Travel Tips Tips

How to Buy Qantas Points: A Guide to Steps and Fees

Yadana Chaw

17.03.26

Read time 3 minutes

If you’ve ever been seconds away from booking a dream Business Class seat only to realise you’re a few thousand points short, you’ve probably wondered: Can you just buy the difference?

In this guide, we’ll look at how to buy Qantas Points, how much they actually cost, and whether it makes financial sense for your next holiday. You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your dollars when paying in foreign currencies.

Table of Contents
What are Qantas Points? How to buy Qantas Points How much do Qantas Points cost? Do Qantas Points expire? Summary Travelling abroad? Bring along the Wise card to save on foreign transaction fees

What are Qantas Points?

Qantas Points are the rewards currency of the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme. You usually earn them by flying, spending on a rewards credit card, or shopping with partners like Woolworths. Once you have enough, you can spend them on Classic Flight Rewards, hotel stays, or upgrades.

Can you buy Qantas Points?

Yes, you can buy Qantas Points directly through the official Qantas website via their Top-up Points programme.¹ However, there are some strict ground rules:

You should only ever buy points through official Qantas channels. Avoid third-party "mileage brokers" on social media or eBay as Qantas has been known to freeze accounts and wipe balances if they suspect points have been sold unofficially.²

Your Frequent Flyer account must be at least 30 days old before you’re allowed to buy points.

You can purchase points a maximum of four times in any 12-month period.¹

You can buy between 1,000 and 150,000 points per transaction.¹

How to buy Qantas Points

You can buy Qantas Points online and topping up is usually instant. Here’s how you can go about it:

Log in: Head to the Qantas Top-up Points page and sign in to your account.

Choose your amount: Select how many points you need (in blocks of 1,000).

Payment: You can pay online using Visa, Mastercard, or American Express.

Refresh: Most points land in your account immediately, though you might need to log out and back in to see the updated balance.

You can also choose to buy points over the phone via the Service Centre, but keep in mind that there’s a $35 service fee via this route, while online purchases avoid this fee.

How much do Qantas Points cost?

Qantas uses a variable pricing model for Top-up Points. Essentially, the unit price decreases as you buy more at once, so it is generally better value to purchase a larger block of points in a single transaction.

Here is the pricing structure for top-up points:³

Points Purchased	Total Cost (AUD)	Cost per Point (Approx.)
1,000	$56	5.6¢
5,000	$211	4.2¢
10,000	$388	3.9¢
50,000	$1,427	2.8¢
100,000	$2,730	2.7¢
150,000	$3,999	2.6¢

*As seen on 17th March 2026

Do Qantas Points expire?

Qantas Points don’t expire, provided you have at least one "eligible activity" on your account every 18 months.⁴ This simply means earning or spending at least one point within that window to show you're still active.

The good news? Buying Top-up Points counts as an eligible activity. If your points are nearing their use-by date and you have no upcoming flights, purchasing the minimum 1,000 points will reset the clock for another 18 months. It’s a small price to pay to keep your Qantas points from expiring and losing your hard-earned balance.

Summary: Are Qantas Points worth buying?

Buying points is rarely a good deal if you’re starting from scratch. However, it can be a smart move if you just need a few more points for that specific upgrade or if you manage to grab them during a bonus sale.

The general rule of thumb is to only buy points if you have a flight redemption ready to book immediately. Otherwise, there are usually cheaper ways to grow your balance over time.

Travelling abroad with Qantas points? Bring along the Wise card to save on foreign transaction fees

While you might be collecting points using your credit cards, these often come with high foreign transaction fees for overseas spending. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 7x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up AUD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in AUD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

🚀 Get your Wise card

This general advice does not take into account your objectives, financial circumstances or needs and you should consider if it is appropriate for you. Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected Australian banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more please visit https://payout-surge.live/au/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

Sources:

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

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