In a move that probably few saw coming, Jetstar has made a move that will allow Qantas Frequent Flyers to earn points when flying on domestic flights within New Zealand. The change, which came into effect immediately, offered the chance to earn a minimum of 400 Qantas Points when flying within New Zealand.
Previously (and even now on the rest of the Jetstar network), it was necessary to purchase one of the so called ‘bundles’ in order to earn Qantas Points. The base fare for Jetstar is their Starter fare, In order to earn Qantas Points it was possible to purchase either a ‘Plus’ or a ‘Max’ bundle, which offered various additions – one of which was the ability to earn Qantas Points.
The Qantas Frequent Flyer earnings table has been updated to reflect the announcement made today. The following table is an adaptation of this to reflect the new situation:
| Jetstar New Zealand earning | What you’ll earn one way (Base Rate) |
Starter | Starter Plus |
Starter Max |
|
| Jetstar Domestic New Zealand Minimum Points Guarantee~ |
Qantas Points | 400 | 800 | 1,200 | |
| Jetstar Domestic New Zealand | Qantas Points | 300 | 450 | 600 | |
| Status Credits | – | 10 | 20 | ||
As can be seen from the table, there is an earnings rate for each of the three fare classes. There is also an additional Minimum Points Guarantee specified, which will be the earning rate if the base earn together with any bonus points (such as a Status bonus) is less than the minimum.
Another point worth noting, is that this change does not affect the Status Credit earnings applicable to the fare. A Starter fare will continue to earn no status credits – they can only be earned if purchasing one of the bundles.
There is one little catch in the announcement, if the domestic flight connects with an international flight, it will not earn any points, unless you purchase one of the bundles. The Terms and Conditions reflect this with the following:
~ Effective 25 June 2015, Qantas Frequent Flyer members will earn Qantas Points on Jetstar New Zealand Domestic Flights booked on Starter Fares. If you are travelling on a domestic Jetstar flight within New Zealand that connects to an international Jetstar flight, you will not earn Qantas Points or Status Credits unless you purchase an Economy Starter Plus, Economy Starter Max or Business Max fare with Jetstar.
This change comes after the recent announcement that Jetstar would begin regional operations in New Zealand. It also follows an earlier status match offer Qanas made to New Zealand residents. All in all, it shows that Qantas (albeit through its Jetstar operations) sees potential to grow in the New Zealand market.