Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to handle Qantas award change and cancellation fees
Qantas Frequent Flyer applies the same Reward change and cancellation fees to its two Qantas-issued award types, Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards, but a fare difference is settled differently on each: a Classic change may require additional points, while a Classic Plus change may require additional cash. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards carry the same Reward change and cancellation fees. [1]
- Changing a Classic Flight Reward can require additional points where there is a fare difference. [1]
- Changing a Classic Plus Flight Reward can require additional cash, and Qantas says any additional charges for Classic Plus changes are payable in cash, with a change fee in points. [1]
- Where a booking mixes a Reward seat with a cash fare, the most restrictive fare condition of the cash fare governs changes, cancellations and refunds on the Reward segments. [1]
- A Classic Flight Reward or cash booking cannot be converted into a Classic Plus Flight Reward, or the other way round. [1]
What do Classic and Classic Plus awards cost to change?
Classic Flight Rewards are the award seats Qantas marks with a red Reward ribbon: the points amount is fixed all year round, availability is limited, and taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to the points. [1] They can be booked on eligible Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates, oneworld member airline and selected Qantas Frequent Flyer partner flights, reaching over 1,300 destinations worldwide. [1]
Classic Plus Flight Rewards sit alongside them behind a blue ribbon: the points required fluctuate with normal airfares through the year, availability is described as widespread, and the seats are offered on Qantas rather than on partner airlines. [1] Both award types allow you to combine cabins and fare types within one booking, and both are upgradeable with points. [1]
The two differ in how a change is paid for, as the comparison below shows. [1]
| Feature | Classic Flight Rewards | Classic Plus Flight Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| How to find | Red Reward ribbon on the Qantas website | Blue ribbon on the Qantas website |
| Points required | Fixed amount all year round | Fluctuates with normal airfares through the year |
| Availability | Limited | Widespread |
| Carriers | Qantas, Jetstar and partners | Qantas |
| Change cost | Fare difference may require additional points [1] | Fare difference may require additional cash [1] |
| Change and cancellation fees | Same Reward fees [1] | Same Reward fees [1] |
Qantas separates the fare difference from the fee itself on Classic Plus: a fare difference may require additional cash, any additional charges for Classic Plus changes are payable in cash, and the change fee is charged in points. [1] On Classic Flight Rewards the fare difference is the part that may require additional points. [1]
The points required and the taxes, fees and carrier charges on a Classic Flight Reward are subject to change and are quoted at the time of booking. [1]
What happens if a booking mixes a Reward seat with a cash fare?
Classic Flight Rewards can be combined with Classic Plus Flight Rewards or with cash fares inside one booking on the Qantas website, and a booking made this way is ticketed under mixed conditions. [1] Where non-Flight Reward fares are combined with Flight Rewards, the most restrictive fare condition of the non-Flight Reward fare applies to the segments booked as a Flight Reward for booking changes, cancellations and refunds. [1]
In practice that means the change and cancellation terms of the cash fare, not the Reward terms, decide what happens to the Reward segments of a mixed booking. [1] Combining is done without the Rewards toggle selected, so that Reward seats and cash fares appear in the same list of flight options before payment. [1]
What is different about oneworld Classic Flight Rewards?
oneworld Classic Flight Rewards are Classic Flight Reward seats on oneworld member airlines and their affiliates, and they are limited to travel on oneworld member airlines, so no other airline can be included in the itinerary. [1] They are priced on total distance travelled or on return flights rather than on one-way trips, can cover up to a maximum of 35,000 miles on one itinerary, and must include travel on at least two oneworld member airlines other than Qantas. [1] Because the whole itinerary is assessed as one unit, the routing is worth reviewing before you ask for a change; the routing and stopover rules are set out in the Qantas Classic award stopover guide.
Exceptions and limits
- No switching award types. A Classic Flight Reward or cash booking cannot be changed into a Classic Plus Flight Reward, and a Classic Plus booking cannot be changed into a Classic Flight Reward. [1]
- Availability when you rebook. Classic Flight Rewards are subject to capacity controls, availability is limited, and some flights may have no Classic Flight Rewards available at all. [1]
- Booking through a contact centre. A Classic Flight Reward can be booked by calling Qantas Contact Centres, and a Reward Assistance fee applies; it is waived for Platinum One members booking Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Upgrade Rewards with their points through Contact Centres, while all other fees continue to apply. [1] Contact Centre bookings must be made at least 24 hours before scheduled departure, and some locations require earlier advance booking. [1]
- Paying the taxes and charges. For Qantas, Jetstar and selected airline partner Classic Flight Rewards departing from Australia, you can pay taxes, fees and carrier charges with points on the Qantas website, excluding local airport fees or charges collected at check-in; for all other Classic Flight Rewards they are payable with an approved payment card. [1]
- Promotional discounts and later changes. For the 20–30% discount on Qantas-operated Economy Classic Flight Rewards within Australia, booked between 9 October and 11.59pm AEDT on 16 October 2026, a change to the date and time kept the discount only if every flight in the updated booking fell within the promotion's travel dates, and the discount received depended on the new travel date. [1]
Frequently asked questions
Do Classic and Classic Plus Flight Rewards charge the same fee to change or cancel?
Yes. Qantas lists the same Reward change and cancellation fees among the Reward Fare characteristics shared by Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards. [1]
How do I pay the extra amount when I change a Classic Plus award?
In cash. Qantas says a fare difference on Classic Plus may require additional cash, and that any additional charges for Classic Plus changes are payable in cash, with a change fee in points. [1]
Can I change a Classic Flight Reward into a Classic Plus Flight Reward?
No. Qantas says a Classic Flight Reward or cash booking cannot be changed to a Classic Plus Flight Reward, and the reverse is also not possible. [1]
Which terms apply to the Reward part of a mixed cash-and-Reward booking?
The most restrictive fare condition of the non-Flight Reward fare applies to the segments booked as a Flight Reward for booking changes, cancellations and refunds. [1]
What charges sit on top of the points on a Classic Flight Reward?
Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable in addition to the points. [1] Qantas allows them to be paid with points on its website for Qantas, Jetstar and selected airline partner Classic Flight Rewards departing Australia, excluding local airport fees or charges collected at check-in; other Classic Flight Rewards are paid with an approved payment card. [1]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers Qantas-issued Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards; Points Plus Pay bookings and awards issued by partner programmes are outside its scope, and other airlines' award change rules are not covered here — see the award change and cancellation fees comparison.
- Qantas Classic Flight Rewards, checked 18 October 2026