How many Qantas or Velocity points do you need to upgrade to business class?

How many Qantas Points do you need for an international upgrade to business class?

Source: Qantas Points Calculators, accessed April 2025.

Key details

You can request an international Classic Upgrade Reward for Qantas flights with a QF number and some codeshare flights. Upgrades are subject to availability and preference is given to frequent flyer members with Platinum and Gold status.

Qantas economy and premium economy fares can typically be upgraded to business class. But you can't usually get an upgrade from the following:

• Codeshare flights that have a QF flight number (unless this option is made available through Qantas Loyalty).
• Discounted Qantas international airfares, including Points Plus Pay flights booked in E, N, O and Q.
• Business class Classic Reward Flights if there are other flights on your booking that are not Classic Reward Flights.

How many Qantas Points do you need for a domestic upgrade to business class?

The Qantas Classic Rewards Upgrade service also lets you request an upgrade from economy class to business class on eligible Australian domestic flights with a QF flight number.

Source: Qantas Points Calculators, accessed April 2025.

Note that if you request a Classic Upgrade Reward for an itinerary that includes an international and a domestic leg with the same flight number, this will be treated as an international Classic Upgrade Reward.

Bid Now Upgrades

Bid Now Upgrades let you choose how much you want to pay for an upgrade on an eligible flight. You can use cash or a combination of points and cash, with a minimum amount set by Qantas.

Qantas sends out email invitations when your flight is eligible for a Bid Now Upgrade. You can also check eligibility on the Qantas website.

Bid Now Upgrades are available up to 5 hours before your flight’s departure. Approval is at Qantas’s discretion, and you’ll know the outcome of your bid within 24 hours before your flight.

Booking business class flights with Qantas Points

Qantas Classic Flight Rewards give you a way to book a new business class flight using points. To give you an idea, here's how many Qantas Points you need to fly one way from Australia to popular international destinations:

• Melbourne to London: 144,600 Qantas Points
• Melbourne to Auckland: 41,500 Qantas Points
• Sydney to Los Angeles: 108,400 Qantas Points
• Sydney to Denpasar (Bali): 57,000 Qantas Points
• Adelaide to Delhi: 125,800 Qantas Points
• Brisbane to Queenstown: 41,500 Qantas Points

Source: Qantas Points Calculators, accessed April 2025.

If you're flying domestically, one way business class reward flights range from 18,400 to 41,500 Qantas Points:

• Sydney to Melbourne: 18,400 Qantas Points
• Sydney to Brisbane: 18,400 Qantas Points
• Melbourne to Perth: 41,500 Qantas Points

Key details
The distance travelled and whether it's a Qantas or partner flight are 2 big factors for the number of points needed for a Classic Flight Reward.

As with most flight rewards, there is limited availability. So the earlier you look, the better your chances of getting a business class reward.

Domestic flight upgrades to business class with Velocity Points

You can request an upgrade to business class for domestic Virgin Australia flights with a VA flight number when you’ve booked on a Choice or Flex fare. You can do this through the UpgradeMe Points service, which applies the following point rates depending on where you are flying and the type of ticket you have.

Source: Velocity Redeem points to upgrade flights, accessed April 2025.

Velocity also provides 2 other ways to request business class upgrades on domestic flights.

1. UpgradeMe Premium Bid. If you’re a Virgin Australia guest travelling on an eligible flight but don’t have enough points for a business upgrade, you can use dollars to place a “bid” for the chance to upgrade to business class.
2. UpgradeMe Platinum Member Offer. Velocity Platinum members can use their 4 complimentary fare upgrades for eligible domestic flights as well as trans-Tasman and international short-haul flights. Note that you can only upgrade from Flex fares.

International flight upgrades with Velocity Points

Currently, Velocity only offers business class upgrades on eligible trans-Tasman and international short-haul flights. For example, Sydney to Fiji or Melbourne to Queenstown.

These upgrades are only available for Platinum Velocity members, who get 4 complimentary upgrade credits as part of their membership. This means you don't need points for an upgrade, but you would need to have a Flex fare class on the flight to request an upgrade.

Booking business class flights with Velocity Points

You can book Velocity Business Reward Seats for flights with Virgin Australia and select airline partners. Here are some examples of how many Velocity Points you'd need for an international flight:

• Melbourne to Queenstown: 35,500 Velocity Points (with Virgin Australia)
• Sydney to Fiji (Nadi): 35,500 Velocity Points (with Virgin Australia)
• Brisbane to Queenstown: 35,500 Velocity Points (with Virgin Australia)

Source: Velocity website, accessed April 2025

The Virgin domestic network in Australia is much larger, and the points you'd need for Virgin Australia Business Reward Seats range from 15,500 to 35,500 Velocity Points:

• Sydney to Melbourne: 15,500 Velocity Points
• Brisbane to Perth: 35,500 Velocity Points
• Hobart to Brisbane: 23,500 Velocity Points

Key details

Similar to Qantas, the number of Velocity Points you'll need to book a business class flight will depend on your travel route. You can use the points tables on the Velocity website to see how many points you'll need to book your flight.

4 tips to get enough points for business class

Our expert says

"Scoring upgrades to Business isn't easy, especially to London or Los Angeles. Priority goes to Platinum and Gold members, so if you're not in that group your odds aren't great. That said, your chances will be better if you're travelling outside peak season, and if you're travelling mid-week. These days, the odds of an at-airport upgrade are a lot lower - if you are trying, apply via the app or site as soon as the option opens up. Finally, remember to make sure your flight is eligible for an upgrade. On Qantas, the cheapest sale fares often aren't, while Virgin has restrictions on its Doha flights."

Angus Kidman

Editor-at-large

1. Plan ahead. Business class reward seats are limited and sell out quickly. You can typically book up to 11 months in advance, so planning for flights within the next year gives you a better chance of scoring a business class seat with points. It also means you'll know how many points you need to get the business class flight, giving you time to earn more if you don't have enough yet.
2. Get a frequent flyer credit card with a sign-up bonus. Many frequent flyer credit cards offer bonus points for new customers, usually when you spend a set amount in the first few months. Some cards offer 100,000 bonus frequent flyer points (or more), so it could even be enough to cover a business class reward flight or upgrade.
3. Only upgrade part of your flight. If your travel plans involve connecting flights, you might be able to upgrade to business class using points for just one part of the trip. For example, if you're travelling from Melbourne to Los Angeles and have a stopover in Sydney, you might be able to fly economy for the domestic flight, but then upgrade to business for the longer, international leg of your journey. This requires fewer points and can sometimes offer better availability than trying to upgrade or book an entire trip in business class.
4. Check out frequent flyer program partners. Both Qantas and Velocity have a wide range of program partners that earn you points for your travel and everyday spending. Shopping at Coles can earn you Flybuys, which convert to Velocity Points (Woolworths Everyday Rewards Points convert to Qantas Points).

Finder survey: What are the main features Australians consider when choosing a frequent flyer credit card?

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is 500000 Qantas Points a lot?

  Yes, 500,000 Qantas Points is a substantial amount. It can cover 20+ business class flights within Australia; a return business class long-haul flight; or a combination of flights, upgrades, hotel bookings and other rewards.

• How many points are needed to fly business class?

  You can upgrade a domestic Qantas flight (one way) from as little as 5,400 Qantas Points. With Virgin you'll need at least 10,000 Velocity Points.

  For international Qantas flights the points required for a business class upgrade vary widely, from as little as 40,000 points up to 100,000 or more depending on the route.

• How

  The value of your Qantas Points depends on how your redeem them. 1 Qantas Point can be worth as little as 1 cent or as much as 10 cents. If you flew premium economy from Sydney to Los Angeles it would cost you 108,400 Qantas Points one way.

  That's a flight that typically costs around $4,600, which represents huge value. Now if you redeemed those same points for a coffee machine via the Qantas Rewards Store those points might only be worth a few hundred dollars.

Written by

Richard Whitten

Money Editor

Richard Whitten is Finder’s Money Editor, with over seven years of experience in home loans, property and personal finance. His insights appear in top media outlets like Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine, and the Herald Sun, and he frequently offers expert commentary on television and radio, helping Australians navigate mortgages and property ownership. Richard holds multiple industry certifications, including a Certificate IV in Mortgage Broking (RG 206) and Tier 1 and Tier 2 certifications (RG 146), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Communications from Deakin University. See full bio

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