Qatar Airways was founded in 1993, and just seven years later, its Privilege Club loyalty program was founded in 2000. In 2022, however, the program made headlines when it adopted Avios as its loyalty currency—the same currency used by British Airways and Iberia, which are all members of the Oneworld alliance.
Qatar Airways has been voted the world’s best airline numerous times, and its Privilege Club program was among our picks for the best frequent flyer programs.
Privilege Club offers incredible value, thanks to its mix of partner airlines, attractive award pricing, and the ability to move Avios freely and instantly between multiple programs. Combine that with multiple credit card transfer partnerships and the recent launch of credit cards in the U.S., and you’ve got a winning combination.
Table of contents
Overview of Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Qatar Airways Privilege Club uses Avios as its reward currency. You can earn Avios with the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Infinite Credit Card and the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature Credit Card, both issued by Cardless in the U.S.
Privilege Club has four tiers, ranging from Burgandy at the lowest to Platinum at the highest. Each tier offers more benefits than the tier below it, and you need to earn Qpoints to qualify for status.
Avios are the program’s reward currency. You can earn them on flights, hotel stays, gym memberships, duty-free shopping, and more. Qatar Airways has a wide range of partners with whom you can spend Avios on shopping and flights.
Credit card transfer partners of Qatar Airways Privilege Club
You can transfer points from numerous credit card programs to Privilege Club. Those include:
Thus, any credit card earning points in those programs can earn Qatar Avios. Plus, since Avios can be transferred between programs, any credit card earning Avios with Iberia, Finnair, or British Airways can also earn Qatar Avios.
Airline partners of Qatar Airways Privilege Club
You can book flights on multiple airlines with your Avios, including these Oneworld partners:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
You also can book these non-alliance airlines with Qatar Avios:
- Bangkok Airways
- JetBlue
- LATAM Airlines
- Middle East Airlines
- Oman Air
- RwandAir
- Virgin Australia
What we love about Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Privilege Club didn’t make our list of the best loyalty programs for no reason. Reasons we like it include:
- Numerous transfer partners and a pair of credit cards make earning Avios easy
- Quality redemption options on both Qatar Airways and partner airlines
- Excellent availability for awards on partner airlines
- Customer-friendly routing rules when booking awards
- Easy-to-use calculators show how many Avios you’ll earn or spend on a flight
- Ability to upgrade a flight using Avios
- Cheap flights for short distances, thanks to distance-based pricing
What we don’t love about Qatar Airways Privilege Club
While the program has fans and numerous positives, there are some downsides:
- Some awards aren’t bookable online
- Changing or canceling a ticket isn’t free, with fees ranging from $25 to $100 if done within 24 hours of departure.
- Taxes and fees can be high on some awards, reducing the value of your Avios when booking a flight.
- The use of multiple different award charts can be confusing.
- Per-segment award pricing can be more expensive if you have connecting flights.
- Long flights require a lot of Avios due to distance-based pricing.
Qatar elite status tiers and how to earn them
Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers four status tiers, starting with Burgundy – the tier assigned to all members who join the program. The highest tier is Platinum, and Silver and Gold tiers sit in the middle.
You can earn Qpoints toward elite status when shopping, booking vacation packages, and flying. The number of Qpoints you earn depends on your destination, airline, and fare type.
Burgundy
At the introductory tier, you get a 100% family accrual rate on all Avios earnings and priority standby on the waiting list. You also get a 10% discount on seat selection and a 10% discount at Qatar Duty Free when using Avios as payment.
Silver
To reach Silver status, you need to earn 150 Qpoints in a 12-month period. Retaining your Silver status requires 135 Qpoints in 12 months or earning 270 Qpoints within the last 24 months prior to the renewal date.
At the Silver tier, you enjoy the Burgundy benefits and more. You get a 25% tier bonus on earnings, priority check-in and boarding, extra baggage allowance, lounge access for yourself, and two complimentary guest lounge passes. You also have access to a travel coordinator, a 20% discount on seat selection, a 15% discount at Qatar Duty Free when paying with Avios, and 5% off Qatar Airways Holidays packages.
Gold
Reaching Gold status requires earning 350 Qpoints in a 12-month period. Retaining this status requires 270 Qpoints in 12 months or 540 Qpoints in 24 months.
Gold members enjoy a 75% tier bonus, 40 Qcredits, a higher weight limit on excess baggage, complimentary lounge access for you and a guest, plus four guest lounge passes. Al Maha services are available for you and a guest in Doha, and additional services are available at a 10% discount at this tier. Additional benefits include a 5% offer for online redemptions, an award fee waiver, and better availability for award seats.
Gold members also get a guaranteed seat in economy class and access to preferred seats. The complimentary seat selection also includes guests traveling with you. Lastly, members get priority baggage handling and priority access at Qatar Airways’ contact centers.
Platinum
Reaching Privilege Club’s highest tier requires earning 600 Qpoints in a 12-month period. Retaining this tier requires 540 Qpoints in 12 months or 1,080 Qpoints in 24 months.
Benefits at the top tier include a 100% tier bonus, 60 Qcredits, and the fact that your Avios won’t expire. You’ll also get lounge access for you and two guests, plus a higher weight limit on baggage. Platinum members also get five guest passes for lounge access and two guests at complimentary Al Maha services. Moreover, members get a personalized membership card and luggage tags and 20% off at Qatar Duty Free when redeeming Avios.
How to earn Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios
Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers multiple avenues to earn Avios, and you don’t even have to leave home for some of them. Flying with Qatar Airways and its partners will be the most obvious path to earning Avios, but other options include shopping, banking, renting a car, staying at a hotel, and more.
Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to earn Avios and what you need to know about each.
Credit cards
U.S.-based travelers can apply for either of two credit cards: The Qatar Airways Privilege Club Signature Credit Card and the more-premium Qatar Airways Privilege Club Infinite Credit Card.
The Signature card has a $99 annual fee and offers 4x earnings on Qatar Airways purchases, 2x earnings on dining, and 1x earnings on other purchases. It also provides 2 Qpoints for every 2,000 Avios earned with the card, plus automatic Silver status in your first year as a cardholder. Cardholders also aren’t subject to Avios expiration.
The Infinite card has additional benefits to justify its $499 annual fee. Cardholders earn 5x Avios on Qatar Airways purchases, 3x on dining, and 1x on other purchases. They also earn 2 Qpoints for every 1,500 Avios earned on the card. Infinite cardholders get complimentary Gold status in their first year and multiple built-in protections, like an extended warranty and lost luggage reimbursement.
Flying with Qatar Airways and Oneworld Airlines
Flying remains the most straightforward way to earn Avios. The amount you earn depends on the flight distance and your ticket class, with accrual rates ranging from 300% for first-class fares to just 25% for promotional economy tickets. Elite members enjoy additional bonuses, making this option especially lucrative for frequent flyers.
While lucrative, this method depends on your travel patterns and may be less accessible for those not traveling internationally or within the Middle East.
Qatar Airways Holidays
Booking travel packages, hotel stays, or airport transfers with Qatar Airways Holidays earns Avios while streamlining your travel plans. This option is a strong choice for members booking bundled travel, but availability may vary depending on your destination and needs.
With these packages, you’ll earn 1 Qpoint toward elite status for every $100 spent, plus you’ll earn Avios as you normally would on the Qatar Airways flights in your vacation package. You’ll also earn Avios on the entire cost of the vacation package, earning at a rate of 1 Avios per $1 spent.
Shopping and online retail
Retail partnerships, particularly those tied to Doha’s airport, provide Avios-earning opportunities on shopping and dining. For U.S.-based members, select online shopping portals offer a way to earn Avios without international travel. However, the options are more limited compared to other loyalty programs. For example, you could use the British Airways shopping portal to earn Avios and then move those from your British Airways account to your Qatar Airways account. There may also be more opportunities to earn Avios through shopping portals in the future as their popularity grows.
Banking partnerships
While Privilege Club partners with several international banks, U.S.-based members currently lack domestic banking options for earning Avios. This method may appeal more to members in Qatar or nearby countries with access to qualifying financial institutions.
Hotel stays
Hotel stays at brands like Accor, Hyatt, and Hilton provide opportunities to earn Qatar Airways Avios. To take advantage of this, you’ll often need to opt out of earning hotel loyalty points, so it’s worth considering which program offers better value for your travel goals. For Accor stays, you can earn 1 Avios per euro spent after linking your Accor and Qatar Privilege Club accounts. This method may appeal most to frequent travelers in regions with participating hotels.
The full list of options includes:
- Accor: Up to 1 Avios per 1€ spent
- Booking.com: 3 Avios per $1 spent
- Dusit Doha Hotel: 1 Avios per $1.10 spent
- Dusit Hotel & Suites – Doha: 1 Avios per $1.10 spent
- Hyatt: 500 Avios per stay (only at certain brands)
- Kaligo: Up to 10,000 Avios per night
- Marriott: Up to 2 Avios per $1 spent
- Rocketmiles: 1,000 to 10,000 Avios per night on premium hotels
- Rotana hotels & resorts: 500 Avios per night at hotels and 250 Avios per night at Rotana’s Suites and Resorts
- Shangri-La Circle: 500 Avios per night at eligible properties
- Steigenberger Hotel Doha: 1 Avios per $1.10 spent
Car rentals
You can earn Avios when renting cars with global brands like Avis, Budget, and Hertz. Each rental contributes to your Privilege Club balance, though the specific earning rates can vary by company and location. While convenient, this method often yields modest returns, making it most valuable for those who rent cars regularly or in conjunction with other travel activities.
Redeeming Avios with Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers a variety of ways to redeem Avios, making the program versatile and rewarding. From award flights to cabin upgrades and even shopping at Qatar Duty Free, there are options for every type of traveler. Understanding how to maximize these opportunities is key to getting the most value from your Avios, as not every redemption provides good value.
Here’s a breakdown of your redemption options.
Award flights on Qatar Airways and partner airlines
One of the best ways to use Avios is for award flights on Qatar Airways or its partner airlines, including Oneworld members like British Airways and American Airlines. The number of Avios required varies depending on the route, cabin class, and demand. Qatar Airways often offers excellent value for its premium cabins.
Members can also book flights with non-Oneworld partners such as JetBlue and Virgin Australia, expanding their possibilities for global travel.
Cabin upgrades
You can enhance your travel experience by using Avios to upgrade your ticket to a higher cabin class on Qatar Airways flights. Whether moving from economy to business class or business to first class, upgrades are an excellent way to stretch the value of your Avios. Availability depends on the route and demand, so booking early is recommended.
Upgrading your economy ticket to business class on a flight from New York City to Doha, Qatar, for example, could cost between 37,000 and 55,000 Avios one-way, depending on how deeply discounted your ticket was when you purchased it. Note that upgrades to first class only apply when business class isn’t available for an upgrade.
Excess baggage
Need to pack a little extra? Use Avios to cover excess baggage fees on Qatar Airways flights. This option can be particularly useful for long-haul trips or family vacations when additional luggage is needed.
Shopping at Qatar Duty Free
Members can redeem Avios for purchases at Qatar Duty Free, including luxury goods and souvenirs. With savings of up to 20% on every purchase, this is an interesting option for frequent travelers passing through Hamad International Airport (DOH). Be sure to do the math to see what value you’re getting for your Avios here, as it might not be the same value available when booking flights.
Hotel stays and travel packages
Through partnerships with hotels like Accor, Hilton, and Hyatt, you can redeem Avios for stays at numerous properties worldwide. Additionally, Avios can be used for Qatar Airways Holidays travel packages, offering a seamless way to book vacations using points.
Cash + Avios bookings
If you don’t have enough Avios to cover a full redemption, the Cash + Avios option allows you to combine Avios with cash. With a minimum of 50% of the fare payable in Avios, this feature provides flexibility and ensures you can book even if your balance is low.
Gifting or transferring Avios
Share the benefits of Privilege Club with friends and family by gifting or transferring Avios. This feature enables you to help others book flights, upgrades, or other rewards, spreading the joy of travel. However, doing so can be costly at $15 per 1,000 Avios transferred.
How much are Privilege Club Avios worth?
The value of Avios ranges greatly, depending on how you’re using them. You may get around 1-1.5 cents per Avios on economy redemptions or upwards of 5 cents per Avios on flights in business or first class. The value of redemptions is typically lower on retail or baggage purchases, so we won’t focus on those.
Qatar Airways doesn’t officially publish a partner award chart. However, after researching numerous flights and compiling data, we learned that you can book award flights for as few as 6,000 Avios per person on short flights under 650 miles.
However, Qatar Airways uses a separate chart for flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines—the cheapest redemptions start at 9,500 Avios in economy or 20,000 Avios in business class.
Using 25,000 Avios
25,000 Avios is enough for a short, round-trip ticket within the U.S. It’s also enough for some destinations in Mexico or the Caribbean, given that flights from Miami to Cancun price at 9,500 Avios each way in economy class.
The taxes and fees aren’t great on some redemptions. For example, the above award incurs $75.53 in taxes and fees. This eats into the value of your Avios.
On LATAM, you can also find awards to the Caribbean or northern parts of South America for 13,000 Avios in economy class, provided the flight distance is under 3,000 miles. That includes options like Miami to Bogota, Colombia, or Lima, Peru.
Lastly, you could use 25,000 Avios for a one-way flight to Europe in economy with JetBlue.
Using 50,000 Avios
Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii are available for 16,000 Avios each, meaning you could take three people to Honolulu with 50,000 Avios.
Using 100,000 Avios
You could upgrade a discount economy ticket (the cheapest fares) to business class for 73,500 Avios when flying one-way between Doha and the East Coast. However, for 70,000 Avios, you could book that flight in business class outright, assuming you find award availability.
Considering these flights often sell for $5,000 or more, the $250-ish in taxes and fees isn’t hard to swallow.
The best Privilege Club redemptions
There are many ways to use your Avios, but they aren’t all equally valuable. Here are the best ways to use your Avios balance:
Upgrading to business class
Using Avios to upgrade from economy to business or first class can significantly enhance your travel experience. For example, upgrading from economy to business class on a flight from New York (JFK) to Doha (DOH) could require 55,000 Avios one-way, depending on fare class and availability. This option provides a luxurious journey at a fraction of the cash fare.
Booking award flights on Qatar Airways
Redeeming Avios for award flights on Qatar Airways allows you to experience the airline’s renowned service without the full cost of a ticket. For instance, a one-way economy award flight from New York (JFK) to Doha (DOH) costs 35,000 Avios, while Qatar Airways’ famous Qsuite business class could be booked for 70,000 Avios.
Availability varies, so it’s advisable to book well in advance. Also, note that you’ll pay more for longer flights, given Privilege Club’s distance-based pricing.
JetBlue Mint flights to Europe
JetBlue is a non-alliance partner with Qatar Airways. You can redeem Avios to fly in JetBlue’s Mint product to Europe, offering excellent service and lie-flat seats. And considering that taxes and fees hover around $10 on these awards, it’s a much better redemption than paying $800 to $1,000 to fly British Airways across the Atlantic using Avios. All of these routes cover more than 3,000 miles in distance, so you’ll pay 74,000 Avios per person each way.
Booking with Cash + Avios
Qatar Airways offers the option to combine cash and Avios for redemptions. This “Cash + Avios” method allows you to reduce the cash component of your ticket to save money. This is an attractive option when you don’t have enough Avios for a full award ticket but want to save money. Note that you can’t use Cash + Avios to upgrade award bookings, but you can use it to upgrade paid flights to a higher cabin.
Short-haul flights in the U.S.
As discussed above, you can find flights under 650 miles for 9,500 Avios. These shorter flights may run from American and Alaska Airlines’ hubs to regional airports without many airlines to choose from. That means cash prices can be high on these flights, and redeeming Avios becomes a great way to save money.
Tips for using Privilege Club Avios
You’re ready to use your Avios, and we’ve got a few tips to help you get started.
Use multiple browsers
Qatar Airways’ website is known to freeze up or not show availability correctly. Have multiple browsers on your computer, such as Chrome and Firefox, and run your searches on both of them to ensure everything is working correctly.
Book in advance
If you want to fly a popular route, it can fill up quickly. That’s especially true for award flights in premium cabins – and doubly true for long distances, where everyone wants to enjoy more legroom. If you’re trying to book Los Angeles (LAX) to Doha (DOH) in Qsuite business class using Avios, book as far in advance as possible to find availability. It’s possible to book up to 361 days in advance using Avios.
Don’t ignore the partner redemptions
While Qatar Airways flights may show at the top of your search results, see what else is available. Could you get a shorter layover, cheaper price, or maybe even a direct flight with a partner? Remember to scroll down. Plus, some partner flights will have significantly lower cash co-pays than others.
Compare pricing with other Avios programs
British Airways, Iberia, and Finnair also use Avios. What are they charging for the flight you want to book? Since you can freely and instantly move Avios between these programs, it’s worth shopping around for the best deal. Even if the cost in Avios is the same, the taxes and fees on your award ticket may not be.
Frequently asked questions about using Qatar Airways Privilege Club
What are Qatar’s airline partners?
Qatar Airways partners with all members of the Oneworld alliance, such as American Airlines and British Airways. It also partners with non-alliance members like JetBlue, LATAM Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Oman Air, and Virgin Australia.
What are Qatar’s transfer partners?
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, HSBC Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. You can also transfer Avios freely and instantly from British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia to Qatar Airways, giving you access to transfers from Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
What are Qatar’s tier status levels?
Elite tiers start at Burgundy and move up to Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Perks increase as you move up in the program, and earning status requires earning Qpoints from flying or spending money with the program.
How many Privilege Club Avios do I need for a free flight?
It varies greatly, depending on how far you’re flying, what airline you’re flying with, and what cabin you’re flying in (such as economy or business class). You may pay as few as 6,000 Avios for a short flight in economy, but you could pay 100,000 Avios for a long-distance flight in business or first class.
Do Privilege Club Avios expire?
Avios won’t expire as long as you have earning or redemption activity in your account within 36 months. However, Platinum members are exempt from the expiration policy.
Can I transfer or gift my Privilege Club Avios to someone else?
Members can buy, gift, or transfer up to 250,000 Avios annually. You can gift or share Avios in increments of 1,000. This isn’t free, however. Gifting Avios has the same cost as buying Avios for yourself. Transferring Avios has a cost of $15 per 1,000 Avios. However, you can create a free family pool as a way to avoid these costs, subject to some limitations.
Can I book a flight for someone else with my Privilege Club Avios?
Yes, you can use your Privilege Club Avios to book flights for family and friends.
Can I book a Qatar flight using a combination of Avios and cash?
Yes, you can book Qatar flights using a combination of Avios and cash.
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