The top 5 ways to fly first class with PayRewards Points

Business class can be the routine of the road warrior – and economy class, well, is worth upgrading from! But to fly long haul first class means one thing: you’ve made it.  The typical price tag, though? Ouch! There has to be a better way…

Fortunately, there is. Allow us to introduce PayRewards, the flexible points program of pay.com.au. By paying your regular supplier invoices, and other costs like payroll through pay.com.au, you can earn valuable PayRewards Points. Thanks to our network of flexible points partners, you can turn those Points into some wonderful travel experiences. Yes, this includes intercontinental first class flights. It’s the ultimate way to fly.

In fact, every single first class cabin flying from Australia can be booked using frequent flyer points or miles that start their own journey as PayRewards Points. Subject to reward seat availability, of course.

For me, a day when I’m flying first class gets a special star on my calendar. It’s not a routine flight or a typical business trip. It’s an indulgence to be savoured and celebrated. I’ll even let you in on a little secret. I just took my 30th first class flight (thank you, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles!)… but in all those flights, I’ve never paid full fare for my suite. Instead, I use frequent flyer points – the kind you can earn via PayRewards.

Go on… spoil yourself! You’ve worked hard to grow your business. It’s time you reap the rewards and start travelling how you deserve. Here are five fantastic ways that PayRewards Points can help you get there.

Singapore Airlines Suites and First Class

Singapore Airlines has one of the finest first class offerings in the world. On its Boeing 777 flights, there’s ‘First Class’ – an incredibly comfortable and private experience. But on Airbus A380 flights, ‘Suites’ is next level. You practically have your own room on the plane, with a separate armchair and bed. Even better, book two adjacent Suites and make that a double bed with a partner.

When departing Singapore, you’ll also have access to The Private Room: one of the world’s most exclusive airline lounges. Its wine list is just as elevated, with 2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Krug Rosé, 2007 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millienaires… and we haven’t even reached the Bordeaux bottles.

Excited? You can convert PayRewards Points directly into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles at a 2.5:1 rate. Even better, there’s no limit to the number of PayRewards Points you can earn, or the number of KrisFlyer miles you can convert.

KrisFlyer members get the best access to Singapore Airlines First Class and Suites reward seats, which are rarely released to the airline’s partner frequent flyer programs. Through KrisFlyer, there are Saver reward seats, as well as Advantage. The latter allows you to spend more points to secure a confirmed seat on busier dates where you’d otherwise not have the option.

Here’s how many KrisFlyer miles you’d need on key Singapore Airlines routes. Rates are the same, regardless of whether the flight offers First Class or Suites.

Sydney or Melbourne to Singapore

• Saver: 93,500 KrisFlyer miles

• Advantage: 155,000 KrisFlyer miles

Sydney or Melbourne to the UK and Europe, via Singapore

• Saver: 183,500 KrisFlyer miles

• Advantage: 282,000 KrisFlyer miles

These figures are one-way, and you’ll need to pay the taxes and fees when you book. But Singapore Airlines levies no carrier charges to KrisFlyer members, so you’ll only pay the genuine government and airport taxes and charges. This really is one of the very best ways you could spend frequent flyer points.

Emirates First Class

Want to experience something exceedingly ‘extra’, and shower on a plane? Travel Emirates First Class on the Airbus A380, and that’s exactly what’s waiting for you in the sky. Enjoy a private suite with closing doors, along with access to an onboard lounge and bar.

You’ll find very similar suites on Emirates’ Boeing 777 flights (minus the shower and inflight lounge, sorry!). But if you play your cards right, you could find yourself nestled into one of Emirates’ Game Changer suites. These bring the ultimate in first class privacy, with the suite’s door and walls stretching right up to the ceiling.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Emirates First Class becoming harder to book using Skywards miles. But fortunately for us Aussies, Qantas Points can still help secure these luxurious seats at the front of Emirates’ planes.

Transfer your PayRewards Points across to Qantas Business Rewards at the recently improved rate of 2:1. From there, you can book Emirates reward flights directly, or convert these points to your personal Qantas Frequent Flyer account at a 1:1 rate for a more familiar booking process.

You’ll find First Class on all Emirates flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth to Dubai. (Sorry, Adelaide, it’s only business class for you!) You can also experience Emirates First Class between Sydney and Christchurch: including the inflight shower. Emirates offers First Class on the majority of its flights further afield, covering most routes from Dubai to the UK and Europe, Africa, the Americas, and even across the Middle East.

Departing Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane

• To Christchurch (from Sydney only): 65,300 Qantas Points

• To Dubai: 195,400 Qantas Points

• To London, via Dubai: 249,400 Qantas Points

Departing Perth

• To Dubai: 147,700 Qantas Points

• To London, via Dubai: 227,800 Qantas Points

Rates are one-way. Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable upon redemption and vary by route.

Qantas First

Relax in Qantas’ finest cabin, all thanks to PayRewards Points! On Airbus A380 flights, stretch out in a 212cm bed, slip on the pyjamas and slippers designed by Martin Grant, and enjoy luxury on some of Qantas’ longest flights.

In fairness, travellers with Qantas Gold, Platinum, Platinum One and Chairmans Lounge memberships have the best chance of securing these seats. If that’s you, be sure to login before searching for reward flights. And if you’re Platinum or higher, did you know that you can also call Qantas and ask for reward seats to be created for you, including in First? Point Hacks has all the details.

Even so, any Qantas Frequent Flyer member – status, or not – has a chance at snagging these seats when availability pops up. Just like booking Emirates, convert your PayRewards Points to Qantas at a 2:1 rate for these reservations.

Fly from Sydney to…

• Singapore for 123,100 Qantas Points

• Los Angeles for 195,400 Qantas Points

• Johannesburg for 170,800 Qantas Points

• London, via Singapore for 249,400 Qantas Points

Fly from Melbourne to…

• Los Angeles for 195,400 Qantas Points

Taxes, fees and carrier charges are payable upon redemption. The rates indicated are for one-way journeys.

If you’re already booked in business class on one of these A380 flights, you can also request a points upgrade to first class. These are subject to availability, with requests considered shortly before departure. Upgrade rates vary by route, but we always suggest booking your preferred travel class from the get-go where possible, to provide peace of mind over your plans.

Other Oneworld first class options

There are four other Oneworld Alliance airlines with first class cabins on Australian routes. These are:

• American Airlines, from Sydney to Los Angeles

• British Airways, from Sydney to Singapore, continuing onwards to London

• Japan Airlines, from Sydney to Tokyo (usually late October to March)

• Qatar Airways, from Sydney to Doha

Depending on where you’d like to fly, there are a few tips and tricks for getting these reward seats.

For travel on American Airlines and Japan Airlines, we generally suggest using Qantas Points. That’s because PayRewards has recently improved its conversion rate to Qantas (now 2:1), and because you can search and book these flights directly on the Qantas website. AA’s route costs 195,400 Qantas Points, while flying JAL to Japan costs 147,700 Qantas Points.

Transfers from PayRewards to Qantas are also usually processed instantly. Ditto, any onward conversions from Qantas Business Rewards to a personal Qantas Frequent Flyer account. So you can find your seat, convert points, and book straight away. You can also book JAL first class through Japan Airlines Mileage Bank – another PayRewards transfer partner. JAL may release more seats to its own members than those of partner programs.

As for British Airways, you can book this with Qantas Points. But you could also convert points from PayRewards directly into Avios with The British Airways Club at a 3:1 rate. Through BA’s own program, we’ve seen Sydney-Singapore cost as little as 68,000 Avios in first class. First class reward flights to London are rather rare, though.

For Qatar Airways flights, you have two main options. Either convert your PayRewards Points to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer at a 2:1 rate, or convert PayRewards Points into Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios at a 3:1 rate.

As you have both options, it pays to search for your flight through the Qatar Airways website and the Virgin Australia website to see what’s available, and to find the best value. If seats are available through Velocity, expect to redeem 152,500 Velocity Points. Through Privilege Club, rates can vary depending on whether standard or flex pricing is in play, and whether you have elite Privilege Club status.

All reward rates are per person and one-way, with the usual taxes, fees and carrier charges payable when you book.

One final option, just because…

Planning a trip to China and want to spoil yourself along the way? XiamenAir, a member of the global SkyTeam Alliance, offers first class on selected flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Xiamen.

You could book these by converting your PayRewards Points into Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles at a 3:1 rate. Then, for a one-way flight from either Aussie city, you’re looking at 230,000 Lotusmiles, one-way. That’s on the higher side… but if you get to the stage where you’re swimming in PayRewards Points and want to splurge, this option is ready and waiting.

Just look for days when XiamenAir is running its Boeing 787-8 flights. On the larger Boeing 787-9 jets, first class isn’t sold. Keep in mind that you’ll need to call the Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles team to book these flights – and pay the standard taxes, fees, and carrier charges.

With so many airline partners to choose from, we’ll admit that PayRewards members are a little spoiled. Earning points now, while deciding how and where to redeem them later, is a valuable thing. Especially when that could see you flying first class to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America… or even on a cheeky hop across to New Zealand.

Don’t spend the rest of your life flying economy. Make the most of your business payments – and all that hard work you’ve put into growing your business – and start being rewarded today. That boarding pass in ‘1A’ could be closer than you think.

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.