Qantas Business Rewards offers Australian businesses an opportunity to turn everyday expenses like flights, fuel, and accommodation into valuable Qantas Points.
These points can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and other rewards, helping businesses save on travel costs and reward their employees.
This guide explores how Qantas Business Rewards works and provides a detailed comparison with Virgin Australia Business Flyer to help you make an informed decision for your business.
What is Qantas Business Rewards?
Qantas Business Rewards is a loyalty program that enables businesses to earn Qantas Points and then turn them into rewards such as flights, business upgrades, and Qantas Club memberships.
Employees can also earn their own points alongside the business, providing a dual benefit. The program is available to any business with an ABN, and while the one-off joining fee is $89.50, this is typically waived during promotions.
How Qantas Business Rewards works
Earning points on flights
Businesses can earn up to 40 Qantas Points per 100 points earned by employees on eligible Qantas and Jetstar flights. Additionally, businesses can enjoy up to 10% flight discounts, depending on their membership tier.
Earning points through partners
Businesses earn points on a variety of expenses beyond flights, including 1 point per litre of fuel at BP, 3 points per dollar spent with Avis, and up to 6 points per dollar at Qantas Hotels. This provides ample opportunities for businesses to accumulate points on everyday expenses.
Redeeming points
Points can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, or Qantas Club memberships. For instance, a business-class flight from Sydney to Los Angeles requires 108,400 Qantas Points on Qantas (excluding carrier charges). Long-haul premium cabin flights and upgrades typically offer the maximum value when using Qantas points.
Maximising points with Qantas Wine and Qantas Hotels
In addition to flights, Qantas Business Rewards provides businesses with opportunities to earn points through non-flight purchases. Two key purchase categories are Qantas Wine and Qantas Hotels.
Earning with Qantas Wine
Qantas Wine allows businesses to earn 3 points per dollar spent on wine, spirits, and gourmet food. This can be a particularly lucrative option during promotions that offer bonus points.
Let’s take a look at an example – earning points on a $300 case of wine
- Base Points: $300 × 3 points/dollar = 900 points
- Bonus Points: If there’s a promotion offering 10,000 bonus points, you’d earn an additional 10,000 points
- Total Points Earned: 10,900 points
If we value points at a low, ballpark 1.5 cents per point, these 10,900 points earned through a Qantas Wine purchase would be worth approximately $163.50 when redeemed for flights. This effectively reduces the cost of the wine purchase from $300 to $136.50.
Earning with Qantas Hotels
Booking accommodation through Qantas Hotels offers up to 6 points per dollar spent. This can represent an easy way for businesses that frequently book travel accommodation to accumulate points.
For example, a $1,000 accommodation spend would earn 6,000 points, which could later be redeemed for flights or upgrades.
Cost-value analysis for Qantas points redemptions
Understanding the value of the points you collect is crucial to maximising business or personal travel savings. Earlier in this article, we’ve assigned a ballpark value of 1.5 cents per Qantas point. However, as the table below shows, depending on your redemption strategy, the value that can be extracted from each point is often much higher.
Here’s a breakdown of the points required for common redemptions, using ballpark approximate costs to calculate a value per point:
| Redemption option | Points required | Approx. value in AUD | Value per point (cents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Class Domestic Flight (Sydney to Melbourne) | 8,000 Points | $150 | 1.88 |
| Business Class Upgrade (Sydney to Melbourne) | 27,000 Points | $600 | 2.22 |
| Business Class Long-Haul Flight (Sydney to LA with Qantas) | 108,400 Points | $7,000 (excluding carrier charges) | 6.46 |
This table illustrates how to extract maximum value from your Qantas Points, particularly when used for business-class flights.
Qantas Business Rewards vs. Virgin Australia Business Flyer
Both Qantas and Virgin Australia offer business airline loyalty programs, and savvy businesses should carefully consider both programs to see how they stack up.
Here’s a detailed comparison between Qantas Business Rewards and Virgin Australia Business Flyer, including points earning rates and redemptions.
| Category | Qantas Business Rewards | Virgin Australia Business Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | Up to 40 Qantas Points per 100 points earned by employees | 5 Velocity Points per dollar on Virgin Australia flights |
| Fuel | 1 point per litre at BP | 2 points per litre at BP and Shell |
| Car Hire | 3 points per dollar with Avis | 3 points per dollar with Avis |
| Accommodation | 6 points per dollar with Qantas Hotels | 3 points per dollar with select hotel partners |
| Office Supplies | Earn points on Officeworks purchases | Not available |
Flight Redemption Comparison
| Route | Qantas Business Rewards (Qantas Points) | Virgin Australia Business Flyer (Velocity Points) |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney to Melbourne (Economy) | 8,000 points | From 5,800 points |
| Sydney to Melbourne (Business) | 27,000 points | 15,500 points |
| Sydney to Los Angeles (Business) | 108,400 points | 113,000 points (on United Airlines) |
| Sydney to Auckland (Economy) | 18,000 points | 17,800 points |
Analysis: While Qantas and Virgin Australia offer similar rates for economy redemptions, with Virgin Australia offering some lower priced seats. Virgin Australia typically offers better redemption rates for business-class upgrades on domestic routes. However, Qantas typically provides better value for long-haul business-class redemptions on their own flights, particularly for premium international travel.
Flight Discounts
| Tier | Qantas Business Rewards | Virgin Australia Business Flyer |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 / Tier 1 | Up to 6% off flights | Up to 2% off flights |
| Level 2 / Tier 2 | Up to 9% off flights | Up to 4% off flights |
| Level 3 / Tier 3 | Up to 10% off flights | Up to 6% off flights |
So which program is best for business?
Both Qantas Business Rewards and Virgin Australia Business Flyer offer substantial benefits for small to medium-sized business entities, but the right choice depends on your business’s travel needs:
- Qantas Business Rewards may be better suited for businesses with high-volume travel, offering broader partner networks, better long-haul flight redemptions, and higher flight discounts.
- Virgin Australia Business Flyer may be more suitable for smaller businesses or those focusing on domestic routes, thanks to its lower points requirements for domestic redemptions and competitive fuel partner earning rates.
By carefully considering your business’s spending habits and travel needs, either program can provide significant savings and rewards.
Conclusion
Qantas Business Rewards can offer a rewarding way for businesses to leverage everyday expenses and transform them into valuable points that can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and more.
The program’s extensive partner network, ranging from fuel, and accommodation to office supplies, ensures that businesses can accumulate points across a variety of spending categories, enhancing the overall value of the program.
For businesses with frequent domestic or international travel, the ability to earn substantial points on flights, combined with tier-based discounts, makes it an attractive option. Qantas Business Rewards is particularly advantageous for businesses looking to maximise value on long-haul travel and business-class upgrades, as well as for those seeking more diverse opportunities to earn points through partners like Qantas Wine and Qantas Hotels.
