How To Turn Business Expenses Into Business Class Flights
As a business owners your hard hard deserves to be rewarded every once in a while. One way to do so is by upgrading your flights to Business Class when travelling abroad, whether that’s for business or leisure purposes.
With B2Bpay, you can earn points toward flight upgrades just by carrying out your usual business activities. Every time you spend or receive money, you can earn Qantas points through our secure payment platform, which means you get rewarded quicker than ever.
Which means that with the tips and insights in this article you can quickly turn your business expenses into luxury travel.
Qantas Business Class Upgrades
One of the most economical use of Qantas frequent flyer points is to upgrade your flight to Business Class using the Upgrade Rewards program.
All you need to do is request an upgrade on your flight, and if it’s approved, use your stock of points to pay for the upgrade if your request is successful.
The success of your application to upgrade depends on a number of factors, including:
- Your frequent flyer status – Platinum requests are approved first
- Qantas Club Membership
- Price of your ticket, with higher prices leading to a more likely upgrade
- Timing, with a first-come, first-serve availability for some seats
Qantas has an upgrades reward table so you can browse the available options and calculate the potential prices for your route.
There are some great options for upgrading to business class, including upgrading a discount Economy ticket between Sydney and Perth for 27,200 points one way. Comparatively, it would take 41,500 Qantas Points to book Business Class outright on the same route.
For international travel, you can upgrade from Economy to Business Class between Perth and London for 68,1000 points. The same journey would take 94,900 points to purchase outright. Even further afield, buying a First Class ticket from the East Coast to LA would require 162,800 points, but with an upgrade from flexible Business Class, you need just 49,100.
Tips for Getting an Upgrade
If you have the points saved up and want to try getting an upgrade, there are some things you can do to improve your chances.
Here’s how to get a Business Class upgrade with your points:
1. Understand the Timings
Firstly, you need to know when and how you might be approved for an upgrade. As mentioned above, there is a pecking order for upgrade approval, with Platinum Members approved before Gold, and so on. If two members have the same status, then flight ticket price will be taken into account.
Depending on your status, here is the earliest you could be notified:
- 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), and Bronze: 24 hours domestic / 24 hours international
These timings should give you an indication of when to apply.
2. Request as Early as Possible
Even with these timings, it’s best to get your application in as soon as possible, giving yourself an advantage over other passengers in a similar situation.
This ties back into the first come, first served approach for equal membership status. For example if you are a silver member and another silver member applies for an upgrade before you, they stand a better chance of receiving the upgrade.
3. Fly Off-Peak
Flying off-peak means you are more likely to secure an upgrade because there are fewer people travelling at these times. There will likely be more seats available in Business Class.
Off-peak times include mid-week, midday, and dates away from school or public holidays.
4. Choose Larger Planes
Search for flights with larger planes, such as an Airbus A330, where there are more likely to be seats available.
Qantas often leaves unsold seats until the last-minute for premium travel, so it’s usually possible to get an upgrade even at the last minute. However, your chance of this is greater with a larger plane.
How to Earn Qantas Points Through Your Business
Now that we have given you a better idea of how to secure an upgrade, it’s time to use your business to acquire enough points for the next flight.
Some small business owners see this luxury travel as an unattainable dream, but the fact of the matter is that you can easily earn Qantas Points to get an upgrade.
In fact, it’s more economical than splashing out for full price on an Economy flight.
B2BPay lets you earn Qantas points just for running business as usual. Here’s how.
Earn Qantas Points When You Make and Receive Payments
B2BPay is the only way to earn points when you both make and receive payments. All you need to do is register for our secure payment system and integrate your other payment platforms, such as Xero, MYOB, or QuickBooks.
Then, whenever you make payments, we pay your billers for you, and you get to earn credit card points and Qantas Frequent Flyer Points, no matter what payment system you use. You get:
- 1 point for every $7 paid to the ATO
- 1 point for every $10 paid to other billers
- 1 point for every $3 paid by bank account
- 3 points per $1.50 paid to B2BPay Bonus Billers
No matter what industry you work in, you can earn Qantas business points using our system. If you run a lot of cash through business expenses, you can rack up Qantas points quickly and use them to pay for business travel expenses.
Meanwhile, you can also earn when you get paid. Use B2BPay as your secure payment provider, and you receive Qantas points whenever you receive money. Plus, you can reward your customers with Qantas Points, too, and get a competitive edge in your industry.
Bank Accelerator Program
If you want to earn points for business travel in Australia but prefer to use bank payments, then our Bank Accelerator Program is ideal. For every $3 you spend on a bill via bank transfer, you can earn one Qantas Point.
The benefit of this is that you will not be affected by points caps on your credit card. Many cards stop you earning Qantas Points after a certain number. B2BPay customers can keep earning even beyond these limits by getting involved in the Bank Accelerator Program.
If you aspire to travel in Business Class and fly in style, make sure you benefit from Bank Acceleration and maximise your points earning capacity. After all, business owners deserve to treat themselves for their hard work! Don’t let card caps stop you.
