How to turn business expenses into Business Class flights

Can your business expenses really get you into Business Class?

Short answer: Yes. Pay the bills your business already has through B2Bpay and you earn Qantas Points on them. One of the best-value ways to spend those points is a Qantas Upgrade Reward: an upgrade from Economy to Business Class usually costs far fewer points than booking Business Class outright.

As a business owner, your hard work deserves a reward now and then. Flying Business Class abroad, for work or for a holiday, is one of the most popular.

With B2Bpay you earn points toward that upgrade simply by running your business as usual. You earn Qantas Points when you make payments, such as the ATO, suppliers and rent, and when you receive them, so your balance grows faster than it would from card spend alone. This guide covers how Qantas upgrades work, how to improve your chances of getting one, and how to earn the points through your business.

How Qantas Business Class upgrades work

Using Qantas Frequent Flyer points to upgrade to Business Class through the Upgrade Rewards program is one of the most economical uses of them. Request an upgrade on your booked flight. If the request is approved, your points pay for the upgrade.

Whether your request succeeds depends on several factors:

• Your frequent flyer status. Platinum requests are approved first.
• Qantas Club membership.
• The price of your ticket. Higher fares are more likely to be upgraded.
• Timing. Some seats are allocated first come, first served.

Qantas publishes an upgrade rewards table on qantas.com where you can see the options for your route and the points each upgrade costs.

What an upgrade costs compared with booking outright

Four tips to improve your chances of an upgrade

If you have the points saved and want to try for an upgrade, these steps improve your odds.

1. Understand the timingsUpgrades are approved in order of status: Platinum members before Gold, and so on. Where two members have the same status, the ticket price is taken into account. The earliest you could be told your upgrade is confirmed:
   • Platinum One: 3 days domestic, 7 days international
   • Platinum: 3 days domestic, 3 days international
   • Gold; Silver with Qantas Club; Silver; Bronze with Qantas Club; Bronze: 24 hours domestic, 24 hours international
   Use these timings as a guide to when to apply.
2. Request as early as possibleEven with these timings, put your request in as early as you can. Among members with the same status, requests are first come, first served. If another Silver member asks for an upgrade before you do, for example, they have a better chance of getting it.
3. Fly off-peakFewer people travel off-peak, so there are likely to be more Business Class seats free. Off-peak times include mid-week, the middle of the day, and dates away from school and public holidays.
4. Choose larger planesLook for flights on larger aircraft, such as an Airbus A330, where seats are more likely to be available. Qantas often holds unsold premium seats until the last minute, so a late upgrade is often possible, and the chance is greater on a larger plane.

How to earn the points through your business

Now you know how to secure an upgrade, the next step is earning enough points for your next flight. Some small business owners see Business Class as out of reach, but your business already spends the money. Earning the points for an upgrade is often more achievable than you think, and an upgrade can cost fewer points than a full-price booking.

Earn when you make payments

B2Bpay lets you earn Qantas Points both when you make payments and when you receive them. Register, add your billers or connect Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks, and pay through B2Bpay. B2Bpay pays your billers for you by bank transfer or BPAY, even if they do not accept cards, and you keep your card's own points too. There are two ways to earn:

Rates for the Qantas pathway are set out in clause 9 of the B2Bpay Customer Terms and Conditions. B2B Points plans and fees are on the pricing page, and points maths works through real examples.

B2Bpay works for businesses in every industry. If a lot of your spending runs through business expenses, the points add up quickly, and you can use them for business travel.

Earn when you get paid

Use B2Bpay to receive payments as well and you earn Qantas Points when your customers pay you. You can also reward your customers with Qantas Points for paying you, which gives you an edge over competitors. See accept card payments.

Pay by bank account and keep earning beyond card caps

Prefer to pay bills from your bank account? Paying by bank transfer through B2Bpay still earns: 1 Qantas Point for every $3 paid by bank account on the Qantas pathway, or B2B Points on Earn Plus and Earn Max. Many credit cards cap the points you can earn. Bank account payments through B2Bpay are not affected by those caps, so you can keep earning after your card stops. Read more about the Bank Accelerator program. Rates at time of publishing (2023). See current rates.

If you want to fly Business Class, make sure every bill earns. Your hard work has earned the reward, so don't let a card cap hold you back.

Get started Sign up to earn Qantas Points Call 1300 205 575

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