Airline miles are a hot commodity in travel today. People love their American Express, Chase Ultimate Rewards or frequent flyer alliance points to score free flights and top-tier upgrades. Now Qatari Airways will be following suit with its own promotion of the Avios program that allows customers to earn points for every dollar spent on airline purchases as well as other rewards like hotel stays, car rentals and more…
Qatar Airways will use the Avios currency and will allow point transfers.
on February 22, 2022 by Gary Leff
In late March, Qatar Airways Privilege Club will abandon the term “QMiles” in favor of Avios, the mileage system used by IAG airlines such as British Airways and Iberia. Points will transfer 1:1 into the new program. This might be a significant gain for members of other Avios programs like British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Avios who want to earn points in Qatar’s program. IAG is 25 percent owned by oneworld, a Doha-based airline.
I recently suggested that you enroll your whole family in Qatar Airways Privilege Club to receive free points. It looks like this is working out.
- Instantly earn 2,500 extra miles (join by March 31, 2022)
- 5,000 extra points if you fly Qatar Airways for the first time before September 30, 2022.
Family accounts are available via British Airways Executive Club. So, if you join up six individuals at 2500 points each, those points will (eventually) move to each member’s BA account and may be combined in a family account to generate 15,000 miles toward a free award ticket.
Nonetheless, I would not transfer points from Qatar Airways to another airline. Transferring Avios to Qatar Airways Privilege Club is considerably more feasible for me.
We don’t know for sure what adjustments Privilege Club is planning, but I’m told they expect reduced award costs and lower fuel surcharges on partners, and they won’t be boosting award pricing or putting taxes on Qatar Airways metal redemptions.
- Qatar lowered award price on its own flights by 35% in November 2020, reversing a 2018 devaluation.
- Some examples are 70,000 miles one-way in business class between New York JFK and Doha; 85,000 miles one-way in business class between New York JFK and Male, Maldives; and 43,000 miles one-way between London or Paris and Doha, all without fuel taxes.
Credit: Qatar Airways, QSuites Business Class
Although British Airways Executive Club is good for short-distance awards, particularly in economy, and Iberia Plus is good for transatlantic business class redemptions on Iberia, Qatar Airways Privilege Club is better for redemptions on Qatar, which has one of the best business class products in the world.
Prior to this, it was difficult for members from the United States to join the Privilege Club program. Transfers from Citibank Thank You Rewards were about the only option (apart from crediting flights). However, by using Avios as their currency, you will be able to:
- Earn Avios everywhere U.S. members are accepted, expanding credit card transfer partnerships (such as Chase and American Express) and online shopping portal earning opportunities.
- Transfer your Avios from British Airways to Qatar Airways.
For The Museum Of Islamic Art, Doha Is One Of The World’s Great Short Stopovers.
Qatar Airways has an incentive to keep devaluations in control by making Avios its currency. Devaluations are dangerous since they would have to purchase Avios from the airline you’re transferring your points to, except you can always remove your points and move them to another program. In the meanwhile, by keeping their own rates low, they may be able to earn points from partner programs that require people to purchase from them.
While Qatar has told me that partner award price would be cheaper overall, we don’t have all of the information yet. We’re still a few weeks away from this taking effect, and some of the specifics may still be in the works. The amount to which this shift is beneficial or harmful to customers depends, I believe, on what adjustments, if any, are made to award pricing for Qatar’s own flights. That will be disclosed shortly, and I am extremely optimistic about it. This makes Qatar Airways Privilege Club more appealing to members in the United States.
More From the Wing’s Perspective
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you transfer qmiles to Avios?
A: No, qmiles are not transferable to Avios.
Can I earn Avios on Qatar Airways?
A: Unfortunately, Qatar Airways does not have a rewards program.
Can British Airways Avios points be transferred?
A: Yes, British Airways Avios points can be transferred to a number of other rewards programs.
