Qantas has today announced important changes to how Qantas Points are used for booking Emirates reward seats.
Increased pricing
The number of Qantas Points required to book an Emirates reward seat will increase from 31 March 2026.
Right now, pricing for Emirates and Qantas seats is the same – but that changes at the end of March.
While all prices are going up, the increases are most dramatic for premium cabins.
For example, a one-way Classic Flight Reward in Emirates Business from Sydney to Dubai will increase from 130,100 points to 143,000 points (plus taxes, fees and carrier charges).
In First, the price goes from 195,400 to a whopping 234,500 points.
Here are the current prices, valid to 30 March 2026.
Here’s the new pricing table, valid from 31 March 2026.
Emirates also charges huge fees which must be paid in money on top of the points cost. That makes Emirates reward seats quite expensive overall.
Eligibility for First Class rewards
Qantas says that Emirates has implemented new eligibility criteria for booking reward seats in First:
- Minimum Age: As of 21 January 2026, all passengers must be at least 9 years old.
- Frequent Flyer Status: As of 18 February 2026, only Qantas Frequent Flyers who hold Silver status or higher will be eligible to book Emirates First reward seats.
Existing bookings will not be impacted, however any changes made after the effective dates will be subject to the new restrictions.
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