Is a Qantas Club membership worth it?

Airports don’t necessarily rank highly on everyone’s list of enjoyable places to spend time, and some travellers are willing to pay – at times considerable amounts – in an effort to make their pre-flight experience more pleasant. A Qantas Club membership is one way Australians indulge when travelling through airports.

What is the Qantas Club?

The Qantas Club is a membership service run by Qantas which offers members a range of benefits designed to improve their airport and flight experiences. One of the more prominent features of Qantas Club membership is access to domestic and international Qantas lounges, as well as partner and associated airline lounges.

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Is Qantas Club membership worth it?

Whether a Qantas Club membership is worth it or not for you will be a personal decision. This will likely depend on how often you fly, and whether you think the benefits of Qantas lounges are worth the cost of membership. There are also additional benefits of a Qantas Club membership to weigh up.If you’re wondering whether the membership is worth it, here’s some information that may help you decide.

What features does a Qantas Club membership offer?

The Qantas Club offers its members a range of flight-related benefits:

• Access to Qantas lounges, including Qantas Club lounges, International Business Lounges, Qantas Regional Lounges and Qantas partner and associated lounges.
• Complimentary food, beverages, Wi-Fi, business facilities and shower facilities; as well as the ability to bring an eligible guest (or guests) into lounges when you travel. You may be able to bring children for free, depending on their age and the lounge type.
• Additional allowances for checked baggage on eligible flights.
• Dedicated service and check-in desks.
• Upgrades to Business class at the airport for domestic flights in Australia where a seat is available when you use your Qantas Points.
• Priority on waitlists for fully booked tickets.
• The opportunity for Qantas Frequent Flyers to earn 3 Qantas Points per $1 spent on your Qantas Club membership.

Terms and conditions apply, see the Qantas Club website for more details.

How do I sign up for the Qantas Club?

You have to hold a Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) membership to be eligible to join the Qantas Club. However, if you aren’t a QFF and want to join the Qantas Club, Qantas will waive the QFF joining fee of $129. You can join the Qantas Club via the Qantas website. If you are a QFF member, you can join by using your membership details to log into the Qantas app, finding the ‘join Qantas Club’ option, and following the prompts.

How much does a Qantas Club membership cost?

New members are charged a one-off joining fee plus ongoing membership fees. For Australians, the joining fee is currently $129 or 21,500 Qantas Points. You can then sign up for different membership periods:

• One-year membership – $699 or 116,500 Qantas Points
• Two-year membership – $1,299 or 216,500 Qantas Points
• Four-year membership – $2,399 or 399,900 Qantas Points

Pricing will vary if you are a New Zealand resident or a resident of a country other than Australia. If your partner has a Qantas Club membership, you may be able to get up to 40% off your membership fees.

Once a Qantas Club member, membership renewal fees are different and slightly less than when you first join.

Are there any other ways to access Qantas Club lounges?

Yes, other than becoming a Qantas Club member, there could be other ways to access Qantas Club lounges. They could include:

Frequent Flyer or Rewards credit card

Apart from buying a Qantas Club membership, you may also be able to access Qantas lounges and Qantas partner lounges if you have an eligible Qantas Frequent Flyer credit card. You can compare credit cards with airport lounge access on Canstar’s database.

If you are considering taking out a frequent flyer or rewards credit card, remember to consider the costs of the card. These can include the annual fee and interest rates that apply, and whether the card is suited to your financial circumstances and spending habits. It’s a good idea to read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) that apply.

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Through an existing Qantas Club member

If the person you are travelling with is a Qantas Club member, they may be able to bring a guest with them into the lounge. Members can also purchase Annual Guest Cards ($499 for Australians, or 74,900 Qantas Points), which allows you to bring an eligible second guest into the Qantas Club lounge for 12 months.

Qantas Gold status or Points Club Plus

Another way to access Qantas Club lounges is through a high frequent flyer status. Qantas Gold members and above can access Qantas Club lounges domestically and internationally. To achieve Gold status you’ll currently need to earn 700 Status Credits.

You can also get a Qantas Club membership through Points Club Plus. Members who earn 350,000 Qantas Points in a year (at least 330,000 have to be earned from non-flying) may be eligible for Points Club Plus, which comes with a free Qantas Club individual membership. This is more designed for people purchasing things on the ground, rather than earning points through flying.

Otherwise, Points Club members (members who earn a minimum of 150,000 Qantas Points a year, with at least 130,000 earned from non-flying) receive two complimentary lounge invitations per year that can be used to access Qantas Club and eligible Qantas operated International Business lounges. But these complimentary invitations cannot be used at domestic airport lounges.

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Buying a lounge pass

If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer with a flight coming up, you may also receive an email inviting you to purchase a lounge access pass up to five days before the flight. The cost of a single-access pass can vary by airport, and your specific price offer will be presented when you click on the link in the invitation email.

Cover image source: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com