Guide: Qantas Club international guest list expanded

Qantas Club membership gives travellers a nice mix of the usual Silver and Gold-grade Qantas Frequent Flyer perks, but in exchange for an upfront membership fee rather than being earned through frequent travel. 

Following on from Qantas’ newly-revised lounge guesting policy, which tightens eligibility by stating visitors must be flying on Qantas or its partners that same day, Qantas Clubs are seeing a policy change too. However, this one actually expands the guest list.

In what’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser, Qantas Club members will now be able to bring a wider range of guests into international Qantas lounges (within Australia or overseas).

A Qantas spokesperson tells Executive Traveller “we’re making a few changes to guest access for our lounges to simplify and align our policies and make things easier and smoother for visitors and guests.”

Under the current rules, Qantas Club members can only bring a guest into the lounge if that guest is travelling on the same international flight as the Qantas Club member.

But Qantas says, as of June 15 2023, the guest list will be broadened to cover anyone flying on any Qantas, Jetstar or Oneworld flight on the same day – even if you’re not travelling together. 

Beyond entry to domestic Qantas Club lounges and international Qantas Business lounges, Qantas Club membership also provides a more generous checked baggage allowance, priority check-in and 'On Departure Upgrades' for using your Qantas Points for a upgrade to business class 

If you’re not familiar with the Qantas Club, here are the basics to get you started.

Who is Qantas Club for?

The Qantas Club is an adjunct to the broader Qantas Frequent Flyer loyalty program and aimed more at what you could consider infrequent flyers: people who don’t travel enough, and especially not on higher-priced airfares, to enjoy lounge access via their Gold or Platinum status.

It's also not for people who normally fly business class, as the Qantas Club Membership benefits of priority check-in, extra checked baggage and airport lounge access are already covered by those business class fares.

Qantas Club membership types

Individual Membership

The most common Qantas Club membership type, Individual Membership is open to all and can be purchased for one, two, or four years. A joining fee applies to new members but does not apply when renewing an existing membership before the expiration date.

Partner Membership

Reduced-price partner memberships are reserved for the spouse or partner of an existing Qantas Club member when both travellers live at the same address.

This membership gets you up to $800 off the Qantas Club price and can be purchased for one, two, or four years. For maximum value, these are best used when both partners travel separately rather than together.

That's because the existing Qantas Club membership already allows that spouse or partner to join the member in the lounge as their guest, so the only need for a separate Qantas Club membership would be to cover other travel.

Group Membership

When 10 or more travellers join the Qantas Club together, discounts of up to 14% can be enjoyed on one and two-year membership rates. This is most common when a group of employees at the same company band together to access group membership discounts, although the group can be comprised of anybody, even a large family or a circle of friends.

Corporate Membership

Many companies holding Qantas travel contracts also have access to Qantas Club Corporate Membership rates, which are no longer published by Qantas. If eligible, these rates can usually be accessed by contacting your company's travel coordinator.

Smaller businesses with a Qantas Business Rewards membership can also save up to 30% on the cost of individual Qantas Club memberships for directors, owners and employees when signing-up for that membership via the Qantas Business Rewards portal.

In any case, whether you have an Individual Membership, Partner Membership, Group Membership or Corporate Membership, access to lounges remains the same, as does the availability of other travel benefits: all that varies is the price.

How much does the Qantas Club membership cost?

Qantas Club membership prices vary depending on your membership type. However, there’s a fixed joining fee of $99 – think of this as similar to the joining fee charged by many organisations, such as gyms and fitness centres – that simply sets up your membership.

In addition to the joining fee, you’re charged a fee which Qantas offers in one-year, two-year and four-year packages:

• One year: $600
• Two years: $1,100
• Four years: $2,000

In other words, the total up-front cost of joining the Qantas Club as a new individual member (including that one-off $99 fee) comes out at:

• One year: $699
• Two years: $1,199
• Four years: $2,099

You can renew your Qantas Club membership (as long as your initial membership period hasn’t finished, to avoid being charged a fresh joining fee) by paying a reduced ‘Existing Member’ fee of $540 for a single year, $980 for another two years or $1,850 for four more years.

Discounted rates are also available to a spouse or partner of existing Qantas Club members when signing-up for a 'Partner Membership': these are priced at $360 for one year, $660 for two years or $1,200 for four years, plus the initial $99 joining fee.

How to get Qantas Club lounge membership for free

There’s a way to get the Qantas lounge membership for free – and it's not only totally legit, but you may already qualify.

In addition to the paid Qantas Club scheme and its popular Qantas Frequent Flyer program, Qantas also runs what it calls a Points Club for people who earn most of their Qantas Points on the ground, rather than by flying.

And that's surprisingly easy to do, especially through savvy use of a Qantas-affiliated credit card, as well as online shopping with Qantas-partnered retail outlets.

(Expert tip: install the free Qantas Shopping Points-Prompter plug-in for your Chrome, Firefox or Safari web browser to see a pop-up notification when you're browsing an online store which lets you earn Qantas Points with every purchase.)

On top of that, you've got the Qantas-Woolworths Rewards partnership to earn Qantas Points through grocery shopping and the Qantas-BP alliance for earning Qantas Points when you fill the tank with petrol.

Of course, choosing the right Qantas-partnered credit card can see well over 100,000 Qantas Points headed your way as a sign-up bonus, and you can also transfer reward points from many cards into Qantas Points (albeit with a limit of 125,000 points at a time).

Additionally, travellers with Qantas Silver status receive one complimentary Qantas Club or Qantas International Business lounge entry per year, while those with selected Qantas co-brand credit cards receive two lounge passes annually.

These passes can be used for access to a Qantas Club lounge prior to a Qantas or Jetstar flight.

All of those points in your account go towards unlocking free membership to the Qantas Points Club.

The entry-level Points Club is yours when you earn 150,000 Qantas Points in your membership year, and this comes with a number of benefits such as two Qantas Club lounge invitations.

But if you can manage to rake in 350,000 Qantas Points in your membership year, you'll be upgraded to the higher Points Club Plus tier – and one of the key perks of Points Club Plus is free Qantas Club membership.

Alternatively, Qantas Frequent Flyer members who earn at least 350,000 Qantas Points each year – of which, 330,000 must be earned from non-flying activities such as credit card spend – qualify for Points Club Plus, where full Qantas Club membership is a complimentary inclusion.

If travelling with a companion or colleague, and that person has their own Qantas Club membership or Qantas Gold (or above) frequent flyer status, you may instead be able to visit a lounge as their guest, free-of-charge.

Qantas Club Membership Benefits

While most see Qantas Club as purely an airport lounge scheme, those members have access to a broader suite of benefits than the lounge itself.

Qantas airport lounge access

The core benefit of Qantas Club membership is lounge access ahead of Qantas and Jetstar flights, specifically:

• Domestic Qantas Club airport lounges (there are currently 22 lounges in that batch, as the Port Hedland and Rockhampton lounges remain closed at the time of writing)
• International Qantas business class lounges (both in Australia and overseas) and single-class 'premium' lounges (such as Hong Kong and London, shown below)

Note that with most Qantas' international Business Lounges in New Zealand currently closed, your Qantas Club card is valid for entry to Air New Zealand’s international lounges in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington.

In other cities on the Qantas network where the Red Roo doesn’t have its own lounge facilities – including Dallas, Shanghai and New York – access is provided to partner airline ‘associated lounges’ as varies from airport to airport.      

For a full list of these associated lounges, visit the Qantas website.

Qantas premium lounge entry

Exclusively at Brisbane Airport, Qantas Club members can use the Qantas Premium Lounge entry facility for expedited security screening and direct access to the Qantas Club lounge.

Normally, domestic priority security is a perk for Gold and Platinum frequent flyers, but as Qantas Premium Lounge Entry is attached to the lounge, the airline extends this to Qantas Club members in Brisbane only.

Lounge access with other airlines

The Emirates business class lounges in Dubai open their doors to Qantas Club members travelling onward on a QF flight number, although all other Emirates lounges are off-limits to these travellers.

For example, when departing London Heathrow on a Business or First Class ticket on either a Qantas (QF) or Emirates (EK) flight, Qantas Club members can choose to access their choice of the Qantas London Lounge or the Emirates Lounge - or even both.

In airports with a Qantas-operated lounge, access is also offered when booked on a Qantas codeshare flight – including the Qantas lounges in Australia when travelling with Air New Zealand, Emirates, Fiji Airways and more.

As a more recent addition, Qantas Club members can now visit Alaska Airlines' lounges in Los Angeles, Seattle, Anchorage and Portland when travelling with Alaska Airlines on a QF codeshare flight number, when connecting to or from a Qantas international flight.

Finally, American Airlines' Admirals Clubs welcome Qantas Club members the world over when jetting onwards on a QF or AA flight number – the latter being a less-publicised perk of the program.

Qantas priority check-in

Holding a Qantas Club membership means never having to join the back of the economy queue at Qantas check-in.

When travelling on a Qantas domestic flight, Qantas Club members have access to priority check-in facilities including Premium Service Desks for assistance and booking change requests – or when flying with carry-on baggage only, can check-in at most major Qantas Club lounges.

Prior to Qantas-operated international flights, Qantas Club members can also use dedicated priority check-in lanes marked "Qantas Club" – or when these are unavailable, premium economy or business class priority check-in channels, as directed.

Extra baggage allowance

When travelling with Qantas, Qantas Club cardholders may be able to pack a little heavier, bring an extra bag, or both: depending on their destination.

On domestic Qantas flights, the standard 1x23kg baggage allowance in economy is elevated to 1x32kg for Qantas Club members, being the same allowances as granted to Qantas Silver frequent flyers. There’s no change in business class, however.

When jetting abroad with Qantas or Emirates to destinations adopting the ‘weight system’, your baggage allowance shown on your ticket is instead boosted by 12kg. That pushes the standard economy allowance from 30kg to 42kg, and the business class allowance from 40kg to 52kg, for example.

Where the ‘piece system’ is used instead (mainly to North and South America), Qantas Club members can pack a flat 3x32kg – that’s 96kg in total – being the same allowance normally afforded to most first class passengers, even if the Qantas Club member is booked in economy.

Request 'on departure upgrades' to business class

When booked in economy on a Qantas domestic flight, you'll be able to request an upgrade to business class in the lounge using your Qantas Points.

Upgrades remain subject to availability but may be possible even if you'd previously tried online without success. The number of points needed for these upgrades is the same as when requesting in advance, however, and you may not be guaranteed full catering, so this is more of a backup plan rather than a go-to.

Fancy an upgrade from domestic economy to business class on departure day using your Qantas Points?

Just ask at the service desk in the Qantas Club lounge, and you might have success – even if you’d previously tried to upgrade online and didn’t land that bump-up.

Priority when flying standby or on a waitlist

On the rare chance you’re trying to change flights and your preferred departure is full, you may be able to ‘waitlist’ for that flight – and as a Qantas Club member, you’ll be ranked at a higher priority than entry-level Bronze frequent flyers for getting on that flight.

The same applies when trying to purchase a ticket on a fully-booked flight at the airport: if a seat on that flight becomes available at the last minute, a Qantas Club member on the standby list would be offered the seat before a Bronze frequent flyer.

Discounted rates on Qantas Meeting Rooms

Whether you're just after a quiet place to work or are hosting a meeting at the airport, Qantas Club membership unlocks discounted rates on meeting room bookings.

Sometimes, the cost can be reduced to less than half the normal asking price, although costs vary based on airport location and time. Meeting rooms are available at Sydney T3, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canbera, Darwin, Townsville and Gold Coast airports.

Qantas Club Membership FAQ

Is Qantas Club membership worth the price?

That depends on your individual travel patterns, but if you're normally stuck buying the cheapest fares in economy and are earning as few as 10 status credits on every flight, it could well be worth it.

Take a moment to review how many times you expect to fly each year and compare that to the yearly membership charge.

For example, a traveller taking 10 return trips (20 flights) per year could visit the lounge up to 20 times.

If you signed up for a single year of Qantas Club membership at $699 – that's a $99 joining fee plus $600 for 12 months – you get a ‘cost per visit’ of $35. Of course, a two-year or four-year membership package lowers that 'cost per visit' even further.

While this is more than you'd pay for a meal and drink or two at most airport cafés, you're also getting somewhere quieter and more comfortable to sit, with free Qantas Lounge WiFi and ideally AC/USB power outlets close at hand.

Add to this the value of the additional benefits discussed above and Qantas Club membership could prove even more valuable.

But if your travel is far less frequent, calculate your own 'cost per visit' and decide based on your personal circumstances.

Prospective members travelling less often may find better value in skipping Qantas Club membership and enjoying a café or restaurant meal at the airport on the occasions where they do fly.

In short, here’s our take:

• If you’re only making a handful of domestic flights per year, no: you can still get lounge access (the Qantas Club program’s main drawcard) through lounge invitations.
• If you’re making more than a dozen return trips per year, yes: the membership cost-per-flight breakdown starts to work in your favour, especially if you’re on low-cost economy fares which will make it hard for you to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold status.
• If you’re earning over 350,000 Qantas Points per year (mainly through spending with your credit card), no: those points qualify you for the Qantas Point Club Plus program, which comes with free Qantas Club membership.

Can I bring more than one adult guest into the lounge?

Yes – you will need to purchase an ‘Annual Guest Card’, which allows you to bring an extra guest when visiting Qantas-operated lounges throughout the year.

The card affords no lounge access privileges on its own, and is only valid when the guest is entering at the same time as the paid-up Qantas Club member.

An Annual Guest card costs $350 per year for Australian residents, with slightly cheaper rates available to residents of foreign countries.

Travellers can also redeem their Qantas Frequent Flyer points for lounge memberships and Annual Guest Cards, although you’ll get little more than half a cent in value per point redeemed – so we’d suggest keeping them for your next upgrade to business class.

Can I bring children into the lounge?

Yes, and in some lounges they can enjoy a dedicated 'kid zone' or 'family zone', but the guesting rules vary depending on which airline operates the lounge you’re visiting.

Qantas allows Qantas Club members to bring two children aged between four and 17 years into the lounge in addition to one adult guest, plus any accompanying infants aged three years and younger.

In Dubai, Emirates considers all travellers to be guests regardless of age, and doesn’t recognise Annual Guest Cards – so for a Qantas Club member, their partner and a child to all have lounge access, you’d need to pay for a second, full-rate Qantas Club membership.

For other lounges, refer to the Qantas website.

Do Qantas Clubs have a dress code?

Qantas has always maintained a 'smart casual dress standard' in the terms and conditions for entering its Qantas Club lounges, with singlets, bare feet, rubber thongs "and clothing with offensive images or slogans" in most cases considered unacceptable in the capital city lounges.

The airline says its staff will use discretion to determine if a visitor doesn't meet its standards.

Can I buy Qantas Club guest passes on eBay?

No, and in fact, you shouldn't be able to buy them anywhere. While Qantas does hand out complimentary invitations to use its domestic Qantas Club and international Qantas Business Lounges, these are not intended for sale.

They can be given away to family, friends, colleagues or even a random stranger at the check-in line if that's your fancy – but selling the cards (or digital invitations) is not allowed, which is why eBay is now blocking frequent flyers from listing these 'free' invitations for online auction.

Read: eBay cracks down on sales of 'free' Qantas Club lounge passes

What if I pay for a Qantas Club membership but then progress to Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold before it expires?

Gold frequent flyers essentially receive free Qantas Club membership among their suite of perks, so when you climb the status ladder beyond the Silver tier, your paid Qantas Club membership is paused.

Should you subsequently drop from Gold status down back down to Silver or even Bronze, your remaining period of paid Qantas Club membership automatically resumes from where you left off.

And, if you happen to achieve Lifetime Gold status before being able to utilise your full paid Qantas Club membership, contact Qantas to discuss your refund options.

Won’t I reach Gold if I’m flying enough to use the Qantas Club?

Not necessarily – and that’s exactly where Qantas Club provides the best value, when you’re travelling regularly enough to use it often, but not frequently enough to get Qantas Gold.

Qualifying for Qantas Gold status requires a hefty 700 status credits earned in a single membership year.

On Australia’s most popular domestic route, Sydney-Melbourne, each flight can earn as few as 10 status credits: requiring up to 70 one-way flights, or 35 round trips, to get over that line and progress to Gold, which then includes complimentary lounge access.

Anything less, and you’d need to rely on a Qantas Club membership for lounge access.

Still, there’s a slight shortcut to Qantas Gold, for those earning at least 500 of their status credits each year from Qantas or Jetstar flights.

Reach that threshold, and through the Qantas Loyalty Bonus, you can opt for a bonus 50 status credits – putting Gold within reach after a reduced 65 one-way Sydney-Melbourne flights on the lowest-priced fares, or taking 33 return trips.

Does Qantas ever discount its Qantas Club membership fees?

Several times per year, the Flying Kangaroo releases promotions on Individual Qantas Club memberships. The offers can include discounted or waived joining fees, and a reduction on renewal fees.

The most recent sale took place in April 2022, when Qantas offered a 50% discount on new Qantas Club membership fees.

Is my Qantas Club membership tax deductible?

According to the Australian Taxation Office, lounge memberships purchased by businesses on behalf of their travelling employees are tax deductible, even if occasionally used by staff on their private holidays.

That’s because “the primary function of Airport Lounge Clubs is to provide business facilities and prompt and efficient services relating to the travel of their members,” says the ATO.

On the other side of the coin, employees of businesses with ‘no-frills’ travel policies may instead need to cover their own fees if airport lounge access is desired.

Whatever the case, be sure to consult your accountant or tax professional for advice on how the ATO’s rules and regulations apply to your particular circumstances.

Can I use Emirates lounges?

Not within Australia – if you’re travelling with Emirates and are booked on a Qantas (QF) flight number, you can instead visit the Qantas international business class lounges in Australia before you depart.

You can, however, access the Emirates business class lounges in Dubai when flying onwards with Emirates on a QF codeshare flight number, although access in other ports such as Paris, Rome, London Gatwick and Frankfurt isn’t offered – even if you booked a Qantas codeshare flight.

Can I use the Qantas lounge with a codeshare flight number? 

No. Even if you’re travelling on a Qantas aircraft with a kangaroo on the tail, you only enjoy lounge access if your ticket shows a Qantas or Jetstar flight number.

For example, British Airways codeshares on Qantas’ flights from Brisbane to Singapore – so if you book on the BA flight number, your Qantas Club membership won’t afford any lounge access.

Can I get lounge access when flying with other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, British Airways or even Virgin Australia?

No, with the exception of American Airlines where you can visit the Admirals Club lounges, or if your next onward flight was booked on a QF codeshare and there’s a Qantas-operated lounge at that airport. 

Can Qantas Club members still access the BA Galleries or Terrace lounges?

Unfortunately not – this privilege was discontinued when Qantas ended its reciprocal partnership with British Airways to instead align with Emirates on flights to Europe, many years back.

Qantas Frequent Flyers, including Qantas Club members, can still earn frequent flyer points and status credits on BA flights, and Gold and Platinum members (Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire) can continue to visit the British Airways lounges under the standard Oneworld access rules.

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