Qantas raised Classic Reward prices and overhauled status in 2026. Here’s what changed, what your points are worth now, and how to sell a balance you’re not using.
Qantas Frequent Flyer went nearly six years without touching its Classic Reward pricing — then changed that on August 5, 2025, with increases of 5-20% across the board. It’s the kind of shift that quietly resets the math on a points balance without anyone announcing “your points are now worth less,” but the numbers say it plainly enough:
None of this is a one-off correction — it’s a program resetting its award pricing after years of holding steady, and there’s no signal it’s the last adjustment Qantas makes this cycle.
There’s no single number, because Qantas points pay out wildly differently depending on redemption type. As of August 2026, realistic value runs from under 1 cent to roughly 8 cents per point, roughly in this order from best to worst:
If you’re not booking upgrades or long-haul business awards — and most people with a Qantas balance aren’t, because those redemptions require specific planning, saver-level availability, and often significant carrier charges paid in cash — your realistic value sits much closer to the low end of that range than the headline “8 cents” number suggests.
Separately from the pricing changes, Qantas is making the biggest change to its status program in company history: Points Club and Green Tier are being retired in late 2026, replaced by a system that lets members earn up to 140 Status Credits a year without flying at all, spread across ten everyday spending categories.
If you’re not actively chasing status — if your Qantas points came from a card sign-up bonus or a trip a few years back and you haven’t flown Qantas since — this overhaul doesn’t help you. It’s built for active, engaged members, and it’s one more sign the program is being actively re-engineered around people who fly and spend on Qantas regularly, not around a balance that’s been parked and forgotten.
Qantas Frequent Flyer points build up from flying, from Qantas-linked credit cards (a common way to earn a large one-time balance through a welcome bonus), and from partner transfers. A lot of US-based members in particular end up with a Qantas balance through a card bonus or an Amex Membership Rewards transfer, without a realistic path to actually flying Qantas often enough to use the points at good value — Qantas’s best redemptions lean heavily on routes and partners that aren’t the most convenient option for someone based outside Australia.
If that’s your situation — a Qantas balance sitting there since a sign-up bonus, worth less after the August 2025 price increase, without a specific Australia or long-haul trip actually on the calendar — a points balance you’ll likely redeem at the low end of the value range isn’t doing much for you compared to a fixed cash offer today.
Qantas points are one of the airline currencies we buy; select Qantas on the quote form, or see what we buy in airline miles generally. You can also message us directly on WhatsApp for a fast, no-obligation number.
The increase actually took effect August 5, 2025 and is still in force through 2026 — Classic Flight Reward prices went up 5-20%, the first such increase since 2019.
Anywhere from under 1 cent to around 8 cents, depending on redemption type. Upgrades and business-class Classic Rewards sit at the top of that range; store redemptions sit at the bottom.
Yes — both are being retired in late 2026 as part of the biggest status overhaul in the program’s history, replaced by a system that lets members earn Status Credits without flying.
Yes. You’re selling points directly to us; get a quote through the instant-quote form and we’ll walk you through verification and payout from wherever you’re based.
Cash For My Miles buys Qantas Frequent Flyer points directly from members. You’re selling your own points — no fees taken from your payout. This article is general information, not financial or travel advice; Qantas program terms and award pricing can change at any time.
