Have you ever dreamed of flying around the world in luxury, sipping champagne in Business Class lounges, gliding through the skies in lie-flat beds and waking up in a new bucket list destination, all without paying tens of thousands of dollars?
Well, we’re about to do exactly that!
For our honeymoon, my husband and I decided to do things a little differently. About two years ago, we set ourselves a bold goal, because why settle for just one honeymoon destination when you can visit many? So we planned the ultimate round-the-world trip, booking an incredible multi-stop itinerary in business class entirely on Qantas Frequent Flyer points, paying a fixed rate of 318,000 points per person (+ taxes, more on those below!), which saved us more than $45,000 AUD on flights.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how this works, how you can earn enough points and the tips and lessons I learned from booking this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Why Qantas Frequent Flyer Points are perfect for an around-the-world trip
I’ve been a Qantas Frequent Flyer member for years, picking up the odd point here and there, but I never truly paid attention… until about 2.5 years ago.
Today, I genuinely believe that for Aussie-based travellers, Qantas Points are one of the most powerful travel currencies out there to unlock a round-the-world (RTW) trip in style. Why?
️ Massive reach through Qantas and oneworld alliance partners that are reaching over 1,300 destinations globally!
️ The oneworld Classic Flight Reward (the red ribbon, not blue!) round-the-world ticket offers the best value you can get with Qantas Points, allowing you to make your points go further than with any other reward booking.
️ Opportunities to fly with some of the world’s top airlines: Qatar Airways Q Suites, Finnair’s A350, British Airways Club Suites, Japan Airlines First and more.
Unlike programs like Velocity, the Qantas scheme offers a unique RTW ticket that can make your points go three to four times further than booking simple return trips.
When I calculated the value, booking each leg of our round-the-world trip individually with points would have cost us over 1 million Qantas Frequent Flyer points!
To give you an idea, a return Business Class Classic Flight Reward from Brisbane to Frankfurt can cost you around 318,000 Qantas Points already and that’s just for one destination.
But what if I told you that you could use the same number of points (or just a bit more) to fly around the world in Business Class instead? Yep, below, I’ll show you exactly how to stretch those points further and turn them into the ultimate global adventure.
What is the oneworld Classic Reward round-the-world ticket & its rules?
Here’s the deal: with Qantas Frequent Flyer points, you can book a “Oneworld Classic Flight Reward” ticket, letting you travel around the globe in premium comfort for a fraction of the cost. You can mix and match oneworld member airlines to create a fully customised, once-in-a-lifetime itinerary.
The basic rules as per Qantas terms & conditions:
Up to 5 stopovers (you can stopover in more places, but only 5 can be 24+ hours)
Includes flights with at least two oneworld member airlines (not counting Qantas) and you can’t include any airlines that aren’t part of the oneworld alliance (e.g. Emirates is not part of the oneworld alliance)
Maximum 35,000 miles flown
Up to 16 total flight segments
12 months to complete the itinerary after starting
Bookable in Economy, Business or First Class
Additionally, surface sectors are allowed! So you can travel overland between two cities and still include them in your round-the-world itinerary. For example, we’re flying into London, exploring around Europe with low-cost carriers, then picking up our next flight from Düsseldorf to New York. Just keep in mind, the surface distance still counts toward your total mileage!
If you meet all the requirements above, the points cap kicks in, meaning the amounts listed below are the absolute maximum you’ll need to pay in points, no matter how you piece together your itinerary!
I know, it can all sound pretty overwhelming at first, but once you get your head around the rules, I found it’s actually not as complicated as it seems. The hardest part by far is finding the flights themselves and securing reward seat availability. Business Class tends to be slightly easier to book than First Class, especially if you’re travelling as a couple and need two seats on the same flight.
I got totally obsessed with squeezing every last mile out of our booking and even managed to sneak in an extra connecting flight after everything was ticketed for zero additional points and just a small extra tax. I did have to call Qantas, however, to make the change, but to their credit, they were super helpful.
Just a heads-up: if you make any changes to your itinerary after booking, a 5,000 Qantas Points fee per person will apply for each change.
How many points do you need?
The points required for a oneworld Classic Flight Reward are set to increase from 5 August 2025. Here are the current and updated points needed:
- 132,400 Qantas Points for Economy Class (increase to: 152,200 Qantas Points)
- 318,000 Qantas Points for Business Class (increase to: 365,800 Qantas Points)
- 455,000 Qantas Points for First Class (increase to: 523,200 Qantas Points)
How much are the taxes and fees? (and how to avoid them)
While booking a round-the-world trip using Qantas points can save you tens of thousands of dollars in airfares, it doesn’t mean you’ll be flying completely free. Taxes, fees and carrier charges still apply and in some countries, those can really add up!
Our taxes/fees totalled about $2,200 AUD per person, which is still a steal compared to $25k+ for each at retail cash pricing of the same business class ticket.
We did include flying British Airways in our ticket, so we can assume our taxes are slightly higher due to higher fuel/carrier charges, but as a rough estimate for taxes, it’s said to be around $1,500-2,000 AUD per passenger, it all depends on your itinerary, airlines and also countries/airports you fly in and out of.
For example, flights departing the UK are subject to hefty departure taxes known as UK Air Passenger Duty (APD), but this only applies if the UK is your point of departure, not arrival or transit. We were originally going to fly from London to New York, but instead booked Düsseldorf to New York. We’ll still have a quick stopover in London, but by transiting for under 24 hours, we avoid the APD entirely, a sneaky win that saved us hundreds in additional taxes!
How to earn enough Qantas points for an RTW trip
Worried about how to collect 318,000 points (or more)? Don’t be. We were in the same boat until we got super strategic. From getting engaged in early 2023 to booking our dream round-the-world business class trip in early 2025, we mapped it all out step by step.
Below are the exact tips that helped us save thousands and make it all happen using points. If you’re planning a trip soon, read on, so you can start earning smarter.
1. Credit card sign-up bonuses (the big win!)
Australian banks regularly offer 80,000-150,000 Qantas Points bonuses. This is one of the fastest ways to boost your points balance quickly. Taking advantage of these offers strategically was a huge part of how we earned enough points for our around-the-world trip.
- Apply smartly (watch for annual fees and minimum spend & never ever pay interest!)
- Some of my personal faves: Amex Qantas Ultimate, ANZ Frequent Flyer Black, Westpac Altitude Qantas Black (not financial advice, always read the T&Cs and assess what’s right for your situation!)
- Business tip: If you have an ABN and you’re eligible, business credit cards can unlock even higher sign-up bonuses and earn you more points per dollar, making them another powerful tool in your points strategy
2. Use Your Points Card for Everything
From groceries and bills to petrol and online shopping, using your points-earning card for all your purchases is the fastest way to rack up points. Yes, you can double-dip in many instances. For example, when shopping at Woolworths, scan your Everyday Rewards card and then also pay with your Qantas Points-earning credit card. That means scoring points through your credit card and Everyday Rewards, which you can later convert to Qantas Points.
Just remember, always pay off your balance in full by the due date. The value of the points can never outweigh the cost of interest!
3. Everyday Rewards earnings add up
We turned all our everyday spending into points that brought us closer to Business Class and here’s how you can do it too:
Weekly Woolworths Shop: Earn points every time you do your grocery shopping at Woolworths.
BP Fuel: Earn points every time you fill up.
You also earn points at BWS, Big W, EG and Ampol fuel stations for every dollar spent, which you can convert into valuable Qantas Points.
Every 2,000 Everyday Rewards points convert to 1,000 Qantas Points, making it a smart way to boost your frequent flyer balance. You can even set up automatic conversion once you reach that points balance, so you never miss out on earning Qantas Points.
4. Join and link other programs
Boost your Qantas points by connecting your account to these popular partners:
Qantas Shopping Portal: Shop online through the portal to earn extra points.
Qantas Wine: Literally drink your way to your next flight.
Uber & Uber Eats: Link your account to rack up points on rides and deliveries.
HelloFresh, Binge & More: Earn points with a range of different partners, including food delivery, streaming services, utilities and even home loans!
Qantas Wellbeing App: Download the Qantas Wellbeing App and start earning Qantas Points for everyday activities like walking, staying active and even sleeping! It’s an easy, passive way to build up your balance, especially when paired with health insurance from Qantas or other linked offers within the app.
You can find all Qantas earning partners here. Note that partners change regularly, with new bonus offers popping up all the time!
5. Booking hotels & travel via Qantas Hotels
Hotels: Earn extra Qantas Points when you book your stays through Qantas Hotels (even can do that for booking Airbnbs!), it’s a double win for your points balance and your travel plans.
Car Hire: Rent a car from partners like Budget or Avis and rack up more points on the road.
Cruises: Earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on cruises, such as Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean.
Flights: And of course, the most obvious, earning Qantas Points whenever you fly with Qantas or its partner airlines.
Tips for Booking an oneworld Classic Flight Reward
️ Start early: Seats get snapped up quickly in advance, especially for Business/First Class. Note that Qantas releases rewards seats up to 353 days in advance.
️ Be flexible: If you’re flexible with your travel dates or destinations, you’ll be able to book your dream trip much faster. For example, we never originally planned to visit India, but when a stopover in Delhi popped up on the way from Colombo, Sri Lanka to London, we jumped at the opportunity.
️ Book segment-by-segment: Sometimes the full itinerary won’t price online, break it down (too many times!!), then call Qantas to manually piece the RTW together.
️ Qatar and British Airways taxes are some of the highest: Consider Finnair, Japan Airlines, American Airlines for lower fees.
️ Some partner airlines you can book through Qantas aren’t part of oneworld: Like Emirates, Air New Zealand, Air France, China Airlines and a few more. Unfortunately, flights on these carriers aren’t eligible for the round-the-world award. Here are all the oneword member airlines you can consider.
️ Qantas Multi-City Tool: This was the easiest way to get a calendar view of reward seat availability. For us, this tool made stitching the whole trip together a lot simpler when building our booking and after a few weeks of research, I booked the entire journey in one go using this tool!
Is the oneword Classic Reward Right for you?
️ Perfect for:
- Honeymooners (like us!)
- Digital nomads or long-term travellers
- Solo travellers, even easier to find business reward seat availability!
- Anyone wanting to tick multiple continents in one go
Not ideal if:
- You can’t be flexible on dates/stopovers
- You don’t have the patience for route-planning puzzles
- You don’t want to deal with phone bookings
But the value is absolutely insane! I couldn’t imagine spending $45,000+ AUD for the same journey and thanks to points, we didn’t have to.
Final words & biggest lessons learned
I used to think this kind of trip was impossible for “normal people” and while it’s not easy and pretty overwhelming at first, with the right info, tools and a little flexibility, it’s 100% doable and I literally got such a kick out of stitching this together and booking this!
The hardest part? Finding reward seat availability. But persistence truly pays off.
Our dream trip is now officially booked, we take off in mid-August on the honeymoon of a lifetime, flying around the world in Business Class… all on Qantas points!
Follow our journey on Instagram @breathingtravel to see how it all unfolds, from lounge life to lie-flat seats and every bucket list moment in between!
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