{"id":532833,"date":"2025-07-05T18:52:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T08:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/?p=532833"},"modified":"2025-07-05T18:54:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T08:54:46","slug":"how-i-booked-a-15000-british-airways-business-class-flight-for-159000-qantas-points-with-one-ugly-catch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/travel\/how-i-booked-a-15000-british-airways-business-class-flight-for-159000-qantas-points-with-one-ugly-catch","title":{"rendered":"I Booked A $15,000 British Airways Business Class Flight For Just 159,000 Qantas Points"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s get one thing straight: July is a brutal time to book business class tickets to Europe. School holidays, peak demand, everyone and their dog wants to escape the Australian winter. <\/p><p>Normally, you\u2019d be looking at fifteen grand or more for a return flight from Sydney to London in a lie-flat seat. Which is why this particular redemption caught my eye.<\/p><p><strong>159,000 Qantas Points plus about $500 in taxes for a one-way Sydney to London Heathrow in business class with British Airways.<\/strong> Insane value. On paper, at least.<\/p><p>Here\u2019s the catch: BA still operates one of the worst long-haul business class products flying into Australia. We\u2019re talking about their old \u2018Yin-Yang\u2019 seat configuration. <\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-424583298\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1394535850 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1394535850 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[300,250],[320,100],[320,180],[336,280],[640,360]],\"incontent-424583298\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1394535850.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-424583298\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1394535850);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"content-subscribe\">\n        <div class=\"subscribe-box\">\n            <p class=\"subscribe-title\">Curated news for men, <br\/>delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n            <form class=\"subscribe-form\" method=\"POST\">\n                <div class=\"subscribe-input\">\n                    <label class=\"screen-reader-text\" for=\"subscribe-email\">Email:<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"subscribe-email\" placeholder=\"Enter your email\" required class=\"form-control\" autocomplete=\"on\" \/>\n                    <button type=\"submit\" class=\"button button-primary subscribe-button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"article\" \/>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"_wpnonce\" name=\"_wpnonce\" value=\"e2df992756\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532833\" \/>                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"form-result\"><\/div>\n            <\/form>\n            <p class=\"subscribe-copy\">Join the DMARGE newsletter \u2014 Be the first to receive the latest news and exclusive stories on style, travel, luxury, cars, and watches. Straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <p>The infamous backwards-forwards layout where you may or may not be staring directly into the eyes of a stranger for 14 hours.<\/p><p>Zero privacy, awkward staring at your neighbour, ffs reversed seating in 2025? Who the hell tought that was a good idea? We flew these from New York to London back in 2017, and it was pure hell on the 747. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-1400x1050.jpeg\" alt=\"The old BA Business Class needs to die.\" class=\"wp-image-532834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-1400x1050.jpeg 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-960x720.jpeg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-640x480.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wp-1696708395942-480x360.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The hard product was outdated even then. In 2025, it\u2019s practically medieval. Why on earth is it even in the 787-9?<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>But here\u2019s where it gets interesting. While BA is still torturing Australian passengers with these relics on Sydney to Singapore, they do switch to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mediacentre.britishairways.com\/factsheet\/details\/202\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new Club Suite<\/a> from Singapore to London. <\/p><p>That\u2019s a full-door suite, private, modern, and finally up to par with what Qatar and Emirates have been offering for years. We\u2019re secrelty hoping for a cheeky upgrade to try their <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/tag\/first-class\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">First Class<\/a> on the first leg.<\/p><p>Let\u2019s not pretend Qantas is doing much better. Their business class seats are fine\u2026 <em>fine<\/em> being the key word but both are several years behind the likes of the mighty <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/travel\/qatar-airways-business-class-qsuite-review\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Qatar Qsuite<\/a>. <\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1317993591\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1458772256 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1458772256 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1317993591\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1458772256.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1317993591\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1458772256);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>The difference is, Qantas charges significantly more points for a Sydney-London business class reward. The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qantas.com\/au\/en\/frequent-flyer\/use-points\/classic-plus-flight-rewards.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">points for Classic Plus<\/a> on this sector were upward of 350,000 plus their extortionate taxes.<\/p><p>So when you zoom out, it\u2019s actually a steal. For 159,000 Qantas FF Points and $590, you\u2019re getting halfway to London in BA\u2019s ageing torture chamber, but then you upgrade to something genuinely decent for the remaining 13-hour leg. <\/p><p>And you\u2019re not paying 400,000 points or getting waitlisted for months trying to secure a better redemption.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1669201033\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_161353088 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_161353088 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-1669201033\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_161353088.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1669201033\");});};adsQueue.push(load_161353088);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-1400x1050.jpeg\" alt=\"A much better BA product with more privacy. \" class=\"wp-image-532835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-1400x1050.jpeg 1400w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-960x720.jpeg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-640x480.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4259-480x360.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A much better BQ product from Singapore to Heathrow only. It shows that Australia is not a priority for BA. This is on the 777-300ER btw.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The lesson? If you\u2019re sitting on a stash of Qantas Points, don\u2019t just search for Qantas flights. <\/p><p>Qantas Frequent Flyer has partnerships with dozens of other airlines, and sometimes the sweet spots are hiding in plain sight on the Qantas website if you\u2019re willing to tolerate a little discomfort for a huge saving. Remember it\u2019s one leg, so suck it up buttercup.<\/p><p>$590 to Europe in business class, even with one leg in BA\u2019s \u2018seat roulette,\u2019 is a deal worth taking. Just don\u2019t forget your noise-cancelling headphones, a good eye mask, and maybe a strong pre-flight drink to get you through that first Sydney to Singapore sector.<\/p><p>Let\u2019s go!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s get one thing straight: July is a brutal time to book business class tickets to Europe. School holidays, peak demand, everyone and their dog wants to escape the Australian winter. Normally, you\u2019d be looking at fifteen grand or more for a return flight from Sydney to London in a lie-flat seat. Which is why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":532837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[237],"tags":[],"coauthors":[146525],"class_list":{"0":"post-532833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532833"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":533191,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532833\/revisions\/533191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532833"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=532833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}