Is it worth chasing Qantas Gold status?

Qantas Gold status unlocks a well-rounded package of benefits to suit those who fly more than most. There’s priority check-in, boarding and baggage delivery, while also being the first hung up the status ladder to include unlimited airport lounge access. Because of this, many consider Qantas Gold to be the real ‘sweet spot’ in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

Sure, the benefits are great. But are they worth actively chasing? No doubt, if you’re doing lots of travel for work and are notching up Status Credits rather easily, there’s no reason to hold yourself back if Gold is an easy task. But what if your travels don’t quite get you over the line… is it worth the extra effort to make sure you hit Gold every year?

As it happens, the ‘best’ frequent flyer strategy can differ strongly from one traveller to the next. Everybody’s annual travel plans look quite different – there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach. But if you’re weighing up whether Qantas Gold is worth the hustle over and above the perks of Silver, here’s where Gold sets itself apart.

Earning Qantas Frequent Flyer Silver and Gold

Qantas Frequent Flyer uses membership years when determining status. This isn’t necessarily a calendar year, but a 12-month period fixed around the date that you joined the program. For instance, your membership year might run from the start of June every year until the end of May in the following year. For instance, from 1 June 2024 until 31 May 2025.

As you begin travelling, you’ll notch up Status Credits. Qantas Silver and Qantas Gold each require a minimum number of Status Credits to earn for the first time, and then to retain in the years that follow. Here’s how they compare.

	Earn Qantas Silver	Earn Qantas Gold
To earn	300 Status Credits	700 Status Credits
To maintain	250 Status Credits	600 Status Credits

Essentially, retaining Qantas Gold requires twice as much flying as to earn Qantas Silver for the first time. To earn or retain either level, you also need to notch up four eligible flights. Those are journeys taken with a Qantas or Jetstar flight number on your ticket, on which you earn Status Credits from the journey.

When it comes to those Status Credits, there are a couple of shortcuts that can help you along your way. For every 500 Status Credits earned from Qantas or Jetstar flights each year, you can select a Loyalty Bonus of 50 Status Credits. You can also earn 50 Status Credits each year through Qantas Green Tier. Points Club Plus members can also rollover 100 Status Credits when each new membership year begins, when Points Club Plus has been maintained in the membership year that’s concluding.

Differences between Qantas Silver and Gold

While Qantas Silver is an entry-level tier to reward those who travel a little, Qantas Gold is tailored towards those who do a fair chunk of travel each year. If frequent flyer status were a meal, Qantas Silver would be the appetiser and Qantas Gold would be the main course.

For instance, Qantas Silver members can enjoy priority check-in. But Qantas Gold extends the priority treatment to the queues at domestic security and boarding as well. Similarly, Qantas Silver members receive one complimentary Qantas Club visit per year. But Qantas Gold cardholders enjoy year-round access, every time they fly.

At a glance

	Qantas Silver	Qantas Gold
Oneworld equivalent	Ruby	Sapphire
Status Bonus (extra points earned)	50% bonus on Qantas, Jetstar & American Airlines	75% bonus on Qantas, Jetstar & American Airlines
Extra baggage	Yes, see below	Yes, see below
Lounge access	One complimentary invitation	Unlimited, see below
Priority airport benefits	Business Class priority check-in	Business Class priority check-in, fast-track security screening (domestic only) and priority boarding (Group 2 or general priority, as applicable).
Upgrade priority	Higher priority over Bronze	Higher priority over Silver and Bronze
Preferential access to reward seats	May see more seats than Bronze, and can book Qantas international premium cabins from 323 days before departure (versus 297 for Bronze).	May see more seats than Silver and Bronze, and can book Qantas international premium cabins up to 353 days in advance.
Phone service	Prioritised over Bronze	Prioritised over Silver and Bronze

For lounge access

As we noted above, Qantas Silver members receive a quick taste of the lounge life every year. Qantas Gold members, on the other hand, can visit eligible lounges every time they depart on an eligible flight. What’s more, Qantas Gold members can also bring one complimentary adult guest into the lounge with every visit. More generous limits can apply with some affiliated airlines when flying with children.

	Qantas Silver	Qantas Gold
Lounge access (Qantas and Jetstar domestic)	One Qantas Club visit annually	Qantas Club (unlimited, when flying)
Lounge access (Qantas and Jetstar international)	An alternative way to use the single visit lounge pass, when departing an eligible airport.	International Business Lounges
Lounge access (oneworld and partners)	No access	Partner Business Class and/or Gold frequent flyer lounges

For extra baggage

On some flights, Qantas extends additional free checked baggage to its Silver and Gold members. As you’d expect, those caps can be more generous for Gold cardholders compared to Silver frequent flyers. Here’s how they compare.

	Qantas Silver	Qantas Gold
Extra baggage (Qantas domestic)	Economy: 1x 32kg (normally 1x 23kg) Business: No increase (standard 2x 32kg)	Economy: 2x 32kg (double the Silver limit) Business: No increase (standard 2x 32kg)
Extra baggage (Qantas international)	North and South America: 3x 32kg in all classes (normally 1-3x 32kg, varied by cabin) Other routes: An extra 12kg in all classes	North and South America: 3x 32kg in all classes (normally 1-3x 32kg, varied by cabin) Other routes: An extra 16kg in all classes
Extra baggage (oneworld)	None	Weight system: 15kg more than the Economy allowance on the same flight. Piece system: One additional 23kg bag (but capped at two total bags, including any bags included in the ticketed allowance).

How much flying does it take to reach Qantas Silver or Gold?

There are many ways to earn Qantas Status Credits. This makes it hard to illustrate exactly how much travel is required to gain or maintain Qantas Silver or Gold status. But we can break things down to give an indication.

Flying Qantas exclusively

For what it’s worth, earning Qantas Platinum takes twice as much travel as Qantas Gold. But winging your way to Qantas Gold still takes a fair slog of jetsetting. At 700 Status Credits, you’d need to take as many as 70 Qantas flights. For instance, a short hop from Sydney to Melbourne on a Red eDeal Economy fare earns 10 Status Credits. Repeat that 70 times in a single membership year – which means 35 return trips – and you’re at Qantas Gold.

If you travel for work – and especially at the front of the plane – status gets a whole lot easier. Just one return Business Class trip from Sydney to London nets between 560 and 620 Status Credits. That’s just enough (or on the lower-cost fares, very close) to keeping Qantas Gold, noting that you still need to notch up at least four eligible flight sectors during your membership year.

Trying to earn Qantas Gold for the first time at 700 Status Credits? Three return Qantas Business Class trips between Australia’s east coast and Singapore would get you across the line. This includes when travelling on ‘Discount Business’ fares, which are still rewarding enough to reach this goal.

This doesn’t take into account occasional promotions such as Double Status Credits, which can get you there in half the time. It also doesn’t factor in choosing 50 Status Credits as your Qantas Loyalty Bonus (available after earning 500 Status Credits each year from Qantas). Of course, if you’re a Points Club Plus member, being able to roll over 100 Status Credits every year brings that target even closer.

Flying with partner airlines

Regardless of how you notch up Status Credits every year, you still need to take at least four eligible flights on Qantas or Jetstar. But only Qantas Platinum One also requires a certain number of your Status Credits to come from Qantas itself. For all other tiers – including Qantas Gold and Silver – your Status Credits can come from anywhere at all.

On the plus side, this makes it possible to earn Qantas status even if you primarily fly with the Roo’s partner airlines. On the other hand, Qantas typically awards fewer Status Credits on partner airline flights compared to similar journeys taken aboard Qantas itself. That’s Qantas’ way of encouraging you to fly Qantas – and rewarding you more when you do.

Considerations when aiming for Qantas Gold

Given the differences between Qantas Silver and Qantas Gold, here are some of the things you could think about when deciding whether it’s worth pursuing that next step.

1) How much time remains in your current membership year?

When you earn Qantas Status Credits, they almost always accrue within the same membership year. For instance, if your membership year runs from 1 June until 31 May, and you fly in April, your travels will ‘count’ towards that year. This applies even if you submit a manual points claim for these flights after your new membership year begins.

In other words, it may not make sense to ‘chase’ Qantas Gold status if your membership year is almost up. If you’ve barely scraped Qantas Silver over a near-12-month period, your prospects of doubling your Status Credits balance in the final weeks will be relatively slim. However, if you’re early in your membership year and have more time to do the flying, it could make more sense. Equally, if your year is almost up and you’re nearly at the goal, taking an extra flight or two to get across the line could make sense in your circumstances.

2) Do you mainly fly Business Class?

The biggest strength of Qantas Gold is that even when you fly Economy, you’re treated to many of the same on-ground benefits as those sitting in Business Class. In fact, travelling Business Class on domestic flights gets you into an even better lounge in key capital cities than Qantas Gold status provides.

If your travels usually have you sitting up the front, you’re unlikely to notice much difference with Qantas Gold. You already have access to the priority lines and lounges. Plus, you already have a solid baggage allowance, which means you may not even need the extra weight or piece that Qantas Gold might provide. In these circumstances, there’s very little that Qantas Gold status adds to your journey.

But Gold still carries some weight. For one thing, you’ll earn more Qantas Points on eligible flights. And when it comes time to use them, you’ll have easier access to selected reward seats. Plus, if you’re flying anyway, you may as well be building status and ticking away towards Lifetime Silver or Lifetime Gold. But whether the loyalty dance is worth chasing under these circumstances comes down to each person.

3) Do you regularly upgrade using points?

Here’s the thing. If you’re often requesting upgrades using points, you’re probably relying on the benefits of Qantas Gold when those upgrades don’t clear. This, alone, hints that Qantas Gold may have worth to you. (The exception is where your upgrades are usually from international Business Class to First Class, where the Business Class ticket serves up those same key perks).

Along with keeping you in the lounge even if your upgrade doesn’t clear, Qantas Gold can help you get that bump. That’s because Qantas Gold members chasing a points-based upgrade are considered before Qantas Silver and Qantas Bronze members. For example, let’s say that two travellers are waitlisted for the same upgrade. One is Qantas Gold, and the other is Qantas Silver. You can expect that the Gold member would win the battle for 1A!

4) Would Qantas Gold save you money on a lounge membership?

When flying Qantas, lounge privileges for Qantas Gold cardholders largely mirror the entitlements for Qantas Club members. So it poses the question – are you already paying for Qantas Club? If so, and you’re not far from earning Qantas Gold, it could be more cost-effective to buy another flight than to pay for the renewal of your lounge membership.

It’s a strategy that’s especially beneficial if you normally fly enough to retain Qantas Gold. But, where you’ve struggled to surpass the barrier to reach it for the first time. For instance, a traveller earning 620 Status Credits per year – but never reaching 700 – would remain stuck at Qantas Silver. That’s the case even though Qantas Gold is only 600 Status Credits to retain, because to retain, you need to have earned it first, at 700 Status Credits.

Spending a tiny bit more to get past the earning threshold just this once could pay dividends over the years ahead.

5) How often would you use the lounges?

Let’s be realistic. If you’re barely scraping Qantas Silver, you’re probably not doing a huge volume of travel. To see the value of year-round lounge access, you’d want to use the lounges relatively regularly.

Spending hundreds – or thousands – of extra dollars just to ‘earn’ these lounge visits ‘for free’ becomes a rather false economy. If you’re only travelling a few times each year, you might prefer to splurge on a couple of nice meals at an airport restaurant instead. This could provide a more enjoyable travel experience overall, and at less annual cost.

6) Can you maximise any Double Status Credits deals?

If most of your travel pops up at the last minute, it can be hard to squeeze full value from Qantas’ Double Status Credits offers. But if your diary books up far in advance, or you generally fly around the same times each year, putting some strategy into your bookings can pay off.

Where possible, consider waiting to book as much of your travel as you can when Qantas is running a Double Status Credits promotion. You’d only need to do half as much flying to earn or retain your tier. Or, that the same amount of travel could shoot you to Qantas Platinum each year instead of Qantas Gold.

Keep in mind, too, that some Qantas fares are fully refundable. So even if you’ve already booked flights, it may be possible to cancel them for a full refund and then make new bookings for the same journeys. Just be sure to check current fare prices before cancelling your ticket, as this strategy won’t make sense if the flights you want are now selling for substantially more than you’ve already paid.

Summing up

In our book, Qantas Gold remains the ‘sweet spot’ to aim for in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Members who reach this level enjoy valuable year-round benefits like airport fast lanes and pre-flight lounge access. Sure, Qantas Platinum gives even more, but in return for twice as much travel every year as Qantas Gold.

But it should also be said that many of the privileges afforded to Qantas Gold members are also given to Qantas Club cardholders. At least, when travelling with Qantas. Travellers with either membership would use the same priority check-in lines and the same airport lounges, for instance. But rather than having to fly up to 700 Status Credits per year, Qantas Club membership is a simple purchase.

For some travellers, the best move could be to aim for Qantas Silver while paying for a Qantas Club membership. This gives some of those status-only perks, like higher upgrade priority and access to priority check-in with most partner airlines. But without the need to notch up 700 Status Credits every year. This combination also covers lounge access when flying Qantas, American Airlines, and in Dubai when flying Emirates. It’s almost like being Gold, without all the flying.

Still, Qantas Gold offers access to far more airport lounges than Qantas Club alone. With Qantas Gold, you’re covered for lounge access right across the oneworld Alliance, adding hundreds of additional lounges into the mix. As for the ‘best’ option, well, that’s up to you!

Also read: How to earn Gold status for as long as possible

Featured image courtesy of Qantas.

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