Fly Across Australia for 5,700 Qantas Points (Here's the Playbook)

A Sydney to Melbourne Flight Shouldn't Cost $250+

That's a 1-hour 25-minute hop. But if you're collecting Qantas Points (and if you live in Australia, you probably already are without realising it), you can fly that same route for just 5,700 points plus taxes.

Two Types of Reward Flights

Classic Flight Rewards (Fixed Points) — The golden tickets. Points required are fixed regardless of demand. Limited availability, but unbeatable value.

• Jetstar domestic under 600 miles (e.g., Sydney-Melbourne): 5,700 points + taxes one-way
• Qantas domestic economy short-haul: From ~8,000 points + taxes

Qantas offers over 5 million Classic Reward seats across Qantas, Jetstar, and 45 partner airlines.

Classic Plus Rewards (Variable Points) — Points fluctuate based on demand. Off-peak is cheaper, school holidays pricier. You can use the Qantas Points Calculator to check exactly how many points your route needs.

How to Earn Points Without Flying

• Qantas-linked credit cards (Westpac, ANZ, CommBank) — earn points on everyday spending
• Woolworths Everyday Rewards — earn points on groceries
• Qantas Shopping — bonus points from 350+ online retailers
• BP fuel — earn 2 points per litre

A typical household doing groceries, fuel, and regular spending can earn 5,000-10,000 points per month. That's a free domestic flight every month.

The Jetstar Price Beat Guarantee (Bonus Hack)

If you find a comparable direct flight cheaper than Jetstar, they'll beat it by 10%.

Rules: competing flight within +/- 90 minutes, direct one-way economy, at least 7 days before departure. You can check the Jetstar Price Beat Guarantee and claim it via their live chat.

Pro Tips

• Book Classic Rewards on Jetstar routes for the lowest points cost
• Set up a points-earning credit card and funnel all spending through it
• Be flexible on dates — Classic Reward availability varies by day
• Use the Qantas app — reward seats sometimes show up on mobile first