Qantas Points
for Family Travel

Until a few years ago, points collecting seemed like an overly complicated, slightly scammy concept to me. I couldn’t understand how people were flying overseas for next to nothing, and I assumed there must be a catch. Then we earned 300,000 Qantas Points in nine months, and it changed how we travel as a family.

How we got started with points collecting

The change began when a friend told me her family of five had flown from Australia to the US and back, paying little more than the taxes on their flights. Her husband had signed up for a selection of credit cards, put their everyday expenses on them, paid them off in full and cancelled them before moving on to the next offer.

Naturally, we had to investigate.

How we earned 300,000 Qantas Points in nine months

With a little time and research, we became hooked. It might seem overwhelming at the start, but once you get the hang of points collecting and the mindset behind it, it becomes second nature. We started with NAB, moved on to ANZ and then an American Express Qantas card. We chose our sign-up offers carefully and met the minimum spending requirements with expenses we would have had anyway. In just nine months, that added up to 300,000 Qantas Points.

Those points helped fund our family flights to Los Angeles. Flights that would otherwise have cost around $10,000 ended up costing approximately $1,200 in taxes. That’s a saving of roughly $8,800, and it made a big family trip to America far more achievable.

That’s the real appeal of points collecting for us. It isn’t about getting something for nothing. It’s about making expensive family travel possible for a fraction of the usual cost.

Is points collecting worth it for families?

Australia’s credit card rewards market isn’t quite as lucrative as the US, but there are still excellent ways to earn Qantas Points without dramatically changing your spending habits. With a little organisation, you can turn everyday expenses into flights that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars.

For us, points have become one of the ways we make family travel more achievable. With the cost of living continuing to rise, they have helped us keep showing our girls the world without quite the same hit to the family budget.

Our top tips for how to earn Qantas Points in Australia

If you’re wondering where to start, here are my top tips for getting started.

1. Compare Qantas Points credit card sign-up bonuses

The biggest opportunity to earn Qantas Points quickly is often through credit card sign-up bonuses. Rather than slowly accumulating points through everyday spending, you can potentially earn tens of thousands of points from a single credit card application.

Offers vary considerably between cards and change regularly, so compare the total bonus, minimum spending requirement and timeframe for qualifying. Also check whether you’re eligible, as some banks restrict bonus points for customers who have held one of their cards recently.

Our own points journey started with NAB, followed by ANZ and then an American Express Qantas card. The important thing was choosing suitable offers and understanding the eligibility rules before applying.

If you’re hoping to use points for family flights, it helps to have a destination in mind from the beginning. Four reward seats require considerably more points than one, so work backwards from your travel plans when deciding how many points you need.

2. Look beyond the points

Points aren’t the only benefit worth considering when comparing credit cards.

Depending on the card, additional perks might include airport lounge access, travel credits, complimentary travel insurance or hotel loyalty benefits. These can be particularly useful when travelling with children.

Airport lounge access, for example, can make a long stopover considerably more pleasant when you’re travelling as a family. Travel insurance may also be valuable, although it’s important to check the policy wording, eligibility requirements and coverage limits before relying on it.

Just make sure you understand the conditions attached to each benefit. A travel credit you are unlikely to use isn’t worth as much as it might initially appear.

3. Keep an eye on annual fees

Credit cards with generous sign-up bonuses often come with annual fees, so factor these into your calculations.

Before applying, work out whether the points and additional benefits are likely to outweigh the cost of holding the card. Set a reminder to review the card before the next annual fee falls due.

It can also be worth asking the provider whether any retention offers or alternative benefits are available when you contact them about cancelling. Don’t assume you’ll receive an offer, but it’s worth asking.

Occasionally, related products or bank accounts may come with additional offers. Check the eligibility criteria and any ongoing fees before signing up.

The aim is to earn points efficiently, not accumulate a collection of expensive financial products you don’t need.

4. Plan your next credit card application

Many banks have eligibility rules that prevent you from receiving another sign-up bonus if you’ve held one of their cards within a specified period.

Keep track of which cards you’ve held, when you opened and cancelled them, and when you might become eligible for another bonus.

Read the terms carefully before applying. Holding a different card from the same provider doesn’t automatically mean you’ll qualify for another sign-up bonus.

I recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet with the card provider, application date, annual fee, minimum spending requirement, bonus points, cancellation date and earliest potential reapplication date.

It takes very little time to maintain and can help you avoid missing deadlines or applying for cards when you aren’t eligible.

5. Never spend more just to earn Qantas Points

This is probably the most important rule of all.

Points collecting only makes financial sense if you’re earning rewards on spending you would have done anyway. If you spend an extra $500 to earn a bonus, those points could end up costing you far more than they are worth.

We use credit cards for ordinary expenses that we would otherwise pay for, and pay the balance in full by the due date.

For families, this might include groceries, school expenses, insurance premiums, utilities and other regular household costs, provided the relevant provider accepts your card without excessive fees.

Credit card interest can quickly wipe out the value of any points you earn. If you tend to carry a balance, a rewards credit card may cost you more than it gives back.

Think of points as a bonus on your existing spending, rather than a reason to spend more.

6. Take advantage of Qantas Points bonus offers

Credit card sign-up bonuses are only one part of the equation. Qantas Frequent Flyer and its partners also offer opportunities to earn additional points through promotions.

These might include bonus points on selected shopping, wine purchases or other products and services. Energy providers and other businesses may also offer points for signing up or referring customers.

It’s worth keeping an eye out for offers that fit your existing spending habits. If you’re already planning to purchase something, a bonus points offer might make one retailer or provider more attractive than another.

The key is to compare the total cost rather than getting carried away by the number of points advertised. An expensive purchase doesn’t suddenly become a bargain because it comes with bonus points.

7. Link your everyday spending to rewards programs

Another easy win is making sure your existing spending is connected to relevant loyalty programs.

Supermarket rewards, airline shopping portals and hotel loyalty schemes can all provide additional opportunities to earn points. Depending on the arrangement, you may be able to earn credit card points while also earning rewards through a shopping or loyalty program.

For example, you might earn points through an eligible credit card payment while also collecting rewards through a participating retailer.

Hotel loyalty programs such as Accor Live Limitless are worth investigating if you regularly stay with participating properties. Hotel rewards can be particularly useful when planning family holidays, where accommodation is often a significant part of the budget.

Check which programs can be combined and whether doing so actually improves the value you receive. Not every transaction qualifies for multiple rewards.

8. Business owners may have more opportunities

If you run a business, it’s worth investigating business credit cards and their associated rewards programs.

Depending on your circumstances, business cards may offer higher sign-up bonuses, different earn rates or access to a wider selection of products than personal cards.

Business expenses can also make it easier to meet minimum spending requirements, provided those expenses would have occurred anyway.

There are important differences between personal and business cards, including fees, eligibility requirements and tax or accounting considerations. Make sure the arrangement is appropriate for your business and circumstances.

For business owners with substantial regular expenses, this can be a particularly useful area to explore.

9. Understand what your Qantas Points are worth

Earning 300,000 Qantas Points sounds impressive, but their real value depends on how you use them. Recent estimates put a Qantas Point at roughly 1.3 to 2.6 cents on economy flights and 2 to 7 cents in business class (Finder, October 2026). Business class can offer particularly good value when cash fares are expensive, although you need more points per seat and availability can be limited.

The easiest way to see what a redemption is worth is to work out its value per point. Here is how:

1. Find the cash price of the flight you want to book.
2. Check how many points the same flight costs, and how much you would still pay in taxes and fees.
3. Subtract the taxes and fees from the cash price.
4. Divide the result by the points required, then multiply by 100 to get cents per point.

For example, Point Hacks works through a $400 flight booked with 20,000 points plus $60 in charges. Take the $60 off the $400 to get $340, then divide by 20,000 points. That is 1.7 cents per point.

Compare that number with what you would get from other options. Your result is the figure to weigh against the cash price, and the higher it is, the better the redemption.

There is no official minimum value that makes every redemption worthwhile, so it helps to set your own benchmark based on your travel plans and what you would otherwise pay. Ours was around 1.7 cents per point, which we used as a rough guide rather than a hard rule. For context, that is a little above the 1.6 cents Point Hacks uses as its benchmark for Qantas Points. Your own number may well be different.

Also remember that reward seats are not always available on the flights you want, which brings us to the next tip.

10. Book early, and be realistic about premium cabins

Reward seat availability is limited, so timing is imperative. Qantas releases reward seats about 353 days before departure, and the best availability is almost always there on the day a flight first opens for booking. If you have a trip in mind, count back 353 days from your departure date, put that date in your calendar and be ready to book on the day. This matters even more for a family of four or more. You need enough reward seats on the same flight, not just one or two, and the popular school holiday dates are often the first to go.

Premium cabins are where it gets hard. Business and first class usually give the best value per point, but there are only a handful of reward seats in those cabins on each flight. Finding four seats together for a family is often impossible. If you’re dreaming of flying up the front as a family, treat it as a lovely bonus rather than the plan, and be flexible with your dates.

11. Book Classic Flight Rewards

When you book with points, choose Classic Flight Rewards every time. They’re marked in red on the Qantas website, and they’re the best value on offer because the points required are fixed and usually the lowest you’ll find. Classic Plus Flight Rewards, marked in blue, sit in the middle. They cost more points, but they can be worth considering on Qantas flights when there are no Classic Rewards seats left. Points Plus Pay is the one to avoid. It lets you cover part of a flight with points and the rest with cash, which sounds flexible, but your points are converted at a much lower value, so it’s rarely a good use of a hard-earned balance.

Be prepared to pay taxes and charges on top of your points, even with a Classic Reward. These vary a lot depending on your route and the airline. On international flights, Qantas tends to be steep compared with many of its competitors, so check the total before you commit. Our flights to Los Angeles cost around $1,200 in taxes for the family, which was still a huge saving, but it’s a number to plan for.

It’s also worth looking at the partner airlines you can sometimes book with Qantas Points. Depending on the route, their taxes and charges can be lower, so compare the points and cash cost of both options before you book. Availability on partners varies and can change, so check the Qantas website for the airlines currently on offer.

12. Don’t hoard your points forever

It can be tempting to keep accumulating points in the hope of eventually booking an incredible trip. But points are a depreciating asset in the sense that loyalty programs can change their redemption rates, availability and terms over time.

A balance that looks generous today may not go as far in a few years.

I prefer to have a clear idea of what we’re saving for and to use our points when a good opportunity comes along, rather than endlessly chasing a bigger balance.

The one exception is when we have more points than we can realistically spend on our immediate plans. In that case, I may be willing to accept a slightly lower redemption value rather than leave points sitting unused for years. A luxury problem, I know!

Ultimately, the best redemption is one that helps you take a trip you genuinely want to take, at a cost that makes sense for your family.

13. Install a browser extension to find extra points

One of the easiest ways to earn a few extra points is to make sure you aren’t missing opportunities when shopping online.

Qantas has a browser extension called Points-Prompter, which helps identify participating retailers offering Qantas Points.

This tool can help you spot opportunities without having to remember to check rewards websites every time you shop. You can find the Qantas Shopping Points-Prompter on the Qantas Shopping website.

It’s a small habit, but if you’re already shopping online, it’s worth checking whether you could be earning points at the same time. Just check the current availability and terms of the tool before relying on it.

General advice warning: This article is general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before applying for any credit card, consider whether it is right for you and read the product disclosure statement and terms and conditions. Credit cards can be costly if you do not pay your balance in full each month, and offers, fees and points values change often, so always check the current details with the provider. We are not financial advisers.