Qantas is once again running a status ‘fast track’ offer for elite members of 16 competitor airline loyalty programs.

People who hold eligible loyalty status with a qualifying airline program are invited to switch to Qantas and get Qantas Gold status. All you have to do is register for this promo by 30 November and earn 100 status credits between 1 December 2021 and 28 February 2022.

During this period, Qantas will provide you with a ‘taste of Gold’ by way of complimentary Qantas Club access and extra checked baggage.

Those wishing to transfer from a higher flying tier – Platinum and Platinum One equivalents – will only be able to transfer to Qantas’ Gold status, rather than have their status matched. Reaching a higher frequent flyer status with Qantas will require members to earn the normal status credits (1,400 for Platinum and 3,600 for Platinum One).

To earn 100 status credits, you could take 5 return economy trips between Sydney to Melbourne or one return business class trip from Melbourne to Cairns. To help you plan, use Qantas’ points and status credits calculator.

Full Gold tier benefits with Qantas include lounge access across Qantas and oneworld airline lounges globally, preferential seating and priority access to reward seats, as well as priority check-in, boarding and upgrade requests. More information about tier benefits is available here.

The qualifying airlines and eligible status levels are:

• Air Canada – Aeroplan: 50K, 75K, Super Elite
• Air China – Phoenix Miles: Gold, Platinum
• Air India Flying Returns: Golden Edge Club, The Maharajah Club
• Air New Zealand Airpoints: Gold, Elite
• ANA – Mileage Club: Platinum, Diamond
• Asiana Airlines Asiana Club: Diamond, Diamond Plus, Platinum
• Delta – Skymiles: Gold Medallion, Platinum Medallion, Diamond Medallion
• Eva Air Infinity MileageLands: Gold Card, Diamond Card
• Etihad – Guest: Gold, Platinum
• Korean Air – Skypass: Morning Calm Premium Club Card, Million Miler Club Card
• Shenzhen Airlines PhoenixMiles: PhoenixMiles Gold, PhoenixMiles Platinum
• Singapore Airlines – KrisFlyer: KrisFlyer Elite Gold, PPS Club, Solitaire PPS Club
• South African Airways SAA Voyager: Gold, Platinum
• Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus: Royal Orchid Plus Gold, Royal Orchid Plus Platinum
• United Airlines – MileagePlus: Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, Premier 1K
• Virgin Australia – Velocity: Velocity Gold, Velocity Platinum.

Registrations for this offer close on 30 November and are only open to individuals with an Australian or New Zealand home postal address.

You’ll need to provide evidence of your existing status with an eligible airline.

Members who have already been activated on the previous Qantas Status Fast Track offers (between 26 November 2020 and 30 April 2021) already have until 28 February 2022 to earn the required Status Credits and are not eligible to apply for this Status Fast Track.

For more information, visit qantas.com/statusfasttrack.

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Virgin Australia has launched an interesting promotion that rewards Aussies who fly overseas with one of its partner airlines.

Velocity Frequent Flyer members can earn up to 6,000 bonus Velocity Points and 60 Status Credits when they activate this offer by 12 December 2021, and book and travel on an eligible flight between 1 December 2021 and 30 June 2022.

An eligible flight is a flight marketed and operated by Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Canada or Hawaiian Airlines departing from an Australian city for travel to or via Los Angeles, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver and Honolulu, and in a fare class where Velocity Points and Status Credits can normally be earned (i.e. not a reward booking).

You must book directly with the partner airline via its website and enter your Velocity number in the booking.

The number of points and status credits earned depends on the class of travel, as follows:

• First Class/Business Class: 6,000 points and 60 status credits
• Premium Economy: 4,000 points and 40 status credits
• Economy: 2,000 points and 20 status credits.

These points and status credits are in addition to those you’d normally earn with the partner airline.

For more info, visit the Velocity website here.

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American Express has launched its inaugural Membership Month to reward loyal card members with a range of benefits.

This great initiative will see various offers, discounts and special events drop throughout the month.

Some things to look out for include:

• Entertainment: enjoy early access tickets and exclusive Card Member offers
• Dining: delicious dining offers and at-home cooking classes
• Travel: lock in your great escape with travel deals
• Wellness: enjoy a live streamed pilates or yoga class and other wellness events
• Shopping: update your wardrobe, home or tech for less.

You can also score bonus points when you refer family or friends to Amex, and add your first Additional Card Member to your account.

For more details, visit Amex’s website – and make sure you monitor the various Amex Offers available in the app and your account online to potentially save big.

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Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s top carriers and very popular with Aussie travellers and points collectors.

The airline’s frequent flyer program, KrisFlyer, is a transfer partner for many credit cards in Australia that earn a ‘flexible’ points currency, such as Westpac’s Altitude Points and Amex’s Membership Rewards points.

Right now, there’s an opportunity to score up to 15% bonus miles on transfers to KrisFlyer. You can earn:

• 12% bonus miles when you convert the equivalent of between 10,000 and 49,999 KrisFlyer miles in a single qualifying transaction
• 15% bonus miles when you convert the equivalent of 50,000 KrisFlyer miles or more in a single qualifying transaction.

The participating card issuers in Australia are:

• American Express
• Diners Club International
• ANZ
• HSBC Bank
• Bank of Melbourne
• National Australia Bank
• Bank SA
• St George
• Citibank
• Westpac

There’s no cap on the bonus miles you can earn from this campaign.

Since these miles will be valid for three years, it only makes sense to transfer them if you expect to book an overseas flight during that time. You can also spend KrisFlyer miles on shopping and experiences, but you’ll get the most value from flying, especially at the pointy end.

Use KrisFlyer miles to fly business class

You have until 22 November to take advantage of this promotion.

Separately, you’ll also earn status credits on this transfer, with the opportunity to lock in KrisFlyer gold status by transferring 250,000 KrisFlyer miles. This gives you lounge access and other perks across the Star Alliance network.

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In light of the upcoming reopening of Australia’s borders next month, Qantas Airlines has dropped a delightful surprise for its frequent flyers.

Today, the airline announced the most significant single release of additional Classic Flight Reward seats in its history, spanning both international and domestic networks.

This considerable expansion of reward seats makes it notably easier for frequent flyers to plan a dream vacation in 2022. Perhaps it’s time to finally explore the bustling streets of London or bask in the sun-soaked beaches of Fiji. Or maybe it’s the iconic sights of Los Angeles that call you, or the serene beauty of Byron Bay and Cairns.

Starting from 7:00 am (AEDT) today, Qantas Frequent Flyers can enjoy up to 50% more reward seat availability on the airline’s international routes, trans-Tasman journeys, and popular domestic tracks, all the way through to the end of 2022.

All of these additional reward seats can be booked via the Qantas website.

Furthermore, Qantas is gearing up to introduce more Points Planes – where every seat in every cabin on a flight is available to book as a reward seat. This move comes as more states and territories loosen domestic and international travel restrictions.

Domestic flights are also set to gradually resume in the coming weeks as different states and territories reach their vaccination targets.

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