Qantas Frequent Flyers will today start earning rewards for making sustainable choices at home and when they travel as Qantas switches on its new Green membership tier.

Qantas was the first airline in the world to announce that it would recognise and reward frequent flyers for taking sustainable actions on the ground as well as in the air.

The Green tier will sit alongside existing flying tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One – to encourage and reward the airline’s 13 million frequent flyers for everything from offsetting their flights, to staying in eco-accredited hotels, purchasing sustainable wine and supporting environmental initiatives.

Members who achieve Green tier status by completing at least five sustainable activities across six areas in their membership year, can choose to receive either 10,000 Qantas Points, 50 Status Credits or have three tonnes of carbon offsets purchased by Qantas on their behalf, as well as a range of other exclusive benefits. These rewards are in addition to benefits members get under their existing flying status or as part of Points Club. Qantas will also recognise certain sustainable actions taken by members since the program was first announced in November.

The six Green tier activity areas are:

• Travelling: Book an eco-accredited hotel through Qantas Hotels in Australia.
• Flying: Offset the emissions of flights through our Fly Carbon Neutral program, with Qantas matching contributions dollar for dollar.
• Sustainable purchases: Choose from more than 200 sustainable wines through Qantas Wine, or make deliveries from both Qantas Wine and the Qantas Rewards Store climate positive for just $1.
• Lifestyle: Install solar panels or help support high quality and verified carbon offset projects in Australia and around the world when offsetting home and car emissions.
• Reducing impact: Complete the sustainability quiz in the Qantas Wellbeing App which is designed to help members understand how they can better reduce their impact, with plans to add more actions to the app in the future.
• Giving back: Make a contribution towards organisations and projects committed to sustainability, including protecting the Great Barrier Reef and supporting sustainable initiatives developed by charity partners OzHarvest, UNICEF and Kimberley Land Council.

The program will continue to evolve and offer members more ways to be rewarded for other environmentally friendly activities like walking or cycling to work and choosing sustainable aviation fuel when they travel.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said frequent flyers have said they would welcome support and rewards for being more sustainable.

“This program makes it easier for frequent flyers to make more sustainable choices, at home and when they travel, and rewards them when they do,” Ms Wirth said.

“We know that points influence behaviour, we’ve seen that when we’ve provided points for walking and sleeping through the Wellbeing App as well as to reward those who got vaccinated. We also know that small changes by many, can have a big impact.

“Like many Australians, our frequent flyers are concerned about climate change, as are we. As a business, we are working towards net zero emissions by 2050 and later this month, we will be releasing more details on our interim 2030 emissions target and the steps we are taking to get there.”

The Qantas Group is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and was the second airline in the world to make that commitment. The airline will reach this target through four main actions: the use of sustainable aviation fuel, reducing fuel burn through operational improvements, utilising new, low emission technology and carbon offsetting.

Benefits of Green tier status

As well as choosing either points, Status Credits or carbon offsets for reaching Green tier status, members will also unlock additional bonus points. These include earning 150 points for every night they stay at an eco-accredited hotel booked via Qantas Hotels, and 250 bonus points for every case of six eco-wines purchased through Qantas Wine.

Other benefits include invitations to exclusive events and a green digital Qantas Frequent Flyer card within the Qantas app.

Eco-accredited hotel examples

More than 30 hotels have been selected based on their commitment to sustainability against seven criteria including water and waste management, design innovation, conservation, ethical food, clean energy and community engagement.

• Alto on Bourke, Melbourne: First hotel in Australia to receive the coveted EarthCheck Gold Certification and first city hotel in Australia to offset all calculated carbon output to become carbon neutral – 1 night from $410.
• Daintree Wilderness Lodge, Daintree: Committed to sustainable and regenerative travel; from conservation and community initiatives, to integrating green technology and sustainability into every aspect of operations – 1 night from $345.
• Crystalbrook Byron: Focussed on sustainable luxury, from the restaurant to the in-room amenities, the hotel is dedicated to using locally sourced items and produce – 1 night from $505.

Prices based on two people, with a check-in date of 18 May 2022 and a check out date of 19 May 2022. Prices are correct as at 25 February 2022.

Eco-wine examples

To help members choose wines with strong eco-credentials, Qantas Wine is working with Sustainable Winegrowing Australia who annually measure, monitor and report members’ carbon footprint and sustainability practices in six key areas: land and soil, waste, energy, water, biodiversity, people and business.

When purchasing eco-wines through Qantas Wine, frequent flyers are choosing wines from certified wine businesses exhibiting excellence in sustainability practices as verified by an independent audit against Australian wine industry standards.

• Tahbilk Marsanne 2020
• Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz 2019
• Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2018