Qantas is embarking on another push to remind Australians to use around $400 million[1] in remaining COVID-era travel credits held by the airline.
In June, the national carrier launched an online Find My Credit tool to help reunite customers with bookings dating back to 2020 that were cancelled due to sudden and repeat border closures. It also offered a Double Qantas Points offer on bookings made with travel credits before the end of this month.
Qantas has also simplified the process for customers to obtain a refund before credits expire on 31 December 2023. More than $1 billion has already been claimed across Qantas and Jetstar.
Since late June, thousands of customers have registered to receive Double Points using a COVID credit – an offer that ends shortly. Over 20,000 have used the Find My Credit tool to be reunited with their booking and calls about refunds have doubled, but hundreds of millions of dollars in credits remain.
As part of this latest push, Qantas has launched an advertising campaign across radio and full-page newspaper ads to remind customers about COVID-era credits and the options to redeem or refund. This is in addition to regular emails to those holding credits.
Trips booked before the end of December can be taken through to December 2024[2].
Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer Markus Svensson encouraged people to take advantage of the Double Points offer and book a holiday.
“Many of these credits are years old and many range between $100 and $500, so may not be on the top of people’s mind. That’s why we’re working hard to remind them,” Mr Svensson said.
“It’s been great to see the response to our last reminder campaign, which resulted in millions of dollars in credits being redeemed, but there’s still a lot yet to be claimed.
“We’ve built a new online tool to make it easier to find COVID-era credits, set up a dedicated hotline and streamlined the refunds process. We’ll keep reaching out directly to customers, particularly ahead of these credits expiring at the end of this year.”
Qantas’ dedicated Travel Credits Concierge Team can be contacted on 1300 171 505.
To claim Double Points, customers need to register at qantas.com/doubleqantaspoints and book an eligible flight with a QF flight number by 31 July 2023. Double points will be awarded from eight weeks after travel.
[1] Figure as at June 2023 represents COVID-era credits for Australian Qantas customers yet to be redeemed. Does not include Jetstar. COVID credits refers to travel credits for bookings up to and including 30 September 2021.
[2] At any point Qantas travel can be booked up to a maximum of 353 days in advance, which reflects system range. On 31 December 2023, this will mean travel can be booked up to 19 December 2024. Jetstar vouchers can be used to book any flight, which are generally made available for booking 12 months in advance of travel.