Simpson
Have you ever wondered what happens on the other side of the galley curtain on your holiday flight? Want to know why some passengers get five-star service (‘another gin for later, sir?’) while others get their elbows ‘accidentally’ bashed by each passing drinks trolley?
Then welcome to the secret world of flight attendants – and I should know because I used to be a member of the cabin crew of a well-known national carrier.
Here are the secret codes, pet hates and top perks, plus what to do for better service and free champagne.
We’re watching you
Just remember that you’re being watched from the moment you step on board.
‘We checked you in and we check you out,’ says one of my former flight attendant colleagues. Gossip in the galley focuses on the best-looking or most charming, with crew keen to pick their ‘BOB’ (‘Best on Board’).
Earn BOB status and get a pleasant surprise. ‘If I say: “You left this in the galley, sir,” I’m probably giving my BOB a duty-free bag full of free champagne from up front,’ says Jennie.
Top tip to be a BOB? It’s about behaviour, not just looks. ‘If we need someone to move so a tricky family can sit together we’ll go the extra mile for anyone who helps,’ one crew member tells me.
Being polite can only get you so far when striving for an upgrade because big spenders often fill the available seats
Want an upgrade?
‘Can you collect your bag and follow me?’ They’re the words to hear before being led through the curtain to a better cabin.
But on-board upgrades are rare – even if you’re famous. Even VIPs are now overlooked in favour of big-spending CIPs (Commercially Important People). Often top travel agents’ computers select CIPs for better seats before boarding begins.
Once onboard, there are few things that can swing an upgrade.
‘Claim it’s your birthday, honeymoon or you’ve got a bad leg and we can only offer an extra drink,’ says a crew member.
Nowadays even a broken TV screen may only get you vouchers off future flights.
Bad passengers
Behave badly and crew can take revenge. They may all stumble and bang into the back of one seat as they walk by – particularly effective on night flights when the passenger is trying to sleep.
Crew may hand a person a can of drink shaken in the galley and ready to explode. Or they may get shaky hands at key seats.
‘I’m trained to work in turbulence so if I spill something it’s on purpose,’ says my old colleague.
Working for hours on end in the sky can be stressful enough without rude passengers making things worse
Flying coffins
Not seen your favourite crew member for a while? They’re probably asleep in a coffin.
That’s because long-haul planes have crew rest quarters hidden behind ‘secret’ doors most passengers miss. Climb the ladder behind the door (often next to a toilet in economy) to find rows of bunks above the cabin ceiling.
After the first meal, half the crew take first break then swap with the others.
But don’t be jealous because the bunks look like coffins and claustrophobic crew ‘hate them’.
Party time
Conventional wisdom says cabin crew party hard, and layover hotels do tend to be of a good standard – usually with pools and bars.
But the reality is less racy.
‘We’re permanently jet-lagged so while young crew like to say, “What happens in layover hotels stays in layover hotels,” most of us just want to sleep.’
It’s also wrong to assume two crew who call each other ‘babe’ all flight are a couple.
‘Crews normally meet for the first time at the pre-flight briefing and never fly together again,’ says a flight attendant.
‘I call everyone “babe” because I can never remember names.’
