Qatar Airways Privilege Club: The Complete Program Guide

Qatar Airways is one of the newer airlines on the scene, especially when compared to competitors of similar status like KLM Airlines, which was founded back in 1919.

Established in 1993, Qatar Airways began operating soon after and took its maiden voyage in May of 1994. The airline grew rapidly and by 2013 it became a member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

Today, Qatar Airways serves over 170 destinations with a fleet of more than 240 aircraft. Add in all of Qatar’s partner airlines and the destinations you can book with Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club program are nearly endless.

Its only hub is Hamad International Airport (DOH) located in Doha, Qatar. Doha also happens to be the home of Qatar Airways’ headquarters.

In March 2022, Qatar Airways stopped using Qmiles as its award currency and adopted Avios—indeed, the same Avios used by the frequent flyer programs of British Airways, Iberia Air, AerLingus and all of the other airlines under the umbrella of the International Airlines Group (IAG). Now each time you fly with Qatar or engage in eligible activity you can earn Avios.

Qatar Airways has a free loyalty program, Privilege Club, that anyone can join. All you need to do is enroll—the process is simple and should only take a minute or two. Once enrolled, you are eligible to start earning Avios.

Flying Qatar Airways

Every time you take a flight on a Qatar Airways airplane you can earn Avios. The number of Avios you get will depend on the booking class and distance flown. Elite status also plays a role in how many Avios you can earn, but more on that later.

The simplest way to determine how many Avios you will earn when flying with Qatar is to use Qatar’s My Calculator feature. All you need to do is input a few pieces of information like your flight origin and destination, class of travel and your elite membership status. Qatar’s calculator will immediately show you how many Avios your specific itinerary will accumulate.

A flight on Qatar Airways in economy class, originating in Doha (DOH) and ending in New York (JFK) as a Burgundy member will get you anywhere from 1,674 Avios for basic economy seats all the way up to 6,696 Avios in full-fare economy.

Status Miles

Elite status is how airlines reward their most loyal customers. The more you spend and fly with the airline the more bonuses and perks you get.

With Qatar Airways, status is divided into four tiers—one basic membership level and three elite levels. Higher tiers earn bonus Avios depending on status.

These are the elite status tiers and their respective bonus Avios earning rates:

• Silver: 25% tier bonus
• Gold: 75% tier bonus
• Platinum: 100% tier bonus

Earning Status

To earn elite status with Qatar Airways, you’ll need to accumulate Qpoints rather than Avios. Qpoints can be earned through taking eligible Qatar and Oneworld partner flights. The number of Qpoints earned depends on the booking class of the flight.

Each elite status tier requires a different amount of Qpoints to qualify.

• 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

If you already have status and want to maintain it, the requirements are slightly lower:

• Silver: Earn 135 Qpoints in 12 months or 270 Qpoints in 24 months
• Gold: Earn 270 Qpoints in 12 months or 540 Qpoints in 24 months
• Platinum: Earn 540 Qpoints in 12 months or 1,080 Qpoints in 24 months

To find out how many Qpoints you will receive on a qualifying flight you can use Qatar’s My Calculator.

This is the same calculator you can use to see how many Avios you will earn for your flight.

In the middle column you’ll see how many Qpoints you will earn. This specific flight from Doha (DOH) to New York (JFK) can earn up to 40 Qpoints for an economy booking as a Burgundy member.

In addition to the Qpoint requirement, members who want to maintain their tier status must earn at least 20% of their Qpoints on Qatar Airways operated and marketed flights and fly a minimum of four segments on Qatar Airways operated and marketed flights during the prior 12 months or eight segments within the prior 24 months.

Flights on Partners

Qatar Airways joined the Oneworld airline alliance in 2013. As a Oneworld partner, Privilege Club members can both earn Avios and Qpoints and redeem with all of the Oneworld airline partners.

Additionally, Qatar partners with several non-alliance airlines. Members can earn Avios on any of its non-alliance partners. However, non-alliance partner flights are not eligible for earning Qpoints.

Oneworld Alliance Partners

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

Qatar’s Non-Alliance Airline Partners

Additionally, Qatar Airways is teamed up with eight non-alliance partners.

• Bangkok Airways
• JetBlue
• Latam
• MEA Middle East Airlines
• Oman Air
• S7 Airlines
• RwandAir
• Virgin Australia

To figure out how many Avios and/or Qpoints you will earn when flying with one of Qatar’s many partners you can use the, you guessed it, Qatar Airways My Calculator.

This time, however, instead of using Qatar Airways as the default airline, you’ll choose one of its partners from the option menu.

A roundtrip, British Airways operated flight from London (LHR) to New York City and back can earn up to 6,912 Avios and 50 Qpoints for a flight in economy class.

A one way, economy JetBlue flight from Orlando (MCO) to New York City (JFK) earns zero Qpoints regardless of booking class and up to 944 Avios.

Credit Card Spending

Credit Cards

Currently Qatar Airways does not offer co-branded credit cards with any U.S.-based banks. There are several international banks, however, which do. To apply for one of these cards, you’ll need to be a resident of the issuing bank’s eligible countries.

• Doha Bank Qatar Airways Privilege Club Credit Card
• QNB Qatar Airways co-branded credit card
• QIB Qatar Airways co-branded credit card
• Burgan Bank Qatar Airways co-branded credit card
• Housing Bank Qatar Airways co-branded credit card

Transfer Partners

Qatar Airways is a partner of three transferable currency programs: Citi ThankYou, American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

You can convert your Citi ThankYou points, American Express Membership Rewards points or your Marriott Bonvoy points to Avios at the following rates.

• Citi: 1 ThankYou point to 1 Avios
• American Express: 1 Membership Rewards point to 1 Avios
• Marriott Bonvoy: 3 Marriott Bonvoy points to 1 Avios. Receive an additional 5,000 Avios when you transfer in increments of 60,000 Bonvoy points

Best CitiBank Cards for Earning ThankYou Points

• Citi Double Cash® Card

Read more: The Best Citi Credit Cards

Best Cards for Earning American Express Membership Rewards

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• American Express® Gold Card

Read more: The Best American Express Credit Cards

Best Cards for Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*

Read more: Which Marriott Bonvoy Card Is Right for You?

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Earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. 3Read More

Welcome Bonus

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points

Annual Fee

$650

Regular APR

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Credit Score

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Editorial Review

Though the Bonvoy Brilliant carries a hefty $650 annual fee, this card offers luxurious value to Marriott loyalists via an anniversary night (worth up to 85,000 points) after your card renewal month, complimentary Platinum Elite status, statement credits of up to $25 per month for dining purchases and a wide array of other perks.

Pros & Cons

• Free Night Award yearly after each card renewal month worth up to 85,000 points (resort fees may apply)
• Complimentary Bonvoy Platinum Elite status
• Increased earnings rate at Marriott hotels
• 25 annual Elite Night Credits

• The APR can be high, depending on your creditworthiness
• High annual fee
• No introductory APR offer

Card Details

• Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Hotel Transfer Partners

A handful of hotel programs allow points to be converted to Avios. Rates vary from company to company. What remains constant, however, is the unfavorable conversion rate. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll get better value when using your hotel points for free nights versus transferring to an airline.

If you do happen to find yourself with hotel points you are unable to use towards award stays, transferring to an airline like Qatar could make sense. Each of these hotels allows you to convert points to Avios.

• ALL-Accor Live Limitless: 2,000 ALL Reward Points to 1,000 Avios. Minimum transfer of 2,000 points
• Hilton Honors: 10,000 Hilton points to 1,000 Avios
• Shangri-La Hotels: 1 Shangri-La Circle point to 1 Avios. Minimum transfer of 1,000 Shangri-La Circle points
• World of Hyatt: 2.5 World of Hyatt points to 1 Avios. Minimum transfer of 5,000 Hyatt points

Buying Avios

Buying points is not usually a great way to get outsized value for your points, but there are times it can make sense. For one, if you have an award ticket you need to book but find yourself short on points then topping off your account by purchasing Avios could be a good option.

You can buy Avios online via Qatar’s website. The cost starts at $37 per 1,000 Avios and decreases as you purchase larger quantities. There is a purchase limit of 250,000 Avios per year.

Combining Avios

Now that Qatar Privilege Club uses Avios as its currency, you can connect your account to your British Airways Executive Club account and combine your Avios.

When you sign up for a Privilege Club account, you will be asked if you would like to connect your British Airways account. When you select yes you’ll be taken to the British Airways website where you’ll be required to login and accept various terms and conditions. When the process is completed you can see your combined Avios in your Qatar Privilege Club dashboard.

Using your Avios is where the fun begins and Qatar has lots of exciting options. You can redeem your Avios for merchandise, hotel rooms, rental cars, upgrades and more. Remember that not all redemptions are created equal, though. By far you will get the best value from your Avios when using them for award flights.

On Qatar Airways Flights

Avios can be redeemed for flights on Qatar Airways. Qatar publishes an award chart based on zones. The award chart is only available through Qatar’s My Calculator feature.

On Flights With Partners

Unlike the zone-based award chart for Qatar Airlines flights, partner flights are calculated by distance. The following chart shows how many Avios each award ticket runs according to the distance from destination to origin.

To find the distance of a flight, you can use the Great Circle Mapper tool. Simply put in your origin followed by the destination and the tool will instantly tell you how many miles are between the two. Remember if you have a connecting flight, you need to account for it. A nonstop flight between Doha (DOH) and Los Angeles (LAX) will be fewer miles than a flight connecting in, for instance, Washington Dulles (IAD).

From Los Angeles (LAX) to Doha (DOH) non-stop it’s 8,306 miles.

Carrier-Imposed Charges

When booking award flights, Qatar Airways may pass on taxes and carrier-imposed fees starting at $30. These fees will vary due to currency exchange rates and your travel dates, so it is beneficial to compare award flights for multiple dates to ensure you are not shelling out more cash than you need to.

Sweet Spots

Sweet spots with Privilege Club are few and far between. There are, however, some notable redemptions.
Using your Avios for business-class flights from Doha (DOH) to London (LHR) in business class is only 43,000 Avios. The next best redemption for this flight when using other currencies starts around 45,000 miles.

Where things can get even sweeter is through utilizing transfer bonuses. Citi ThankYou, for example, sometimes offers up to 30% in bonus when you convert your ThankYou points to Avios. This can lead to huge savings. Take the above flight, for example. When taking advantage of a 30% transfer bonus, you would pay just 33,077 ThankYou Points for that Qatar business-class flight instead of 43,000.

Quirks

Avios from Qatar Airways expire after 36 months of no activity. To extend the life of your Avios make sure to have some form of qualifying activity. This could be taking a flight on Qatar Airways or one of its partners, through purchasing, gifting or sharing Avios or by converting points from any of Qatar’s transfer partners like Citi ThankYou Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. Platinum members’ Avios never expire as long as the status is maintained. Unfortunately, combining Avios with your British Airways account does not usually extend the expiration.

Infant Fees

Children under the age of two are considered infants, but whether or not they are eligible for an infant fare will depend on how the child is traveling. If the baby is traveling on the lap of an adult, they will be considered a lap infant and eligible for an infant fare. Infant fares are generally 10% the cost of an adult fare.

Children under two years old traveling in their own seat will be charged a child fare. Child fares are only available on select flights and will also be determined by the route.

Qatar Airways considers kids ages two to eleven years old as children. Any child between these ages can qualify for a child fare on routes that offer this option. Finally, children twelve years old and older will be considered adults and pay a full fare.

Family Pooling

Family pooling, or the Family Programme as Qatar calls it, is one of the best features of the Privilege Club. You can add up to nine family members to your Privilege Club account. Eligible family members include your spouse, your children over two years old, your parents and your spouse’s parents. Once you have established your family account, all members’ points can be pooled, which means faster redemptions for everyone.

Other Ways To Earn Avios

Earn With Car Rentals

If you need to rent a car, don’t forget to check out Qatar Airways’ rental partners first. Qatar partners with several rental agencies and offers bonus Avios when you go through its affiliate links. Each company has its own terms and Avios earning rates so make sure to double check before booking.

Rental partners include:

• Avis
• Budget
• Europcar
• Hertz
• Rentalcars.com
• Salik Rent A Car
• Sixt

Earn With Hotel Stays

Some hotels allow you to earn Avios either in addition to or instead of its own reward currency. Just keep in mind that you may lose the ability to earn a hotel’s loyalty reward points if you opt to earn Avios instead.

Always be sure to verify the terms before you make any changes to how you will earn your rewards.

The following hotels allow you to earn Avios when you stay with them:

• Accor Hotels
• Booking.com
• Centara Hotels & Resorts
• Dusit Doha Hotel
• Dusit Hotel & Suites – Doha
• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
• Kaligo Hotels
• Mandarin Oriental, Doha
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Qatar Airways Holidays
• Raffles Hotels & Resorts
• Rocketmiles.com
• Rotana Hotels & Resorts
• Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
• Steigenberger Hotel Doha
• Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts

Earn While Shopping in Doha

If you find yourself in Doha and have some shopping to do, make sure to check with Qatar’s shopping partners to see if you can earn bonus Avios. Qatar has several stores where you can earn extra Avios when making purchases. Here are a few examples:

• Samsonite: Earn 1 Avios for every 2 QAR spent.
• Cole Haan: Earn 1 Avios for every 2 QAR spent.

Now that Qatar Airways earns Avios, a door of opportunity has been opened. The ability to easily earn Avios and utilize transfer bonuses makes Qatar’s formerly less-than-stellar redemptions much more competitive.