Is this booking message from Qantas a scam?
No. Qantas is Australia's flag carrier and a legitimate, long-established airline. What you need to watch for is the opposite problem: its name is borrowed constantly for points-expiry bait, fake flight-cancellation texts and bonus-point offers designed to steal Frequent Flyer logins and card details. The good news: a few quick checks almost always tell a real Qantas message from a fake.
Genuine Qantas links lead to qantas.com, qantas.com.au — but a link can be made to look real, so don't go by the link alone. Below is exactly what a real Qantas message looks like, the scams currently circulating in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and a real example to compare against. Got a message in front of you? Check it now for an instant verdict.
What a real Qantas message looks like
Genuine messages from Qantas link to qantas.com, qantas.com.au. Treat a link to any other address as a warning sign.
- Genuine Qantas messages about flights, bookings or Frequent Flyer points come from the Qantas app push notifications or logged-in web sessions on qantas.com or qantas.com.au.
- Qantas never asks members to click a link in an SMS to view or redeem points.
- Real Qantas flight updates are sent only to passengers who have an active booking in the system.
- Official Qantas Frequent Flyer statements and expiry notices appear inside the secure member dashboard after login.
What Qantas will never do
- Ask members to click a link in an SMS to view, redeem, transfer or 'secure' Frequent Flyer points (real expiry notices live inside the secure member dashboard after login)
- Send flight alerts to people who have no active booking in the system
- Ask for your Frequent Flyer number, password or credit-card details through a message link (no legitimate airline collects credentials that way)
- Rush you with a points-expiry countdown that can only be stopped by tapping a link
Common Qantas scams
- SMS claiming Frequent Flyer points are about to expire and urging the recipient to click a link to transfer or extend them.
- Text messages warning of a cancelled or delayed Qantas flight and directing travellers to a link to rebook or claim compensation.
- Messages pretending to be from Qantas offering bonus points or upgraded seats if the recipient enters login details on a linked page.
Red flags to watch for
- Any SMS that includes a shortened link or a domain other than qantas.com or qantas.com.au.
- Requests to log in or verify account details via a link rather than through the official Qantas app or website.
- Urgent language about points expiring or flights being cancelled when you have no active booking or points balance shown in the app.
- Messages that ask for your Qantas Frequent Flyer number, password or credit-card details.
Qantas scam examples
These composed examples show how scams impersonating Qantas typically read, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.
QANTAS: Your Frequent Flyer points are scheduled to expire at midnight tonight. Log in now to transfer them to secure storage: qff-points-rescue[.]example
What gives it away:
- Qantas never asks members to click an SMS link to view or redeem points; expiry notices appear inside the member dashboard after you log in yourself
- 'Transfer to secure storage' is invented; points do not need rescuing, the page exists to capture your Frequent Flyer login
- The domain is not qantas.com or qantas.com.au, and the midnight deadline is there to stop you checking the app first
Subject: Compensation approved for your delayed Qantas flight. Dear Passenger, you are entitled to compensation for a recent disruption. Submit your bank details at qantas-remedy[.]example to receive payment.
What gives it away:
- A generic 'Dear Passenger' greeting where the airline would use your name and booking reference
- Real flight updates go only to passengers with an active booking; compensation for a flight you cannot see in the Qantas app is fiction
- It asks for bank details through a link, the point of the whole exercise
A sponsored post offers double Qantas points and business-class upgrades to celebrate an anniversary. Tapping through leads to a page asking for your Frequent Flyer number, password and card details to 'register'.
What gives it away:
- Bonus-point offers that require your password on a non-Qantas page are credential harvesting; genuine offers appear when you log in at qantas.com or in the Qantas app
- The registration page sits on a lookalike domain, not qantas.com.au
- No legitimate airline promotion needs your card details just to enter
Not sure about your message?
Paste the suspicious Qantas text or email and get an instant scam verdict, free.
How to verify a message from Qantas
Qantas's real website is qantas.com and the official app is the Qantas app. Reach Qantas through those channels, never through the details inside a message you're unsure about.
- Do not tap the link or reply; a genuine notice loses nothing by being verified first
- Open the Qantas app, or type qantas.com or qantas.com.au into your browser yourself, and log in; your real points balance, expiry dates and flight status all live there
- If the app shows no expiring points, no disruption and no offer, the message was a scam
- For anything still unclear, contact Qantas only through the channels listed on qantas.com, never through details from the message
If you have been scammed in Qantas's name
Clicked the link, paid, or shared details? Act now. The first hour matters more than anything else you do later.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank immediately to block the card and dispute charges before the scammers can use them
- Change your Qantas Frequent Flyer password on qantas.com straight away, and change it anywhere else you reused it; points balances are a common takeover target
- If you shared identity documents such as a passport, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
- Report the scam to Scamwatch and ReportCyber using the links below
- Forward the scam SMS to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender
Where to report a scam impersonating Qantas
Received — or fell for — a message impersonating Qantas? Report it. It helps authorities and carriers shut the campaign down for everyone who gets the next one.
- Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
- ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
- ACMA — Complain about scam texts and spam SMS, email or calls.
- Forward to 7226 (SCAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so carriers can block the source.
- IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.
Latest Qantas scams in 2026
Points are the lure of choice in current Qantas-themed campaigns. Expiry countdowns, bonus-point 'anniversary' offers and upgrade giveaways all funnel members to lookalike login pages, because a Frequent Flyer account with a healthy balance is worth taking over. Cancellation and compensation texts run alongside, timed to peak travel periods when a disruption message feels plausible. The wrapper changes; the ask never does: a link, a login, sometimes card details. The defence is equally fixed. Your points and bookings live in exactly two places, the Qantas app and qantas.com, so check there yourself and let any message that demands a link-tap prove itself against what the dashboard actually shows.
Frequently asked questions
I received a text saying my Qantas points will expire — is it a scam?
Genuine expiry notices only appear after you log into your account on qantas.com or the Qantas app; never click links in unexpected SMS.
Can Qantas send me an SMS about a cancelled flight?
Qantas may send flight alerts, but only to passengers with active bookings and without asking you to click external links — always open the Qantas app or go straight to qantas.com.
How do I check if a message about Qantas Frequent Flyer is real?
Open the Qantas app or visit qantas.com.au, log in, and review any alerts inside your secure member area rather than following SMS links.
What should I do if I clicked a link in a suspicious Qantas text?
Change your Qantas password immediately via qantas.com, monitor your accounts, and report the message at scamwatch.gov.au.
What are Qantas's real websites?
Qantas operates qantas.com and qantas.com.au, and the Qantas app uses the same login. Anything else, including domains that merely contain the word Qantas, is not the airline. Type the address yourself or open the app instead of following links in messages.
How do I report a Qantas scam message?
Report it to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) and forward scam texts to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender. If you entered login details, change your Qantas password first; if you lost money, contact your bank and report to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au).
Related scam types
Scams impersonating Qantas usually fit one of these patterns. Learn how each works:
Related brands
Other travel names scammers impersonate — check a message from one:
Sources
- Text or SMS scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Account or identity takeover scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Phishing scams: how scammers pose as trusted organisations (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with Qantas through an official channel.