You can now book Philippine Airlines flights using Qantas Points

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now reserve flights aboard Philippine Airlines using Qantas Points. The arrangement covers the carrier’s entire network – including routes from Australia to Manila, and then beyond across the Philippines, broader Asia, the Middle East and North America.

As a customer of pay.com.au, you can convert your PayRewards Points to Qantas Business Rewards (QBR) at a 2:1 rate. Then, from QBR, points can be transferred at a 1:1 rate to any personal Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) account – such as your own membership, or to the accounts of your employees, contractors, clients and more.

The development brings some terrific opportunities for travelling using points. That’s because Philippine Airlines isn’t currently a member of a global airline alliance, and has very few points partnerships of its own. In turn, there’s far less competition for reward seats on Philippine Airlines’ flights, compared to bookings on alliance carriers like Cathay Pacific.

Philippine Airlines has plans to join the Oneworld Alliance, but this new direct Qantas partnership creates opportunities for spending your points straight away.

Philippine Airlines’ routes from Australia

Philippine Airlines offers non-stop services from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Manila. Subject to availability, all of these can now be booked using Qantas Points.

From Sydney and Melbourne, flights are served by the airline’s Airbus A330 jets, offering Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class. From Brisbane and Perth, it’s the cosier Airbus A321neo with Business Class and Economy Class.

All Business Class flights offer flatbeds in the cabin – including on the single-aisle Airbus A321neo. On these smaller planes, it’s a 2-2 seating layout, while on the larger A330, seats usually adopt a 1-2-1 configuration. (Some of Philippine’s A330 jets have a 2-2-2 Business Class cabin, but these seldom appear in Australian skies.)

From Manila, passengers can also connect to points across the Philippines, along with a sea of other destinations. For instance, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam can all be reached aboard a direct onward flight from Manila.

Travellers heading further afield can also fly from Manila to Dubai (from August), as well as Los Angeles, New York (JFK), San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. These routes, and more, can also be booked using Qantas Points – and by extension, your PayRewards Points, after converting them into Qantas Points.

Booking Philippine Airlines flights using Qantas Points

Philippine Airlines’ flights are now visible on the Qantas website. Just search where you’d like to fly and toggle on the ‘Rewards’ flag to get started.

Here’s a look at how many Qantas Points you’ll need to book a non-stop flight to Manila, across Philippine Airlines’ direct services from Australia.

*Premium economy is not currently available on flights from Brisbane and Perth.
^Co-payments indicated are for Sydney-Manila, with similar charges payable for other routes.

Helpful hints when travelling with Philippine Airlines

When booking Business Class with Qantas Points, you’ll enjoy lounge access where available, as provided by Philippine Airlines. This includes the following lounges, among those in other cities:

• Sydney: The House
• Melbourne: Marhaba Lounge
• Brisbane: Plaza Premium Lounge
• Perth: Aspire Lounge
• Manila: Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Lounge

However, access to Qantas lounges is not available when flying with Philippine Airlines – this is currently a path for points redemptions only. This means that a Qantas Club card, or Gold or Platinum frequent flyer membership, won’t get you into Qantas’ international lounges when departing on a Philippine Airlines flight.

If flying Premium Economy or Economy Class, consider other lounge options that may be available to you. For instance, an eligible American Express card can get you into the Centurion Lounge in Sydney and Melbourne. Alternatively, Priority Pass membership unlocks lounges like Plaza Premium, Aspire and more, for a retreat before you fly out.

Written by Chris Chamberlin

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About the author

Chris enjoys making the most of frequent flyer points, which have taken him around the world – usually, at the front of the plane. He’s travelled over 1.5 million miles sampling the best in Business Class and First Class. That’s further than three return trips to the moon! Chris is based at Point Hacks' Melbourne office as News Editor, and shares his experiences via @chris_chamberlin on Instagram. When he’s not travelling, he enjoys tennis, keeping fit, and discovering new gins.