Qantas Frequent Flyer has improved its position in a global ranking of airline loyalty programs but still sits well outside the top 10.
The 2026 World’s Best Airline Rewards Programs report from Point.me. placed Qantas equal 15th out of 33 programs worldwide, with a score of 67.5 out of 100.
It shared the position with Etihad Guest, while Virgin Australia Velocity ranked 26th with a score of 55.3.
Qantas moved up from 17th position in last year’s rankings, although Point.me cautioned that the number of programs assessed had fallen from 59 to 33 this year, making direct year-on-year comparisons less straightforward.
The research identified Qantas’ extensive airline partner network as one of its strongest features, giving members more opportunities to redeem points across international carriers.
However, the program lost ground in several important areas, including customer service, change fees and redemption rates.
Virgin Australia Velocity performed better in some practical redemption categories, receiving positive assessments for reward seat availability, the booking experience and change fees.
However, its weaker scores for the ease of earning points and its airline partner network dragged down its overall result.
The rankings were topped for the third consecutive year by Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program, which scored 88.8 points, followed by United MileagePlus on 85.0 and Air Canada Aeroplan on 82.2.
Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles was named the leading program in the Asia and Oceania region, ahead of runners-up Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
Point.me assessed 33 programs using eight categories, including ease of earning points, redemption rates, airline partnerships, reward seat availability, booking experience, customer service, change fees and the ability to place award seat holds.
The research drew on more than 250 million award fares, alongside a survey of 1,216 Point.me members conducted in August 2026.
The survey found that 39% of respondents considered finding an available reward seat their biggest priority when redeeming points, while 38% prioritised securing the lowest possible price.
