It’s crazy to think that you could fly from Sydney to Tokyo, in business class, and can save 59,000 American Express Membership Rewards points1, simply by transferring your points to the right frequent flyer program.
Savvy point spenders will know that Qantas is rarely the best place to redeem miles, but it’s not as widely known as it should be. Below we explain four simple but crucial flight redemption hacks that will elevate you from points rookie to pro, ensuring maximum value from your Membership Rewards balance.
But first – think back to the last time you booked a Qantas seat with Qantas points. Did you have any idea that – because of the OneWorld alliance – you could have nabbed the same seat, on the same plane, by strategically transferring your Membership Rewards points to another partner airline of Qantas? This is possibly the most important hack for Qantas-loving Australians and an essential piece of knowledge needed for the wisdom imparted later in this article.
The redemption rates in this article are current as of publishing on 14/3/25.
Flying with Avios (via Qatar Airways)1
In 2022, Qatar Airways Privilege Club dropped ‘Qmiles’ also adopted the Avios ecosystem utilised by British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling – all part of the International Airlines Group. The best thing about this is the ability to link your British Airways Executive Club account to pool and swap Avios and make use of British Airways’ excellent redemption searching and value.
Since Qatar Airways switched to Avios, there has been an increase in Business Class reward seat availability across the network.
Qatar’s Business Class product is well known as one of the very best in the world (particularly if you’re lucky enough to fly their Q-Suites product), but notoriously challenging to book with Qantas or Velocity Points. The trick here is, if you have American Express Membership Rewards points, you can transfer your points to Qatar Avios Miles. Fortunately, Qatar makes it much easier to book using Avios, and you can book a one-way business class fare from Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane to Europe (via Doha), from just 90,000 Avios + taxes & fees.
For comparison’s sake, it’s 144,600 Qantas Points to get to Europe from the east coast of Australia in business class one-way. Both programs convert at a 2:1 rate from Membership Rewards – which means, using the example above, to fly with Qatar requires just 180,000 Membership Rewards points, while Qantas will set you back a whopping 289,200 Membership Rewards points.
The other sweet spot with Avios, in our eyes, is domestic flights in Australia flying with Qantas. If you want to use your Qatar Avios to do so, you simply need to create a free British Airways Executive Club membership account and link your BA & Qatar Avios accounts. Once you’ve done that, you can use your Avios across both programs.
Melbourne to Sydney is one of the most highly trafficked air routes in the world. Qantas charges 8,000 Qantas Points + taxes and fees for a one-way economy award seat (16,000 Qantas Points for business class) on a Qantas plane.
Or…you can use Avios redeemed via British Airways to get the same seat on the same plane for 6,000 Avios points + taxes and fees for a one-way economy reward seat (12,500 Avios for business class).
Flying Premium Qantas Cabins with Asia Miles1
One of the best programs to transfer your Membership Rewards points to is Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles, where you can expect to often redeem significantly fewer rewards points than you would if you booked directly via Qantas.
We highlighted one of the best examples of this redemption differential last year when the Boss Hunting team travelled to the UK flying Qantas First Class using American Express Membership Rewards points.
To fly from Sydney to London (via Singapore) in First Class, a redemption booked directly with Qantas will set you back 216,000 Qantas Points + taxes & fees (432,000 Membership Rewards points). If you think beyond Qantas’ program and convert your Membership Rewards points to Cathay’s Asia Miles – you’ll pay just 170,000 Asia Miles + taxes and fees (340,000 Membership Rewards Points) – saving you tens of thousands of MR points to sit in the same seat, on the same plane.
Another example of Asia Miles being a great redemption partner is flying from Australian cities to Hong Kong in Business Class flying Cathay Pacific.
While Qantas charges 150,000 Qantas Points for the return journey in Business Class from Melbourne to Hong Kong, you can fly with Cathay Pacific (which is a great product) for 116,000 Asia Miles + taxes and fees. That’s a difference of 68,000 Membership Rewards points (using the 2:1 rate described above for both airlines).
Flying All Nippon Airways with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a frequent flyer program Australians have limited exposure to, simply due to the fact they don’t service our shores, however, they have a couple of niche partner redemption opportunities worth their weight in gold. They also sell points and often run bonus offers meaning you’ll never fall short of that dream redemption. The most notable is their partnership with Japan’s ANA (All Nippon Airways) which flies from Sydney and Perth to both Tokyo and Singapore.
The program has a zone-based award chart for ANA flights which, unfortunately, saw an increase in May 2024, however, the value is still significant when compared to the redemption rates booked through Qantas (direct on Qantas or Japan Airlines metal) or Singapore Krisflyer via Singapore or Thai Airways Royal Orchid via Bangkok.
Let’s look at Sydney to Tokyo as an example. A one-way trip in Business Class is 52,500 Flying Club miles, which equates to 105,000 Amex Membership Rewards points + taxes and fees. The same trip on Qantas will require 82,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points (and 90,000 if you want to fly Japan Airlines) which equates to 164,000 & 180,000 Amex Membership Rewards points + taxes and fees, respectively.
As a reference of value, using our Cathay Pacific example above, the same trip requires 61,000 miles to fly Japan Airlines business one-way, which is 122,000 Amex Membership Rewards points + taxes and fees. It pays to shop around!
Flying Emirates First Class to New Zealand1
Emirates is the only airline flying from Sydney to New Zealand with a four-class A380, which means you can get a taste of the high life for three hours in First Class, without draining the Membership Rewards balance. Yes, for a mere 64,500 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points (129,000 Amex Membership Rewards points) + $187 in taxes and fees you can shower in the sky between Sydney and Christchurch.
Not only are seats readily available, the trip is one of the cheapest ways to experience Emirates First – both in points and taxes. Emirates are notoriously expensive when it comes to taxes, with a First Class reward seat from Sydney or Melbourne to Dubai costing $1219 in taxes and fees on top of 170,800 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points (341,600 Amex Membership Rewards points). Of course, it’s a small price to pay for a flight that can cost $16,400 when paying cash (price subject to change due to availability).
The catch with this trip, however, is that only one reward seat is released far enough out to satisfy organised couples. Fortunately, the same trip in business class is even easier on the balance and wallet, costing 41,500 Qantas Frequent Flyer Points (83,000 Amex Membership Rewards points) + $167 per person in taxes and fees. There’s no shower but I’d argue your time is better spent at the bar.
This article was produced in partnership with American Express. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Boss Hunting.
Terms & Conditions
Subject to Terms and Conditions. Fees and charges apply. All information is correct as of 14/3/2025 and is subject to change at any time without notice. Cards are offered, issued, and administered by American Express Australia Limited (ABN 92 108 952 085). ®Registered Trademark of American Express Company.
- Membership Rewards Points. Subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Membership Rewards program available here https://www.americanexpress.com/en-au/benefits/rewards/membership-rewards/. To transfer Membership Rewards points into an airline rewards or frequent guest partner program you must be a member of the partner program. Membership of the partner program is the Card Member’s responsibility and is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the applicable program. A joining fee may apply.
