When you buy a Jetstar ticket, the base fare only includes a seat, up to 7kg of carry-on luggage and water during the flight. Extras such as checked baggage, food, seat selection and frequent flyer points are not automatically included. Instead, Jetstar offers several different types of add-on bundles to suit different types of travellers.
Even if you purchase a Jetstar Business Class ticket, you’ll need to purchase an extra bundle to receive lounge access and frequent flyer points.
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Changes to Jetstar bundles from 4 June 2024
Jetstar updated its fare bundles on 4 June 2024, which now offer different inclusions and are priced differently to the old ones.
Jetstar’s default fares are still the Economy Starter and Business fares, which are non-refundable. If you’re buying an Economy ticket, you can now choose to add a Plus, Flex or Flex Plus bundle for an additional fee. This fee can vary by route, but on the Melbourne-Cairns route (for example) is generally around:
- $46 extra for a Starter Plus bundle
- $56 extra for a Flex bundle
- $76 extra for a Flex Plus bundle
As part of the recent changes, Jetstar has discontinued its Economy Max bundle which previously came with “Flexible Economy” Qantas points and status credits. It has also removed Qantas points and status credits from its Plus bundle.
However, you can now earn Qantas points and status credits with the Flex and Flex Plus bundles. Qantas Business Rewards members can also now earn points when booking a Jetstar ticket with a bundle that normally earns Qantas points.
On long-haul flights where Business Class is offered, you can still upgrade to a Business Max fare for around an extra $200. However, Jetstar has slightly reduced the Qantas points and status credits you can earn with Business Max fares. These now earn at the “Discount Business” rate, instead of “Business”.
Jetstar’s new bundle inclusions
This is what you get with each of Jetstar’s fare bundles…
Economy Starter Plus bundle
The Starter Plus bundle includes:
- 20kg checked bag
- Standard seat selection
- In-flight meal voucher
If you’re planning to check in a bag, would like to select your seat and plan to buy a snack on board, it could make sense to purchase a Plus bundle. However, on the Melbourne-Gold Coast route (as an example) this costs an extra $43, which is only $1.50 less than purchasing these things individually.
Economy Flex bundle
The Economy Flex bundle is the cheapest option that includes Qantas points or status credits. You’ll earn these at the Discount Economy rate.
You’ll also receive:
- Standard or upfront seat selection
- Free date & time changes (fare difference applies)
- Free same-day flight changes
- Option to cancel your flight for a credit voucher
- Qantas Business Rewards points
The Flex bundle no longer includes extra carry-on baggage. You can still purchase this as an optional extra later in the booking process on the Jetstar website.
Note that cancellations are only to a Jetstar credit voucher, and not a refund to your credit card.
The Flex bundle is a similar price to the Plus bundle, but targeted at a different demographic.
Economy Flex Plus bundle
The Flex Plus bundle also earns Qantas points and status credits at the Discount Economy rate, and has some extra inclusions over the Flex bundle. These include:
- 20kg checked baggage
- Select any available seat (including extra legroom seats)
- In-flight meal voucher
- Free same-day flight changes
- Option to cancel your flight for a credit voucher
- Flexibility to change your date, time, origin or destination (fare difference applies)
- Qantas Business Rewards points
Business Max bundle
If you’re flying Jetstar on a Boeing 787 flight in Business Class, you’ll have the option to upgrade to a Max bundle for an extra $200.
If you’re chasing Qantas status credits, this is a no-brainer as you’ll earn Qantas Frequent Flyer status credits at the Discount Business rate. On a one-way flight from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to most destinations in Asia, this would earn you 7,800 Qantas points and 120 status credits.
If you’re a Qantas Club member or have Qantas Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status, you can use Qantas lounges when flying with Jetstar. But if you don’t otherwise qualify for lounge access – or there is no Qantas-operated lounge at the airport you’re departing – you’ll need a Business Max fare to gain entry. (Lounge access is not otherwise included on Business fares.)
You can find a list of lounges available to Business Max passengers on the Jetstar website.
Jetstar’s previous bundles (for tickets bought before 4 June 2024)
Until 3 June 2024, Jetstar offered slightly different bundles. If you bought your ticket before the changes on 4 June, your ticket will still provide the inclusions that were advertised at the time you bought your ticket.
This is what the Economy bundles looked like until 3 June 2024:
If you purchased a Business Max fare before 4 June 2024, you’ll also earn Qantas points and status credits at the slightly higher “Business” rate, rather than the “Discount Business” rate. For example, on the Brisbane-Seoul route, you would have previously earned 8,450 points and 125 status credits with a Business Max fare (now 7,800 points and 120 status credits).
Are Jetstar bundles worth it?
If you just want the cheapest flight, have only carry-on luggage, don’t mind where you sit and you don’t plan to change your booking, you probably don’t need to pay extra for a Jetstar bundle.
But if you need extra baggage allowance and plan to pay for other extras such as seat selection and flexibility, it’s often cheaper to purchase these extras as part of a bundle.
Except for domestic flights in New Zealand (where you’ll get 400 Qantas points with a Starter fare), buying a Flex, Flex Plus or Max bundle is the only way to earn Qantas points and status credits.
Overall, the Economy Flex Plus and Max bundles just make the whole experience of flying with Jetstar that much more pleasant. The status credits are nice, too.
Double Qantas Business Rewards points until 20 June 2024
As a special promotional offer, Jetstar is giving double points to Qantas Business Rewards members who purchase a Jetstar flight with a bundle that’s eligible to earn Qantas points between 6-20 June 2024. You would need to activate this offer on the Qantas Business Rewards website and fly by 30 September 2024.
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