Qantas and hotel chain Accor have announced that they will enter into a deeper partnership in mid-2021. Under the partnership members of Qantas Frequent Flyer and Accor Live Limitless (ALL) will have extra points-earning opportunities.
Basically, you will be able to earn in both programs simultaneously. So, if you take a flight you could earn Accor ALL points in addition to Qantas Points. The reverse works as well. If you book an eligible room, you can earn Qantas Points in addition to the Accor ALL points.
It all sounds good, although there is very little detail on the specifics of what it will all mean. What we do know is that it will apply for hotel stays across the Asia Pacific region and across Qantas’ domestic and international flights.
There are a few things that are yet to be revealed though. Firstly, we don’t know what reciprocal earning rates will be. So, if you stay in an Accor hotel, just how many Qantas Points will you receive.
Secondly, they have not yet qualified what they mean by eligible members. So, we don’t know just which members will be eligible. Based on similar arrangements elsewhere, it may be that you have to be a certain status within the programs to be able to take advantage of the tie-up.
Other Tie-Ups
Qantas and Accor make the points that it is a first for Asia-Pacific. That may be true, but we can look elsewhere to see just what might be in store. For example, Marriott has a partnership with Emirates. Likewise, American Airlines and Hyatt do something similar. A partnership closer to home is that between Singapore Airlines and Shangri-la.
In these partnerships, the points earning is one thing. But they also offer additional perks and fast track offers. However, they all do different things.
But perhaps it is worth looking to the tie-up between Accor and Air France-KLM to get a picture of what might be coming. On top of the ability to earn in both programs, there is also a welcome gift that helps move you up the status tiers in the two programs, subject to meeting certain criteria.
Thoughts
The announcement today was quite an interesting teaser. Hopefully, we will have more concrete details on the partnership early in the new year. So, for now, it is a bit of a wait and see.
