Plus, get one status credit for every 5,000 points transferred.
Qantas Frequent Flyer is now running a targeted promotion offering either 15% or 25% more points when you transfer them from your credit card to QFF. Plus, you will get 1 status credit for every 5,000 points transferred.
The promotion runs from 1 Nov to 30 Nov.
Details
For those who have transferred credit card points to Qantas Frequent Flyer points before, you should have received an email for this promotion.
Simply transfer points from your credit card rewards points to Qantas between 1 Nov and 30 Nov 9pm Singapore Time (12am AEDT), and the airline will add the bonus points after.
The bonus comes at two tiers:
- Under 299,999 Qantas points – 15% bonus
- 300,000 Qantas points & above – 25% bonus
The bonus points will be credited up to 15 days after the end of the promo period, i.e. by 15 December. All partial bonus points will be rounded up to the nearest whole point.
In addition, Qantas is also offering status credits for transfer of points. For every 5,000 points transferred, members will receive 1 status credit, up to a maximum of 150 status credits (i.e. 750,000 points transferred).
Note that this earning ratio is before factoring in the bonus points, so for instance if you are transferring 250,000 Citi ThankYou points to 100,000 Qantas points, you will only receive 15,000 bonus Qantas points and 20 status credits (not 23 status credits).
This is one of the rare times where you can actually earn status credits without having to fly. While the status credits earned this way don’t count towards any loyalty bonuses, they still count towards lifetime status credits.
According to Qantas, the points must be credited to QFF within the promotional period to qualify for the bonuses and status credits, so it’s best to transfer early if you want to take advantage of this promotion.
Note: According to the terms and conditions, this is supposed to be a targeted promotion, so your mileage may vary.
Which banks transfer to QFF?
There are only four banks in Singapore that transfer to Qantas Frequent Flyer:
| Bank | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
| American Express* | 450 MR points to 250 Qantas Points |
| Citibank | 25,000 ThankYou points to 10,000 Qantas Points 10,000 Citi Miles to 10,000 Qantas Points |
| DBS | 5,000 DBS points to 10,000 Qantas Points |
| Standard Chartered | 2.5 360° Rewards Points to 1 Qantas Point (min 2,500 360° Rewards Points) |
*excluding Singapore Airlines-branded cards
Is this a good promo?
Not really. Qantas has previously offered higher bonuses of up to 40% bonus for points transferred to QFF. Standard Chartered ran a limited offer that ended just last month, giving out 1,400 Qantas points for every 2,500 360° Rewards Points transferred.
Another major problem with Qantas Frequent Flyer programme is the relative less appealing award rates and high surcharges for redemptions.
For instance, these are the miles, fees and charges for redeeming a ticket for a one-way business class seat from Singapore to Sydney on various airlines & programmes:
| Programme | Operating Airline | Miles required | Surcharge | Taxes | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | Qantas | 68,400 | S$128.20 | S$73.10 | S$201.30 |
| Asia Miles | Qantas | 61,000 | ~S$145 | ~S$73 | S$228 |
| British Airways Executive Club | Qantas | 62,000 | N.A. | N.A. | S$103.40 |
| British Airways Executive Club | British Airways | 50,000 (off-peak) | N.A. | N.A. | S$331.63 |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore Airlines | 62,000 | N.A. | S$77.30 | S$77.30 |
As you can see, Qantas charges the most number of points required on top of quite a hefty surcharge & taxes. While British Airways charges significantly less number of Avios required, the fees did stack up significantly, eroding any savings from using less miles. You get the best value out of Singapore Airlines in this instance, assuming if you already have the miles to begin with.
Even with the transfer promotion, the savings is hardly worth the additional cash you have to dole out in fees. While you effectively save between 9,000-13,600 points (about 13% or 20% depending on how much bonus you received) for a Singapore-Sydney business class redemption, you will in return have to fork out an additionl $120+ if you compare it to a Singapore Airlines redemption.
One of the few upsides to having Qantas points is their use on Emirates. Emirates has most recent announced that it will no longer make its first class inventory available to most partners, reserving it for Emirates Skywards members only and the most strategic partners. Following that announcement, Qantas confirmed that the Emirates first class award tickets are still available to Qantas Frequent Flyer members, so this is where Qantas points are somewhat still relevant.
Final thoughts
This is one promotion that we think you shouldn’t lose sleep over. Since Qantas Frequent Flyer began expanding its transfer partners locally, there has always been some kind of promotion that offer bonus points on top of the base transfer ratios.
In addition, Qantas points are only valuable in very specific circumstances. Qantas has culled most international flights until at leaast March 2021, so transferring them pre-emptively may also not be the best choice for now.
Shanescape 