Airpoints vs Qantas Points: how they compare

What is the difference between Airpoints and Qantas Points?

Koru is Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, and it runs five tiers, starting at Koru Bronze. [1] Airpoints are earned on flights and through everyday spending with partners, and can be used across a range of rewards including flights, an upgrade, or a special something from the Airpoints Store. [1] Status Points are a separate currency: they are how a member progresses through the tiers, and they are earned on flights and by using a Status Points-earning credit card. [1]

Qantas Points sit inside Qantas Frequent Flyer. Members earn them from flights, hotels and accommodation, credit cards, banking and home loans, everyday shopping, insurance, home utilities, car, and holidays and experiences, and Qantas presents its flight rewards as the best-value way to use points for flights. [4] A member must be a Qantas Frequent Flyer to earn and redeem Qantas Points, and a joining fee may apply. [3]

The two programmes also publish some earning rates in national currencies: Air New Zealand quotes an Airpoints Store rate of 1 Airpoint for every NZ$100 spent, while Qantas quotes its hotel rate as 3 Qantas Points per A$1 spent. [1] [4]

How do you earn Airpoints and Qantas Points?

Both programmes publish specific rates for some earning channels, as this table shows.

On hotel stays booked through qantas.com/hotels, Points Club members earn 25% more Qantas Points and Points Club Plus members earn 50% more. [4] Hotel points are credited within eight weeks of check-out, and Qantas Wine points can take up to six weeks to appear in an account. [4] Airpoints are earned on flights and through everyday spending with partners. [1]

How do you spend each currency on flights?

Airpoints can be spent on flights, on an upgrade, or in the Airpoints Store. [1]

Qantas publishes several types of flight reward. [3] Classic Flight Rewards are subject to capacity controls, availability is limited and some flights may have no Classic Flight Rewards available at all; taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable to Qantas by an accepted payment card in addition to the points required, and both the points required and those charges are subject to change and are quoted at the time of booking. [3] Qantas states that its points and charge figures were accurate as at 10 October 2025. [3]

Classic Upgrade Rewards are available on Classic Flight Rewards in Economy and Premium Economy, on Classic Plus Flight Rewards in Economy and Premium Economy, on eligible paid and confirmed Qantas domestic and international flights with a Qantas (QF) flight number on the ticket, and from time to time on codeshare flights operated by another carrier that carry a QF flight number. [3] These upgrades are not available from all fare types and are subject to capacity controls and limited availability. [3]

Qantas also offers Points Plus Pay as a mix of points and cash to make a flight booking. [3] [4] For hotel accommodation booked through qantas.com/hotels or holiday packages through qantas.com/holidays, Points Plus Pay lets a member choose how many Qantas Points to redeem above the specified minimum level of 2,000 and pay for the remainder of the booking value with an accepted payment card, including Visa, MasterCard or American Express. [3] Members short of a reward can buy Top-up Points to boost a balance. [3]

How do status and credit cards work in each programme?

At Air New Zealand, Status Points are earned on flights and by using a Status Points-earning credit card, and climbing the Koru tiers unlocks benefits such as lounge access, Status Rewards and Frequent Flyer Seating. [1] Air New Zealand also advertises a card offer of 400 bonus Airpoints for applicants who apply by 28 October 2026, are approved and spend $1,500 on a new Amex Airpoints Platinum Card within the first three months, for new Amex Card Members only. [1]

At Qantas, credit cards are one of the listed earning categories, and Qantas notes that members may earn over 200,000 bonus Qantas Points by taking up multiple eligible products, such as the Westpac Altitude Qantas Black credit card and a CommBank Digi Home Loan, under the applicable partner terms with minimum spend, eligibility criteria, fees and charges. [4] Qantas also runs a separate Points Club for members who earn 150,000 Qantas Points in a membership year, with benefits including complimentary lounge invitations, Status Credits on Classic Flight Rewards and a $50 Qantas Wine voucher. [4] Points Club is being retired: from 8 December 2026 Qantas Loyalty retires the programme, and a member who retained or attained Points Club or Points Club Plus on or before that date keeps those benefits until the end of their next membership year. [4]

Exceptions and limits

• Classic Flight Rewards can be unavailable on particular flights, and the points and charges quoted can change, so a reward price seen earlier is not a locked-in figure. [3]
• Classic Upgrade Rewards are excluded on some fare types and are capacity controlled. [3]
• For hotel accommodation booked through qantas.com/hotels or holiday packages through qantas.com/holidays, Points Plus Pay requires a minimum redemption of 2,000 Qantas Points and is not available for Classic Hotel Rewards; a Classic Hotel Reward must be booked using Qantas Points only. [3]
• Shairpoints, which lets a member combine Airpoints with up to nine family and friends, is free to join but available to all New Zealand based Koru members only, and Koru terms and conditions apply. [1]
• Qantas Family Transfers move Qantas Points instantly between eligible family members who are also Qantas Frequent Flyer members. [3]
• A business needs Qantas Business Rewards membership to earn Qantas Points for the business, with a one-off joining fee of $89.50 including GST that Qantas may vary, and the business account must hold at least 3,000 Qantas Points before points can be transferred to an individual's Frequent Flyer account. [3]
• Membership is a precondition on the Qantas side: a joining fee may apply before Qantas Points can be earned or used. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Are Airpoints the same thing as Qantas Points?

No. Airpoints belong to Koru, Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, which also issues Status Points, while Qantas Points belong to Qantas Frequent Flyer. [1] [3]

Do you have to pay taxes and fees on Qantas reward flights?

Yes. Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable to Qantas by an accepted payment card in addition to the points required on Classic Flight Reward flights. [3]

Can you pay cash for part of a Qantas points booking?

Qantas offers Points Plus Pay as a mix of points and cash for flight bookings. [3] [4] For hotel accommodation booked through qantas.com/hotels and holiday packages through qantas.com/holidays, Points Plus Pay lets a member choose how many points to redeem above the specified minimum level of 2,000 and pay for the remainder of the booking value with an accepted payment card, including Visa, MasterCard or American Express. [3] Points Plus Pay is not available for Classic Hotel Rewards. [3]

Can family members combine Airpoints or Qantas Points?

Koru members can combine Airpoints with up to nine family and friends through Shairpoints, which is free to join and open to New Zealand based Koru members. [1] Qantas Frequent Flyer members can transfer Qantas Points instantly to eligible family members who are also members. [3]

Related pages

Programme files: Air New Zealand Airpoints, Qantas Frequent Flyer. Cards: Airpoints credit cards, Qantas Points credit cards. Also see what are miles worth? and the frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. This comparison covers Koru (Air New Zealand) and Qantas Frequent Flyer only; other programmes are not covered here.

1. Air New Zealand Koru loyalty programme overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. Qantas Frequent Flyer: use Qantas Points, checked 18 October 2026
3. Qantas Frequent Flyer: earn Qantas Points, checked 18 October 2026