Qantas reward value map
Every international Classic Flight Reward out of Australia, updated every two hours.
Every cell is a seat that was there at the last check. The number is the fewest points that month, the code is the airline, the small figure is the cash you still pay. The stamp, such as "6d · 2h", is the days with seats and how long since the check. An empty cell means no seat. With Return on, a cell also needs a seat home, and the price is both legs. Click a cell for every airline, the days, and the links to book.
A Classic Reward is only a bargain if the seat exists, and the seats arrive on each airline's own rhythm. Qantas no longer drips them out 353 days ahead. Its premium long-haul seats now land in batches, often one to three months before departure, and go within hours. The release day rolls over at midnight GMT, which is ten in the morning on the east coast and eleven in daylight saving.
| Airline | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Qantas | Premium seats in batches one to three months out. Economy trickles out all year. A handful of far-out seats show to Gold and Platinum members first. |
| Jetstar | The steady supply on leisure routes, often the fewest points on the page. |
| Japan Airlines | Loads seats months ahead and keeps fees low. |
| Cathay Pacific | Releases steadily, with business more common a few months out. |
| Malaysia Airlines | The most dependable business supply to Asia. |
| China Airlines, Philippine Airlines, SriLankan, LATAM | Release steadily across the year, with light fees. |
| Fiji Airways | Releases well ahead, business included. |
| American Airlines | Opens business seats within about a month of departure, with light fees. |
| Emirates | Opens premium seats inside a month of departure. Its fees are the highest here. |
| Qatar Airways | Business opens to Qantas members about three days before departure. |
| British Airways | Seats appear months ahead, but its fees eat most of the value. |
How early your status lets you book
On its own long-haul flights, Qantas opens premium Classic seats by status. Partner seats carry no such wait.
| Status | Days before departure |
|---|---|
| Bronze | 297 |
| Silver | 323 |
| Gold, Platinum and Platinum One | 353 |
Hatched cells on the map are months Bronze and Silver members cannot book yet on Qantas premium cabins. The card gives the dates they open.
How the score works
Cents per point
The cash fare for the same seat, minus the fees you still pay, divided by the points. Under 1.2 cents a seat is worse than Classic Plus and never shows, so the map starts at 1.2. Ordinary economy lands between 1.2 and 1.8. A good economy seat on a peak date reaches 2.6. The finds sit above that, and nearly all of them are business or first. Colour on the map always shows this number, whatever you rank by.
Bargain
Classic Plus prices a seat at one cent a point in economy and 1.25 cents in premium cabins, so a $1,200 fare costs about 120,000 points. The same Tokyo seat as a Classic Reward costs 36,200. Bargain is that ratio, 3.3 in this case. It is why the same route can show 36,200 one day and 120,000 the next on the Qantas site.
All-in cost
Your points priced at 1.5 cents each, plus the fees. One number to hold against a cash ticket. 1.5 cents is the middle of what the frequent flyer press values a Qantas Point at.
Fees
The Passenger Movement Charge, airport charges, and the Qantas carrier charge for the route, which reaches $525 a seat in business to Europe or the United States. Partner fees follow each airline. Japan Airlines and American are light. Emirates and British Airways are heavy. Return figures add the way home, and London adds UK Air Passenger Duty on top.
Fee guard
A reward seat is worthless when the cash side is most of the ticket. Melbourne to Tokyo in July shows Japan Airlines at 43,500 points plus $615 beside Qantas at 36,200 plus $179, and Jetstar sells the same trip for cash at about the price of those Japan Airlines fees. So one rule applies before anything reaches the map. Fees over a third of the cash fare are out, in every cabin. Under that line the fees are already charged against the value figure, so $680 on a $4,700 business fare costs about half a cent a point and ranks on what is left. The month panel lists what was left out and why.
Where you start
Qantas prices a one-carrier journey on its total distance when the connection is under 24 hours, so an Adelaide connection through Melbourne often adds no points at all. Brisbane to Tokyo sits a zone under Sydney to Tokyo. Cards say when a connection is free and when it lifts you a zone.
Cash fares
Cash fares are estimates. Each destination carries a typical one-way fare per cabin, moved up and down by month for school holidays, Christmas, cherry blossom, ski season and the European summer. The Cash fares button on each card opens a live search so you can replace the estimate with today's number.