Qantas Platinum One Frequent Flyer guide: all you need to know

Reaching Platinum One status in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is no simple task. After all, it is the top-tier of its loyalty ladder – a rung only accessible by the most serious of road warriors. Yet there are some serious perks that make it worthwhile.

Among them, complimentary Platinum status for a family member or friend, no fees for extra legroom seats in economy, and the ability to ‘fly home sooner’ at no additional charge.

There are plenty more where they came from too – well and truly setting P1 apart from the lower tiers leapfrogged over in order to achieve it.

How to earn Qantas Platinum One status

To nab Qantas Platinum One status, you’ll need to notch up a mammoth 3,600 status credits in a single membership year – three times the retainment level for Platinum.

Plus, at least 2,700 of those credits need to have been earned by booking Qantas QF flight numbers. That included bona fide Qantas flights, naturally, in addition to codeshares on partner airlines such as Emirates and American Airlines.

Status credits can also be collected on Oneworld airlines such as British Airways and Cathay Pacific, on selected Jetstar services and also on Fiji Airways, although these serve only as a top-up to your regular Qantas flying habits.

You’ll also need to take at least four Qantas, QantasLink or points-earning Jetstar flights each membership year to keep your status… although that’s unlikely to be an issue given you need to rack up 2,700 status credits on QF flights alone.

To put that figure into perspective, you’d need to fly 45 return business class trips between Sydney and Melbourne (that’s almost a flight per week), or a whopping 180 return trips in discount economy, which equates to roughly one flight every two days.

It does get more achievable if you regularly travel abroad though, with just seven Qantas business class trips to London needed to cross the threshold.

Similarly, 15 return trips in the pointy end to Singapore or Bangkok should do the trick too.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum One: Lounge access

Lounge access for Platinum One frequent flyers is much the same as for regular Platinum members.

That includes use of domestic Qantas Clubs and business class lounges when flying with Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates or any Oneworld member airline. Two guests can also join you both before and after your flight (though they must be flying on the same day).

When jetting overseas, Platinum One unlocks the doors to Qantas International First Lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore, as well as the Qantas International lounges in London and Los Angeles, whether flying Qantas or another Oneworld carrier.

The Qantas Sydney First Lounge is reserved for first class and top-tier frequent flyers.

In the Singapore First lounge, Platinum benefits include suit steaming and pressing, shoe shine, and first dibs at the showers – a handy perk if you’re arriving at the airport after a busy day at the office or on the road.

You’re also welcome to visit the business and first class lounges of Oneworld members such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines, plus Emirates lounges when flying Qantas or Emirates, and the Fiji Airways Premier Lounge in Nadi International Airport.

Oneworld’s handy lounge finder can point you in the right direction.

On Qantas and other selected airlines, the baggage allowances are as follows, based on airline, cabin class and destination.

Qantas domestic flights

• In economy: 2 x 32kg
• In business class: 3 x 32kg

Qantas and Emirates international flights

• To North and South America (all classes): One extra checked bag for economy and premium economy and two extra checked bags for business and first class travellers, with 32kg allowed in each bag
• To all other destinations: The weight-based system applies, with Platinum cardholders allowed 50kgs in economy, 60kgs in premium economy and business and 70kgs for a first class ticket

International flights on Oneworld partner airlines

Holding Qantas Platinum is the equivalent of Oneworld Emerald. On the benefits list are access to first class check-in and lounges, if available, plus ‘Fast Track’ processing, which allows you to zip through the formalities at select airports. 

• On domestic Australia journeys you get two checked bags weighing 23kgs each
• To the Americas, three bags of no more than 32kgs each
• To all other destinations your allowance is 50kgs total, regardless of how many bags you bring up to that total weight

There are exceptions to this rule based on weight restrictions associated with the type of aircraft you fly on, which may see your luggage need to be transported as freight.

Platinum One members have a very generous baggage allowance on Qantas and Oneworld airlines.

For use on Australian domestic flights, Platinum frequent flyers also receive a free electronic Q Bag Tag to attach to their luggage, which can be used in lieu of a traditional paper baggage tag.

Additional benefits for Qantas Platinum One frequent flyers

As with Qantas Platinum, you’ll earn double points on Qantas, Jetstar and American Airlines flights (including codeshares), plus enjoy Oneworld Emerald benefits such as priority boarding, check-in and baggage handling across the Oneworld alliance. But wait, there’s more…

Complimentary Platinum membership for family or friends

A nominated family member or friend will automatically receive Platinum frequent flyer status, allowing them access to the airline’s domestic business lounges and international first class lounges along with a higher luggage allowance and a better chance of upgrades.

That also brings about Express Path cards with both Qantas and Emirates to shortcut the queues when you’re departing Australia or returning home.

Platinum status: a gift worth sharing.

However, express departure lanes at many Australian airports are being opened fleetingly due to a lack of staff available to manage them.

This gifted membership will however be tied to the activity of the Platinum One member nominating them, so if this person fails to maintain their status and drops back to Platinum, their nominee recipient will lose their gifted Platinum status, reverting to their previous membership tier.

Complimentary ‘extra legroom’ seating

One of the biggest differences between Platinum and Platinum One status is complimentary access to extra legroom seating on eligible flights, where available, from the time a booking is made.

This includes the prized ‘Row 4’ on Boeing 737, the emergency exit rows on the same aircraft, and similar bulkhead and exit row seats on domestic A330 services too.

Other passengers travelling on the same reservation as a Platinum One member receive this benefit as well. Seats can be selected via the Qantas website – just make sure the Platinum One’s member number has been attached to the booking before selecting seats.

Free flight changes on the day of departure

When travelling on domestic Flex fares, Platinum One members can ask to be moved to an earlier flight – aka ‘fly home sooner’ – on the same route at no cost, provided check-in for the earlier flight is still open and there’s a seat available.

Save time waiting around in the lounge by flying ahead.

This can be easily done at the airport, and any fare difference between the original fare and flight taken will be waived as a guaranteed benefit, if the same fare class isn’t available.

Complimentary flight changes on fare types such as Red e-Deals aren’t guaranteed, but it never hurts to ask, or check if Qantas is “flow forwarding” – that is, proactively moving passengers to earlier flights – which can also benefit Platinum and Gold members.

Improved telephone assistance with fee waivers

Flight reservations made over the phone with Qantas normally attract an assistance fee of up to $70 per booking on top of the regular fare, fees and charges you’d pay for booking the same ticket online. But for Qantas Platinum One members, those fees are waived.

The same is true when calling to make flight bookings using Qantas Points. While these fees are generally waived for all members making partner airline bookings that aren’t available online, this fee is waived on all itineraries for Platinum One members.

Qantas' A380 first class is the most highly-prized upgrade of all.

While it can be faster to make a simple booking online, this fee waiver is particularly handy when planning more complex trips such as ‘Oneworld Rewards’, which can be used to take round-the-world flights on points.

Waived fees on Family Points Transfers

Qantas doesn’t offer ‘family pooling’ in the same way its rival Virgin Australia does. However, you can still share points among the family by transferring a minimum of 5,000 Qantas Points at a time to their account.

Though normally attracting a service fee, this is waived for any Family Transfer in or out of the Platinum One member’s account.

Note: Family Transfers are capped at a maximum of 600,000 points in a 12-month period.

Flight upgrades for Qantas Platinum One members

Platinum One members are at the top of the pecking order when it comes to swapping points for a better seat onboard through the Classic Upgrade Rewards system.

On international flights, upgrade requests are approved up to seven days before departure and ahead of all other frequent flyers – including Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze cardholders.

Through their lounge access benefits, Platinum One travellers can ask for an ‘on departure upgrade’ at the service desk or when upgrades aren’t available online or over the phone.

If a family member is travelling with you on a separate booking – or even on their own – Platinum Ones can request points upgrades on their bookings which will be treated as though the Platinum One member were travelling themselves.

Qantas Singapore First Lounge is one of just a handful of international outposts for the airline.

In short: Platinum One frequent flyers have the best chance at scoring an upgrade using their points than any other frequent flyers.

Where Qantas flights can’t be booked with frequent flyer points, Platinum One members can dial the phone number on the back of their card to discuss the possibility – it’s by no means a sure thing, but it’s a good manoeuvre to have up your sleeve for a rainy day.

In the air, it’s common for the Customer Service Manager or the Customer Service Supervisor to drop by your seat to deliver a personal welcome as they hand over your Express Path card.

They’ll also occasionally bring your favourite drink, an amenity kit from business or first class or even noise-cancelling headphones for use with the inflight entertainment system, but as with all ‘unpublished benefits’, it’s certainly not to be expected on every flight. 

Earn up to 175,000 bonus Qantas Points

On top of the Loyalty Bonus received when reaching 500 Status Credits, an additional 75,000 Qantas Points will come your way after earning 5,000 status credits with Qantas and Jetstar in a single year, and a further 100,000 points after passing 7,000 status credits in the same time period.

That’s a considerable amount of travel – 7,000 status credits also gives you Lifetime Silver status and is halfway to Lifetime Gold. Yes, in a single year.