Qatar Airways, one of the world’s premier airlines, is regarded by many as a bucket-list redemption for those interested in redeeming for business and first class flights. Recognized for its market-leading QSuites business class, it is considered to be one of the best premium cabin products available today.
Based in Doha, the Middle Eastern airline operates a vast global network, making Hamad International Airport one of the most well-connected airports in the world. Moreover, travelers passing through Doha can experience some of the best business and first class lounges during their layovers.
The frequent flyer program of Qatar Airways is known as Qatar Airways Privilege Club. The program utilizes the popular Avios points currency, which it shares with airlines like British Airways, Finnair, and Aer Lingus. All Avios points are interchangeable and can be transferred between each airline’s respective program, enabling users to access various redemption options across the Oneworld Alliance and its partnered airlines.
While there isn’t a direct method to accumulate Qatar Airways Avios in Canada, there has been a surge of interest in the program in recent years. This is primarily due to the accessibility of British Airways Avios, which can be readily obtained in Canada, and then transferred to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
If laying back in your own QSuites double bed in the sky is on your radar, understanding the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program is essential. This involves familiarizing yourself with the methods for earning and redeeming for flights efficiently.
Acquiring Qatar Airways Avios
Despite there being no way to earn Qatar Airways Avios directly in Canada, it’s actually one of the easiest currencies to accumulate through other means. This will usually involve moving Avios from other programs like British Airways Executive Club, utilizing transferable points from US-issued credit cards, and traveling on paid flights with Qatar Airways and its partners.
Qatar Airways Avios can also be purchased directly on the Qatar Airways website, as well as transferred from select hotel loyalty programs.
Flying on Qatar Airways & Partner Airlines
Flying on Qatar Airways-operated flights along with any flight on one of its partner airlines will earn Avios based on the number of miles flown and class of service. The earning rate is also subject to your current level of elite status within the program. Qatar Airways Privilege Club Elite members receive 25% bonus Avios for SIlver status, 75% bonus Avios for Gold status, and 100% bonus Avios for Platinum status.
Qatar Airways provides a My Calculator tool on its website, allowing users to get an estimate of the amount of Avios they will earn from their flight activities.
Utilizing the “My Calculator” tool, an example flight from Seattle to Doha would earn the following Avios as a Burgundy member:
If you’re interested in the particulars of how the number of Avios earned is calculated, the following table outlines each cabin and fare class along with their respective earning rates specific to Qatar Airways-operated flights.
Using the above table, the amount of Avios earned on eligible flights operated by Qatar Airways is calculated as follows:
Avios earned = (Distance flown x booking class earning percentage) + (Distance flown x elite bonus earning percentage)
When flying on a Oneworld airline or a non-alliance partner airline, the amount of Avios earned will vary, as each airline has its own distinct earning rate. Using the My Calculator tool offers the simplest method to obtain an estimate of the Avios points you’ll accumulate when flying with either a Oneworld airline or a non-alliance partner airline.
Transferring from Other Avios Programs
Avios points can be transferred at a 1:1 rate between the programs that use Avios as its currency. The following programs are:
- British Airways Executive Club
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Iberia Plus
- Finnair Plus
- Vueling Club
Regardless of which program your Avios points are held in, they are essentially identical. However, each program has its own sweet spots and advantages depending on the specific redemption you’re aiming for.
Co-Branded Credit Cards
There are no co-branded Qatar Airways credit cards issued in either Canada or the US. Nevertheless, since Avios points are interchangeable and can be freely transferred between the different programs that utilize the currency, any co-branded card that earns Avios points in any capacity can be transferred and then used to redeem for flights through the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program.
For example, RBC issues the co-branded RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card here in Canada. Although the welcome bonus and everyday spending on this card awards British Airways Avios, these points can be considered equivalent to any of the Avios variants mentioned in the section above.
The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card earns Avios and gives cardholders the opportunity to earn 2x Avios on all British Airways-related purchases.
Check out our RBC British Airways Visa Infinite review for more details.
60,000 Avios
$6,000
$855+
$165
Yes
–
For those that have access to US-issued credit cards, Chase offers three co-branded credit cards that earn Avios points, all of which have no foreign transaction fees. You can transfer all the points accumulated from these cards to any of the five other airlines within the Avios family, including Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
| Credit Card | Welcome Bonus | Net Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Chase Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card | 75,000 Avios | $1,180 | Apply |
 |
Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card | 75,000 Avios | $1,180 | Apply |
 |
Chase Iberia Visa Signature Card | 75,000 Avios | $1,180 | Apply |
Transferring Flexible Points Currencies & Hotel Loyalty Programs
Qatar Airways Privilege Club is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points and American Express Membership Rewards (US) at a 1:1 ratio. There are no programs in Canada that can directly transfer to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. However, RBC Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards (CA) can both transfer to British Airways Executive Club, which can then be easily exchanged into Qatar Airways Avios.
In the US, British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner with Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards (US), and Bilt Rewards.
Be sure to check our Miles & Points Transfer Partner Tool to take advantage of any current transfer bonuses prior to initiating any transfers.
Related: Best Practices When Booking Award Flights: The Basics
Furthermore, it’s possible to convert select hotel loyalty program points into Qatar Airways Avios. However, the conversion rates vary among programs and are generally suboptimal. Thus, we recommend considering exchanging points with hotel loyalty programs only as a last resort.
The list is all available transfer partners is as follows:
| Financial Institution Partner | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | 1,000 Membership Rewards : 1,000 Avios |
| Citi ThankYou Points | 1,000 ThankYou Points : 1,000 Avios |
| Hotel Loyalty Program | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|
| ALL Rewards | 2,000 ALL Rewards : 1,000 Avios |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 60,000 Bonvoy Points : 25,000 Avios |
| World of Hyatt | 50,000 World of Hyatt Points : 25,000 Avios |
| Hilton Honors | 10,000 Hilton Honors Points : 1,000 Avios |
| Shangri-La Circle | 1,000 Shangri-La Circle Points : 1,000 Avios |
Transfers initiated from US-based financial institutions are typically processed instantly, whereas transfers from hotel loyalty programs take significantly longer. You can anticipate transfers from hotel loyalty programs to require anywhere from one week to as long as six weeks to finalize.
Purchase Qatar Airways Avios
Privilege Club members may buy up to 250,000 Avios per year. Though we typically don’t recommend buying points speculatively, if you’re a few points short on a pending redemption, it can often make sense for a quick top-up. The acquisition price per point drops the more you buy. For example, buying 1,000 Avios will cost 2.8 USD cents per point, while buying the maximum 250,000 will cost 2.3 USD cents per point.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club runs regular purchase promotions, offering up to a 60% bonus on purchased Avios points. Before making any point purchases, we recommend you review our guide on buying miles and points to determine whether buying points is worth it in your situation.
Earning Through Hotel Stays & Car Rental Programs
You can also accumulate Qatar Airways Avios from various sources such as car rentals, hotel bookings, and other travel-related purchases. Adding your Qatar Airways Privilege Club membership number to any booking through one of these agencies will earn Avios points.
For instance, major hotel chains like Marriott, Accor, and Hyatt offer the option to earn Qatar Airways Avios in lieu of their own loyalty points. However, the Avios earned through this route tend to be exceptionally poor, so we wouldn’t advise pursuing this option.
Additionally, Qatar Airways Avios can be accrued via select third-party booking platforms such as Booking.com and Rocketmiles. These platforms allow you to earn Avios based on your spending through these travel portals.
Similarly, you can earn Qatar Airways Avios from select car rental agencies at the following rates:
| Car Rental Agency | Earning Rate |
|---|---|
| Avis | Up to 5 Avios per USD spent |
| Budget | Up to 5 Avios per USD spent |
| Europcar | Up to 1,000 Avios/rental |
| Hertz | Up to 500 Avios/rental |
| Rentalcars.com | 3 Avios per USD spent |
| Salik | 1 Avios per 5 QAR spent |
| Sixt | 500 Avios/rental |
Lastly, Qatar Airways operates its own travel booking portal, where you can earn and redeem Qatar Airways Avios when booking travel packages, hotels, experiences, and transfers with Qatar Airways Holidays.
Redeeming Qatar Airways Avios
To maximize the value of your Qatar Airways Avios, we recommend using them exclusively for flight rewards. Although you have the option to redeem Avios for hotels, car rentals, and experiences, the value derived is significantly less compared to redeeming them for flight rewards.
Redeeming for Qatar Airways Flights
While you have the option to redeem for flights with any of Qatar Airways’ partner airlines, the primary appeal for most people interested in the Qatar Airways loyalty program is to redeem points for a Qatar Airways QSuites flight between North America and Doha. In most cases, this will be the optimal method for redeeming your Qatar Airways Avios points.
Related: Definitive Guide: Booking Qatar Airways QSuites on Points
Qatar Airways does not publish a public award chart for redemption purposes on Qatar Airways-operated flights. However, you can utilize the My Calculator tool to determine the points needed for a specific redemption. All of Qatar Airways’ destinations in Canada and the US have uniform pricing. This means all flights to North America start at 37,500 Avios in economy class, and 70,000 Avios in business class.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club prices its awards as either peak or off-peak, meaning flights on days designated as peak will come at a greater cost. Peak dates are priced about 35% above the base-level redemption rate. You can expect economy flights on peak dates to cost 47,500 Avios, and business class flights on peak dates to cost 94,500 Avios.
Along the top of the search results page, you can see the lowest price available across a 7-day period, as well as which days are flagged as either peak or off-peak.
Qatar Airways offers additional award space known as “Flexi” awards, which are priced at twice the standard redemption rate. For instance, a business class flight between North America and Doha would require 140,000 Avios on a “Flexi” award.
To find available award flights, just sign in to your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account and search for them directly from the Qatar Airways homepage. Enter your departure and destination city, along with your desired travel date and class of service. Lastly, make sure to select the “Book an award flight” checkbox.
Along the top of the search results page, a week’s worth of availability is displayed for quick reference. To view additional dates, click on the calendar icon located in the top right corner to access a full month view.
From here, once you’ve found your preferred flight, proceed to complete your booking just as you would any other flight. Qatar Airways typically levies very minimal surcharges, often not amounting to more than $100 USD for a one-segment itinerary.
Award Flights on Partner Airlines
Award flights on partner airlines are subject to a fixed-price award chart. Pricing is determined by both the distance traveled and the class of service selected. The quoted prices represent one-way redemption rates.
With that said, unless you have a very good reason, it’s strongly advised against booking a partner award through Qatar Airways Privilege Club for the following reasons:
- With the exception of a few airlines, partner awards cannot be booked online. Instead, you must either submit a service ticket for a callback or call the Qatar Airways contact center yourself to book a partner award.
- Multi-destination routes and itineraries that include a stopover won’t usually price correctly or be permitted at all.
- Partner award itineraries can only include a single airline.
Given the above restrictions, using British Airways Executive Club to book Oneworld partner airline award flights provides much more convenience. All awards can be booked online and British Airways award pricing closely matches redemptions found through Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club Sweet Spots
Though a one-way business class redemption between North America and Doha for 70,000 Avios is already a fantastic deal, you can further enhance your value by including a connecting flight from Doha at a considerably reduced price compared to booking each segment separately.
For instance, a Qatar Airways business class flight from San Francisco to Nairobi via Doha will cost 85,000 Avios for both segments. This allows you to include an additional 5-hour business class flight for just an extra 15,000 Avios.
If booked individually, a business class flight from Doha to Nairobi would require 35,000 Avios. This means you’ll save 25,000 Avios over booking each segment separately.
Qatar Airways also operates a few long-haul flights that include a first class cabin. One such flight is from Doha to Bangkok, which is priced at 75,000 Avios in first class one-way.
If you redeemed for a business class flight from North America to Doha and then on to Bangkok in first class separately, the price would total 145,000 Avios. However, when booked as a multi-segment itinerary from North America to Bangkok via Doha, you can add on this nearly 8-hour flight in first class for the same price as it would cost to fly both segments in business class. This effectively works out to paying just 25,000 additional Avios for a 3,285-mile first class flight.
This also applies to Qatar Airways regional flights within the Arabian Gulf. Business class flights to cities such as Dubai and Riyadh are marketed as first class. Therefore, you will be granted access to the Al Safwa First Class Lounge in Doha – which is considered one of the best lounges in the world.
Other Qatar Airways Privilege Club Redemptions
Although there are several other ways to spend your Avios, they all generally offer very poor value compared to an award flight. Thus, we recommend against redeeming your Avios for anything other than flight rewards.
You can utilize your Avios for upgrading cash-fare flights operated by Qatar Airways, which is based on the underlying fare class originally booked.
For example, to upgrade a one-way economy flight from Doha to Seattle would cost the following:
As you can see, the upgrade pricing is quite steep; however, this does open up additional possibilities to use your Avios to upgrade to a higher cabin class, particularly when only “Flexi” award space is available.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club Status
Frequent flyers of Qatar Airways and its partner airlines can achieve elite status within the program. Qatar Airways Privilege Club has four membership tiers: Burgundy, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
Qatar Airways uses a unique currency known as Qpoints, which are required to advance one’s status within the program. Qpoints accumulate through flying with Qatar Airways and its partner airlines on eligible paid flights. The amount of Qpoints you will earn is based on a few factors including route, fare class, and airline. Once again, you can use the My Calculator tool to determine the exact amount of Qpoints you can anticipate earning on a specific flight.
To satisfy the requirements for advancing to the next status tier, you will need to earn the following:
- Silver: Earn 150 Qpoints within any 12-month period.
- Gold: Earn 300 Qpoints within any 12- month period.
- Platinum: Earn 600 Qpoints within any 12-month period.
In addition to the above, it is necessary to have accrued a minimum of 20% of your Qpoints or completed either 4 segments within the past 12 months or 8 segments within the past 24 months on flights marketed or operated by Qatar Airways.
Benefits of Qatar Airways Privilege Club Status
Achieving elite status with Qatar Airways Privilege Club opens up a plethora of perks including earning rates, flight benefits, airport amenities, and services applicable to Qatar Airways and Oneworld partner airline flights. Reaching Privilege Club Platinum status corresponds to Oneworld Emerald status, which grants access to many first class lounges across various Oneworld airlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
One Avios point is worth approximately 2 cents. This should be the baseline to aim for when making Avios redemptions.
Qatar Airways Avios will expire after 36 months of inactivity. To prevent your Avios from expiring, you’ll need to earn or spend at least once every three years. Additionally, Privilege Club Platinum members enjoy the benefit of their Avios points never expiring.
A change or cancellation of an award ticket more than 24 hours prior to departure will incur a $25 USD fee. Changes or cancellations within 24 hours of departure will incur a $100 USD fee.
Transfers from American Express Membership Rewards (US) are processed instantly.
Citi ThankYou Points transfers take on average 1-2 days to reach your account.
Avios can be redeemed for flights with Qatar Airways and its partner airlines, upgrades, hotel stays, experiences, and merchandise at Qatar Duty Free.