The Qantas Group will remove the expiry date on COVID travel credits[1] that were due to run out at the end of this year.
Following this decision, Qantas customers with COVID credits can request a cash refund[2], and Jetstar customers can use their COVID vouchers for flights, indefinitely.
Today’s announcement makes Qantas’ COVID credit policy one of the most flexible of any airline in the world, and it follows three prior deadline extensions. Some airlines have already expired their travel credits and many more run out completely at the end of this year.
To encourage more people to reconnect with their credits, from 4 September 2023 Qantas is offering double the standard number of Frequent Flyer Points for any flights booked with a Qantas COVID credit before 31 December 2023. Due to system limitations, Qantas COVID credit can’t be converted into a travel booking after this date, but can be taken as a refund at any time.
The Qantas Group will continue its regular reminders to those customers who still hold COVID credits, including emails, text messages, phone calls and advertisements. Qantas is also working with travel agents to coordinate refunds for travel not booked directly through the airline[3].
MESSAGE FROM ALAN JOYCE
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce is sending a message to customers holding COVID credits. You can view the message here. (Text of the video is included below).
ADVICE FOR CUSTOMERS
Qantas
Find your travel credit – Use the ‘Find My Credit’ tool on qantas.com
Request a refund – Call 1300 668 885
Use your travel credit – Visit qantas.com/travelcredit for specific advice based on your type of travel credit (most credits can be used online at qantas.com)
For more help – Speak to our Travel Credit Concierge team on 1300 171 505. If your original booking was made through a travel agent or third party website, contact them directly.
Jetstar
Find your voucher – Contact us by Live Chat
Use your voucher – Visit Jetstar.com to book using your voucher (vouchers can be redeemed on all Jetstar fares, including sale and Club Jetstar fares, and on domestic or international trips)
Check your available balance – Use the Voucher Balance Checker on Jetstar.com
Extend your voucher – Jetstar customers can extend their vouchers indefinitely by contacting LiveChat or the contact centre after the voucher has expired.
If you’ve already booked travel with a Qantas COVID credit or Jetstar COVID voucher, you don’t need to do anything and there’s no change to your trip.
TEXT OF VIDEO MESSAGE TO CUSTOMERS FROM ALAN JOYCE
Hello, I’m Alan Joyce.
Today we’re scrapping the expiry dates on all travel credits that came out of COVID.
If you have a Qantas COVID credit, you can request a cash refund at any point in the future.
And if you have a Jetstar COVID voucher, you can use it for travel indefinitely.
These credits and vouchers will never expire.
We’re doing this because we’ve listened.
We know the credit system was not as smooth as it should have been.
And, while we’ve improved it recently, and extended the expiry date several times, people lost faith in the process.
We hope this helps change that.
We also hope that a lot of people still choose to put their credit towards their next journey.
That’s why we’re also announcing a double Frequent Flyer Point offer when you book a flight with your Qantas COVID credit before the end of the year.
All up, this is one of the most flexible approaches that any airline has taken to its COVID credits.
And it comes on top of the huge amount of work happening to improve how we serve you, every day.
We’ll keep reaching out directly to everyone with a COVID voucher or credit with information on how to redeem.
Please read the detail in the emails we’re sending you.
And, if you booked with a travel agent, please contact them directly.
On behalf of everyone at the Qantas Group…thank you.
FAQ
Can you automatically refund people’s credit card rather than following a process through Qantas?
Given bookings that have been converted into COVID credits date back to 2019, most credit cards used have expired by now, meaning the funds will bounce back if we attempt to refund onto them.
Why can’t Qantas post a cheque?
Aside from cheques being outmoded, people aren’t asked for their postal address when they book a flight. While we have postal addresses for some Frequent Flyers, these aren’t regularly updated.
[1] For Qantas customers, a ‘COVID Credit’ refers to travel credits for bookings up to and including 30 September 2021. For Jetstar customers, a ‘COVID Voucher’ refers to all Jetstar Airways vouchers that have an expiry date of 31 December 2023 (which will be extended on request).
[2] Beyond 31 December 2023, Qantas COVID credits won’t be directly convertible into travel and can only be refunded, due to system limitations. 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.
[3] Customers seeking a refund of a Qantas COVID credit after 31 Dec 2023 from a booking made through a travel agent, may only be paid the amount that Qantas received from the Agent for that booking.