Not as a refund. Qantas has no price match and does not refund a fare difference.
Verified against the airline's own policy pages.
Price drop calculator
Is it worth changing your Qantas flight for the lower fare? Enter what you paid and the new price to see what you’d get back after any change fee.
Enter what you paid and the new Qantas fare to see if claiming is worth the friction.
The rules of the game
Four things every traveler needs to know about airline price drops before deciding whether to claim one.
US federal law (the DOT 24-hour rule) guarantees a full cash refund on any flight booked at least 7 days before departure, as long as you cancel within 24 hours of purchase. It applies to every fare class, including Basic Economy. This is the cleanest path to a price-drop refund: rebook at the new lower fare to lock it in, then cancel the original ticket. The refund hits your card within 7 business days.
Once the DOT window closes, airlines switch from cash refunds to travel credits, and change fees may apply depending on your fare class. The math has to clear in your favor: a $40 price drop on a Basic Economy ticket is wiped out by a $99 change fee. The calculator below tells you whether claiming is worth the friction before you spend 30 minutes on a phone tree.
For non-changeable fares (typically Basic Economy), you cannot simply switch to a cheaper flight on the same booking. You have to cancel the original ticket entirely, then book the new one. Sequence matters: book the new fare first to lock in the price and your seat, then cancel the original. Inventory can change between the two clicks, so move quickly.
Inside the 24-hour window, refunds come back as cash to your original payment method. Outside that window, you usually receive a travel credit tied to your account with an expiration date, often 12 months out. Credit is worth less than cash because it locks you to the same airline. Factor the expiration date into the decision before you commit.
After you book
Prices keep moving after you book. Most people who catch a drop do it by checking the price again and again, and sometimes they get lucky.
Option 1 · The manual way
Search your booking on the Qantas app or website every few days. If the price falls below what you paid, the calculator above tells you whether it’s worth claiming, and these are the steps.
2 methods ranked by ease and success rate.
Qantas change fees by fare class
Go to qantas.com/manage-booking and enter your booking reference and last name
Select your flight and click "Change flight"
Search the same route and date, then choose the same flight at the new lower fare
Confirm the change at checkout: the change fee for your fare applies, plus any remaining fare difference
Changing keeps your booking reference and seats intact. Cancelling instead gives a travel credit but still incurs the same fee and requires rebooking separately. Use Change, not Cancel.
All claim methods
Go to qantas.com/manage-booking and enter your booking reference and last name
Select your flight and click "Change flight"
Search the same route and date, then choose the same flight at the new lower fare
Confirm the change at checkout: the change fee for your fare applies, plus any remaining fare difference
Changing keeps your booking reference and seats intact. Cancelling instead gives a travel credit but still incurs the same fee and requires rebooking separately. Use Change, not Cancel.
Call Qantas at 13 13 13 (within Australia) or +61 2 9691 3636 (international)
Say "booking change" at the voice prompt to route to the right team
Provide your booking reference and last name
Ask to change to the lower fare: the change fee for your fare applies
Use this if the online change flow is unavailable. Same outcome as the website method.
Option 2 · The easy way
Fares move after you book, usually when you’re not looking. Forward your Qantas confirmation once and Plot watches the price for you. When a drop is worth claiming, you get an alert with the exact steps.
“Plot has saved me over $1,100 in flight and hotel savings so far in 2026.”
Price Watch is part of Plot Pro.
With Plot
Fares can keep moving after you book. Plot is an app that keeps your trips in one place and watches the price after you book. Forward your Qantas confirmation once, and you hear about the next drop with the steps to claim it.
Forward your Qantas booking confirmation to plans@plot.travel. That is the only thing you need to do.
Plot keeps measuring your exact Qantas fare against the market, and reads the fine print (fare class rules, change fees, the 24-hour refund window) so a drop only counts when it's worth acting on.
Your Qantas price dropped
How to claim your savings
When the price drops, we tell you the savings and the exact Qantas steps to claim your refund or credit.
Price Watch is part of Plot Pro.
Questions
Common questions about Qantas price drops and refunds.
Not as a refund. Qantas has no price match and does not refund a fare difference. The only option is to change your booking on qantas.com or by phone, and that costs a change fee (A$121 on Australian domestic tickets issued in Australia from 1 July 2026, A$110 before) unless you hold an Economy Flex fare, which changes for free. Cancelling instead gives a travel credit, not cash, and costs the same fee, so change rather than cancel.
Yes. The amount depends on your fare class. Red e-Deal / Sale fares: A$121 · Economy Flex & above: Free.
Plot watches your Qantas fare continuously after you forward your confirmation email to plans@plot.travel. When the price drops, we send you the savings amount and step-by-step instructions for Qantas's policies, so you know exactly how to claim your refund or credit. Price Watch is part of Plot Pro.
Still have questions? Email us
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