Qantas is offering 25% bonus points and up to 150 bonus status credits to selected frequent flyers that transfer credit or charge card reward points to Qantas Frequent Flyer by 30 June 2020.
The targeted offer has been sent to Qantas Frequent Flyer members that have transferred points to Qantas in the past. Members that are eligible for this offer would have received an email on Wednesday, 27 May.
As part of this offer, Qantas will award 1 bonus status credit for every 5,000 points transferred to Qantas (excluding bonus points), up to a maximum of 150 status credits. To earn the maximum possible status credits for this offer, you would need to transfer at least 750,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points to the program. That’s the equivalent of 1.5 million Amex Membership Rewards points, if transferring from that program at a 2:1 conversion rate.
The simultaneous offer of 25% bonus Qantas points applies to transfers of any amount. This is unusual, because in previous offers Qantas has offered only a smaller amount of bonus points on transfers of lower amounts.
This offer only applies when transferring points from a credit card rewards program; co-branded Qantas cards that automatically earn Qantas points are not eligible. In Australia, the only credit card rewards program that allows transfers to Qantas Frequent Flyer is Amex Membership Rewards Ascent Premium, which is only available to Amex Platinum and Centurion charge cardholders. But many more overseas credit card rewards programs allow point transfers to Qantas Frequent Flyer, such as Citi ThankYou & Capital One Venture Rewards in the USA.
As part of the offer terms & conditions, bonus status credits will not count towards any Loyalty Bonuses, Platinum or Platinum One bonus rewards, nor Qantas Status Accelerator challenges. Qantas says that the bonus points & status credits will post within 15 days of the end of this offer, which would be around mid-July.
If you’re eligible for this offer, you should consider whether you think you’ll have an opportunity to use any Qantas Frequent Flyer points transferred. Transfers cannot be reversed, and you’ll no longer have the option of transferring those points to other airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates or Etihad in the future.
To encourage transfers at this uncertain time, Qantas says it will waive all change & cancellation fees on Classic Flight Reward bookings until 31 October 2020.
Bring on a Virgin status match. I’d say it’s more a matter of when rather than if.