Qantas adds new Green Tier partner, bonus points up for grabs

How do 10,000 bonus Qantas Points or 50 status credits sound? Pretty sweet, right? These are just two of the rewards available to frequent flyers who make eco-conscious choices while travelling and in their daily lives via Qantas’ Green Tier.

Sitting alongside, not in addition to, the Qantas Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One membership levels, Green Tier is a way of encouraging members to do their part for the planet. A carrot leading you to better choices, if you will.

And it seems to be a very enticing carrot indeed. Since the program’s launch in 2022, over 650,000 Qantas frequent flyers have engaged in the Green Tier, according to Sarah Udy, Executive Manager Member and Program at Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Green Tier members can choose from three bonus rewards on unlocking the status.

“Green Tier represents a commitment to sustainability and enables members to access exclusive rewards and benefits through the Qantas Frequent Flyer program for their sustainable actions,” Udy explains. 

“Since the launch of Green Tier, members have also donated almost one million dollars to charities supporting environmental causes using their points.”

To unlock the tier, members must complete at least one activity in six different categories:

• offset flying (reduce your carbon footprint by offsetting your flights)
• sustainable travel (book an eco-accredited hotel stay)
• sustainable lifestyle (offset your home and car, purchase solar panels, or switch to GreenPower)
• choose sustainable (purchase sustainable wines, offset your wine delivery)
• reduce your impact (test your sustainability knowledge, complete surveys)
• give back (donate to at least one of four charities)

The newest addition to this is a partnership with Saveful – an app-based initiative which aims to help reduce household waste. This falls under the ‘reduce your impact’ category.

Saveful is a free app available for Apple and Android.

By completing four weekly surveys via the Saveful app, Qantas frequent flyers will earn 100 Qantas Points and a Green Tier leaf contributing towards the benefits of Green Tier. More on this below.

How to earn Qantas Green Tier

Qantas frequent flyers can qualify for Green Tier and unlock those aforementioned 10,000 points or 50 status credits (or choose to to offset an additional 3 tonnes of carbon) by completing five sustainable activities across six categories in their membership year.

1. Offset your flying

Purchase carbon offsets when booking a flight through Qantas’ Fly Carbon Neutral program.

2. Book an accredited eco-hotel through Qantas Hotels

To meet this requirement, you will need to book a minimum of one night at one of Qantas eco-accredited hotels. These are hotels that comply with Qantas’ sustainability criteria by implementing environmental initiatives and ensuring sustainable operations.

A green getaway at the Crystalbrook Byron resort will also add more points to your haul.

The airline currently offers 37 eco-accredited hotels ranging from city escapes and outback destinations to beach getaways and island retreats, with more to come.

Staying at these accredited properties will also earn you a 150-point bonus for each night. The starting roster ranges from Sydney’s Wildlife Retreat at Taronga to Crystalbrook Byron, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree and more.

3. Make sustainable purchases

Choose from hundreds of sustainable wines through Qantas Wine. You can Use Qantas Points or pay to offset your contribution with cash and earn 10 Qantas Points per AU$1. 

For every case of six ‘eco-wines’ purchased through Qantas Wine you’ll pick up a further 250 bonus points.

4. Migrate your home to solar energy

Install solar panels through Solargain, add GreenPower to a Qantas Red Saver plan with Red Energy or help support “high quality and verified carbon offset projects” in Australia and around the world when offsetting home and car emissions.

Fitting Solargain panels to your roof ticks off a Green Tier activity for three years.

A Solargain purchase counts toward your Green Tier activity for three membership years. 

5. Reduce your environmental impact 

Complete a sustainability quiz in the Qantas Wellbeing App, which is designed to help members understand how they can better reduce their impact.

Users will be rewarded with 100 bonus Qantas Points for every sustainability quiz completed via the Qantas Wellbeing App, up to a total of 200 points.

In addition, members can now link their Qantas Frequent Flyer membership to their profile in the Saveful app and take part in at least four weekly ‘Track’ surveys on their household’s food inhabits. The reward for doing so is 100 Qantas Points.

6. Contribute to a sustainable cause

Make a contribution towards organisations and projects committed to sustainability, including protecting the Great Barrier Reef and supporting sustainable initiatives developed by charity partners OzHarvest, UNICEF and Kimberley Land Council.

Once achieved, you’ll be able to enjoy your Green tier benefits from the moment you earn the Green tier status until the end of your next membership year.

On top of the entitled points or status credits, these benefits include invitations to exclusive sustainability events and experiences as well as a distinct virtual frequent flyer card to show your promise with the environment.

Kimberley Land Council is among the eligible charities.

In lieu of those 10,000 points or 50 status credits, frequent flyers can also opt to have Qantas purchase three tonnes of carbon offsets on their behalf.

As with Qantas’ long-standing Fly Carbon Neutral program, money paid towards Qantas Green offsets will fund environmentally-friendly projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This can include restoring or protecting forests and other ecosystems, conducting controlled back-burns, and investing in projects to develop renewable energy such as wind farms, as well as purchasing ‘carbon credits’.

Qantas Green tier - FAQs

Is Qantas Green tier worth aiming for?

It depends. Whilst there is a ‘social good’ involved, most categories require you to purchase a Qantas product, so it may not be worthwhile to spend money on achieving the Green tier if you don’t value the rewards on offer.

But if you are an active eco-warrior happy to contribute towards a healthier environment, those 10,000 bonus Qantas points or 50 status credits can prove very useful when planning your next trip, just use the Qantas points calculator.

Will my current Qantas Frequent Flyer status change if I achieve Green tier?

The Green tier sits alongside your existing Qantas Frequent Flyer status, and has no impact on it apart from noticing your app icon and digital membership card will turn an enchanting green.

The Qantas app will indicate your green status by adding this badge to your virtual frequent flyer card.

Apart from that, the status credit targets required to achieve and retain each status tier prior to your annual renewal, if there is one, remain unchanged.

Will offsetting my flight with a partner airline count towards Green tier recognition?

Only by offsetting Qantas or Jetstar marketed flights you will be able to cross off this sustainable activity from your list.

Is Qantas Green tier available for frequent flyers living outside of Australia?

No, only Qantas frequent flyer members residing in Australia are eligible for the Green tier status.

Will I lose my progress if I don’t complete all green tier requirements in a Membership year?

For the most part, yes. Once the Membership year ends, your progress will be reset and you will have to start again.

In the same way, additional sustainability actions taken after achieving your green tier status will not count towards your future membership year.

However, if one of the tasks you completed in your membership year was fitting eligible solar panels on your home roof, Qantas will recognise this activity for three membership years from within 60 days of installation.

Can I transfer my Green tier benefits to a family member?

No, Qantas Green tier benefits are for personal use only and cannot be transferred to family members, friends or other frequent flyers.