How many points do you need for a premium economy seat?

Economy airfares are what most people book when flying. It’s generally a comfortable, convenient and pleasant way to travel between destinations. However, upgrading to premium economy can afford some conveniences that may elevate your flying experience.

While the benefits may not equal those of business or first class, premium economy can present some attractive perks that travellers may find worthwhile. These can include services such as priority boarding; extra luggage allowance; greater seat pitch, recline and leg room; premium food and drinks selections; exclusive offers and first preference for upgrades.   

However, premium economy entitlements aren’t synonymous across all airlines. Each carrier has its own set of benefits and inclusions that apply to the different classes of airfares available.

The conveniences of premium economy come at a cost. Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for an upgrade you might want to consider exchanging your frequent flyer rewards points to enhance your experience.

RateCity has researched the number of points you’ll need to be bumped up to premium economy on a range of airlines including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, across a variety of popular international routes departing Australia. We’ll also suggest tips to assist you in accruing the points necessary to acquire these sought-after ticket upgrades.

Qantas

Australia’s flag carrier boasts revered in-flight services and award-winning domestic and international club lounges. You can use the airline’s points calculator to determine the number of points needed for a Classic Rewards Flight or Classic Upgrade Reward on any route.

Classic Rewards Flights seats must be booked at least 24 hours before scheduled departure. You can redeem your Qantas Points for a Classic Upgrade Reward after paying for your ticket and receiving confirmation from the airline. This can be done up to 24 hours prior to departure.

You can choose from over 1,200 destinations when trading points for flights. These can be aboard Qantas, Jetstar, oneworld alliance and other airline partners and affiliates.

We’ve listed a few enticing destinations and the number of points needed to book a one-way premium economy fare:

• Sydney - Singapore: 51,300 Qantas Points
• Melbourne - Los Angeles: 81,300 Qantas Points
• Perth - London: 94,900 Qantas Points

The table below shows the estimated amount of points needed for a premium economy upgrade on a variety of different one-way airfares depending on the type of ticket purchased.

Classic Flight Rewards are fixed priced fares redeemable via Qantas Points. The number of points required for these purchases is calculated based on flight distance.

Qantas also offers customers Bid Now Upgrades on selected flights. You can check to see if your ticket is eligible and if so, enter a nominated amount for a potential upgrade. If successful you can pay entirely with cash or by using a combination of cash and Qantas Points. Alternatively, within seven days of your scheduled departure you may receive a notification by email or via the Qantas App to place a Bid Now Upgrade request. If you change your mind you can modify or cancel any unconfirmed upgrade offers up to five hours before your scheduled flight.

Virgin Australia

You can redeem Velocity frequent flyer points for airfares across the Virgin Australia network, including international redemptions on selected partner airlines. Rewards Seats are low, points-priced fares that include complimentary checked baggage allowance, seat selection and inflight entertainment. Bookings remain subject to availability and start from just 7,800 points.

Rewards Seats are economy airfares. To book Virgin Australia Premium Economy tickets using Velocity Points you can use the carrier’s Any Seat option. This requires more points than a Rewards Seat and the specific amount of points needed will vary, just as the price of flights do when paying with dollars. Any Seat fares will also earn you points, status credits and tier bonuses.

You can use the airline’s mileage calculator to determine the number of miles you’ll fly and examine the table below for the minimum number of points required for a premium economy fare.

Velocity members can use the UpgradeMe Points scheme to upgrade to Premium Economy on domestic, trans-Tasman and short-haul international routes. At the time of writing there are no points estimates available.

UpgradeMe Premium Bid offers members the opportunity to upgrade to Premium Economy on Virgin Australia operated services by making an offer on the Virgin Australia website up to 72 hours prior to the flights scheduled departure time. If successful, the airline will notify you by email no later than three hours before departure.

Air New Zealand

The Kiwi airline allows members to exchange Airpoints Dollars for Air New Zealand, the Star Alliance and other partner airline fares. One Airpoints Dollar is worth one Australian dollar, making it easy to calculate the cost of purchasing a flight or premium economy upgrade. If you don’t have enough Airpoints Dollars banked, you can use Airpoints Flexipay to mix points and cash for purchases.

The airline’s OneUp program accepts bid requests for cabin class upgrades on Air New Zealand ticketed and operated international flights. Decide how much you’re willing to pay and send your best offer, along with your payment details, including Airpoints Dollars, credit card or debit card.

Emirates

Emirates customers can use Skywards Miles to book flights on any of the airline’s global routes. You’ll need to select Classic Rewards to pay with Miles when booking online. Economy fares start at 15,000 Miles but premium economy will require more. You can also reduce the cost of your next flight by paying with a combination of Miles and cash.

Upgrades from economy class to premium economy start at 7,020 Skywards Miles and are available prior to departure, as well as at the airport check-in desk and even on-board. Log in to your Emirates Skywards account before searching for flights to see exclusive upgrade offers.

Singapore Airlines

KrisFlyer Programme members can book Premium Economy Saver Award tickets to their preferred destinations by exchanging miles for tickets. Use the airline’s miles calculator to determine the number of miles required for different routes and see the table below for a list of popular one-way fares and an estimate of points needed.

The following table shows the estimated number of Miles needed for a one-way premium economy class upgrade.

Tips and insights

• It’s important to note that in most cases taxes, fees and other carrier charges aren’t included and will need to be paid in addition to the points forfeited for flight upgrades.
• All upgrades are subject to availability and each airline’s accepted terms and conditions.
• Some airlines will allow you to redeem rewards points for upgrades on codeshare flights. These are services operated by another carrier with your airline code listed on the ticket. Check with the airline for details.
• If you’re keen to use a credit card to acquire complimentary flights for a weekend away or perhaps your next overseas trip, there are commonly a few conditions that you’ll need to meet in order to obtain them.
• Planning and booking your trip in advance will offer you the best opportunity to secure fares and upgrades in exchange for rewards points. Rewards flights are usually available up to 11 months in advance.
• Consider switching to or obtaining a frequent flyer credit card. You'll consistently earn rewards points on eligible spending. Some cards offer sign-up bonuses. Check to see how points are accrued and when you’ll receive them.
• Take advantage of the extra comfort offered in premium economy when travelling overnight or on long haul flights, and when you have time to enjoy the perks, such as premium on-board offerings and extra space.
• Research other loyalty programs to see where you can link and earn rewards points for shopping, refuelling, booking trips, renting cars, buying insurance, applying for loans and more.

Editor’s Note: Points shown in tables are sourced from airline website and are accurate as of 23/02/2023.

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