U Classic Reward - Downgraded with 24 hours notice

No success, should I escalate via Customer Care email or try ringing?

No success = no response, or a denial?

If no response, ring.

If anything else, please give us more detail about what they've responded with.
 
No success = no response, or a denial?

If no response, ring.

If anything else, please give us more detail about what they've responded with.
Response received, without any reference to refunding Points difference of 47,000 Points (23,500 each) being the fare difference between U and X.

(QF 702) was originally booked under Business Class fare "U", which is not eligible to earn Qantas Points as per the program’s terms and conditions.
(For your reference, fare class details can usually be found on your boarding pass or E-ticket itinerary.)
Additionally, we can see that 11 Status Credits were automatically credited to your account for the QF 702 flight, which was ultimately flown in Economy Class under fare class "X". Please be advised that this fare class is normally ineligible to earn rewards. However, as a one-time goodwill gesture, we will allow the Status Credits already applied to remain on your account (since this is an error on our end).
 
Response received, without any reference to refunding Points difference of 47,000 Points (23,500 each) being the fare difference between U and X.

(QF 702) was originally booked under Business Class fare "U", which is not eligible to earn Qantas Points as per the program’s terms and conditions.
(For your reference, fare class details can usually be found on your boarding pass or E-ticket itinerary.)
Additionally, we can see that 11 Status Credits were automatically credited to your account for the QF 702 flight, which was ultimately flown in Economy Class under fare class "X". Please be advised that this fare class is normally ineligible to earn rewards. However, as a one-time goodwill gesture, we will allow the Status Credits already applied to remain on your account (since this is an error on our end).
So it looks like they haven’t taken account of points club.

Just reply pointing out that points club SCs are applicable here.
 
Update - 2nd request also fell on deaf ears. The response reads:

Thank you for contacting Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Please accept our apologies if your refund request has not been resolved. However before we request for the refund you will no longer receive the status credits of the U class flight.
Kindly confirm if you want the points refund or the U class status credits.


Looks like I’ll have to try and escalate this - can anyone recommend an email address or do I just fill in the Customer Complaint form?
Thanks in advance.
 
@Dmac59 - what have you actually said to them via email? Can you provide a redacted snippet of the message you sent them? Email dress supplied earlier by @sudoer is the right one still.
Thanks @DejaBrew
This is my 2nd email, having received an initial response regarding SC only and no mention of refund points difference.

Thank you for your response, but the issue of Refund of Points used to pay for the 2 tickets on QF702 is not addressed at all.
Further, I find it disturbing that my claim for Refund Points or Status Credits has not been addressed as per Qantas' Cabin Downgrade for Operational Reasons email dated 13 July 2025 (attached for your perusal) .
In that email Qantas clearly expressed its commitment regarding Refund of Points difference and Status Credit earning.
My claim specifically relates to QF702 on 14 July 2025.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states: If your booking was made using Qantas Points, we’ll credit the points difference back to the Frequent Flyer account used to make your booking.
    • The 2 seats in U class for myself and my wife were paid with 83,000 Qantas points (41,500 each) from my account on 5/8/2024.
    • I am at least entitled to a refund of 47,000 Points (23,500 each ticket) being the fare difference between U and X.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states:
    • If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer, points and status credits will be earned per your original booking.
      • This means I should have earned 28 Staus Credits as a Points Club Member for a U Classic Reward, not the 11 Status Credits awarded for a X Classic Reward.
You mentioned a goodwill gesture in your response. There is none, as I had an entitlement as a Points Club member.
I trust this information and the attached email from Qantas dated 13 July 2025 is sufficient for Qantas to progress this claim, …..
 
Thanks @DejaBrew
This is my 2nd email, having received an initial response regarding SC only and no mention of refund points difference.

Thank you for your response, but the issue of Refund of Points used to pay for the 2 tickets on QF702 is not addressed at all.
Further, I find it disturbing that my claim for Refund Points or Status Credits has not been addressed as per Qantas' Cabin Downgrade for Operational Reasons email dated 13 July 2025 (attached for your perusal) .
In that email Qantas clearly expressed its commitment regarding Refund of Points difference and Status Credit earning.
My claim specifically relates to QF702 on 14 July 2025.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states: If your booking was made using Qantas Points, we’ll credit the points difference back to the Frequent Flyer account used to make your booking.
    • The 2 seats in U class for myself and my wife were paid with 83,000 Qantas points (41,500 ehttps://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/earn-points/airline-earning-tables/classic-flight-rewards.html#domestic-travel-within-australiaach) from my account on 5/8/2024.
    • I am at least entitled to a refund of 47,000 Points (23,500 each ticket) being the fare difference between U and X.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states:
    • If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer, points and status credits will be earned per your original booking.
      • This means I should have earned 28 Staus Credits as a Points Club Member for a U Classic Reward, not the 11 Status Credits awarded for a X Classic Reward.
You mentioned a goodwill gesture in your response. There is none, as I had an entitlement as a Points Club member.
I trust this information and the attached email from Qantas dated 13 July 2025 is sufficient for Qantas to progress this claim, …..
I can certainly understand your frustration in this as it 100% should not be this difficult. For what it's worth, I think it would be worth -:
  • Simplifying the ask and removing the emotion. Keep it clear and concise and limited to the cold hard facts of the situation.
  • Quoting the specific sentence(s) from the email you received where it was stated you would be entitled to the refund in the points difference between a U and X Classic Award fare in addition to any SC earn as per your original booking. Be specific about this.
  • Explicitly highlighting that you are asking for an ORC (Original Routing Credit).
  • Highlighting the weblink to - and even screenshotting - the specific Classic Flight Reward table for Points Club members would be a good idea, so that you can explicitly identify to them that per Qantas' own website, you're entitled to the 28SC for a MEL-CNS flight.
Unfortunately, you'll need to really spoon-feed them with the details to make it crystal clear as to your entitlements both in terms of what they've communicated to you previously in addition to their own website and published benefits.
 
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Thanks @DejaBrew
This is my 2nd email, having received an initial response regarding SC only and no mention of refund points difference.

Thank you for your response, but the issue of Refund of Points used to pay for the 2 tickets on QF702 is not addressed at all.
Further, I find it disturbing that my claim for Refund Points or Status Credits has not been addressed as per Qantas' Cabin Downgrade for Operational Reasons email dated 13 July 2025 (attached for your perusal) .
In that email Qantas clearly expressed its commitment regarding Refund of Points difference and Status Credit earning.
My claim specifically relates to QF702 on 14 July 2025.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states: If your booking was made using Qantas Points, we’ll credit the points difference back to the Frequent Flyer account used to make your booking.
    • The 2 seats in U class for myself and my wife were paid with 83,000 Qantas points (41,500 each) from my account on 5/8/2024.
    • I am at least entitled to a refund of 47,000 Points (23,500 each ticket) being the fare difference between U and X.
  • The Cabin Downgrade email dated 13 July 2025 from Qantas states:
    • If you’re a Qantas Frequent Flyer, points and status credits will be earned per your original booking.
      • This means I should have earned 28 Staus Credits as a Points Club Member for a U Classic Reward, not the 11 Status Credits awarded for a X Classic Reward.
You mentioned a goodwill gesture in your response. There is none, as I had an entitlement as a Points Club member.
I trust this information and the attached email from Qantas dated 13 July 2025 is sufficient for Qantas to progress this claim, …..
I believe this is much more wordy than your average customer service agent is prepared to process. It also assumes the agent is across the previous detail.

I believe a dot point summary that assumes the agent is looking at this for the first time could be better.
 
Honestly I would just send a short sweet email to the Chief Customer Officer Catriona Larritt. Google how to craft the email address.
The offshore agents literally have zero clue why they have to fix this and how to go about it.
 

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