#10 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.2 ¢
Program Score
6.3
Qatar Airways uses Avios, which makes it flexible, but not always cheap.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club associated alliance is oneworld Alliance
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Qatar is one of seven airlines that uses Avios as its currency, making it a flexible program since you can transfer Avios freely between all seven. Qatar is also part of the oneworld Alliance, so you can earn Avios when flying on Qatar Airways or any oneworld partner. They also partner with several non-oneworld airlines. Qatar only has two co-branded credit cards, but they do have strong transfer partners.
The amount of Avios you earn when flying Qatar Airways depends on your booking class and whether you hold elite status. You can view Qatar’s earning chart or use their online calculator to check specific routes.
Qatar offers two co-branded credit cards that earn Avios. Since Avios transfer freely between all seven participating airlines, any co-branded Avios card from another airline can also fuel your Qatar balance.
Qatar is part of the oneworld Alliance, and you can earn Avios by flying on any oneworld airline. They also partner with several non-oneworld carriers, and you can earn Avios on those flights as well. Qatar publishes an earning chart for every partner airline. To see how many Avios you’ll earn, visit their partner page and click on each airline’s chart.
Use Family & Friends
Qatar Airways Family & Friends lets one main member nominate up to nine family members or friends, including eligible children over age 2. The people added cannot already be Privilege Club members. Each new group member will receive a unique membership number after joining the group.
Avios earned by group members are automatically pooled into the main member’s account, and only the main member can redeem those Avios. The main member must be at least 18 years old and have held a Privilege Club account for at least 30 days before inviting members.
Family & Friends can help a group collect Avios more quickly. Group members are locked into the group for six months after joining, so consider that restriction before adding someone.
Special Offers Related to Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Click the arrow to see more.
Qatar Airways has removed its qualifying-activity requirement for creating My List and Family & Friends groups, making it easier to redeem Avios for other travelers again. Privilege Club members now only need to have had their account created and opened for at least 30 days before adding other travelers. Qatar introduced the restriction just a few months ago in June 2026, requiring Burgundy and Silver members to earn Avios from a Qatar Airways or partner flight or an eligible Qatar co-branded credit card before they could add other travelers. Transfers from credit card reward programs weren't enough to satisfy the requirement. The language has been changed on Qatar's website for My List, but the Family & Friends terms have not yet been updated to reflect the changes. But we have seen multiple data points of people being able to add family members to both My List and Family & Friends since the reversal was made, and Qatar confirmed to Miles Talk that the restriction was removed effective September 14.
Accor elite status can unlock valuable airline status with both Kenya Airways and Qatar Airways, which can then give you valuable perks on Skyteam and oneworld partners. If you are an Accor Gold member, you can pay $299 to match to Kenya Airways Platinum for 12 months. This will give you SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits like free checked bags, priority services, preferred seating, and lounge access on eligible international SkyTeam trips (you won't get Delta SkyClub access on domestic flights). Accor Platinum members can link their account with Qatar Airways, complete one eligible paid Qatar flight and match to Qatar Gold. Qatar Gold includes oneworld Sapphire status and access to lounges such as American Admirals Clubs, Flagship Lounges, and Alaska Lounges, even when flying domestically. If you recently took advantage of Bilt's August Rent Day promotion to obtain Accor Gold or Platinum status, then this will be even easier and cheaper for you. The one thing to look out for is that a Qatar match has a limited annual enrollment cap, so availability is not guaranteed. Be sure to research this before going the Qatar route as you may have to wait until 2027 for it to reset.
July 21, 2026 Update: Qatar added an exception to the new rules, allowing Privilge Club Platinum and Gold members to redeem for others without creating a "My List." The restrictions below remain in place for everyone else as of now.
Qatar Airways has introduced new restrictions on booking award flights for other travelers. Privilege Club members may now only redeem miles for people on their designated "My List," which can include up to four additional Privilege Club members. To create a My List, you must have been a Privilege Club member for at least 30 days and have earned Avios by either flying Qatar Airways or spending on a co-branded credit card. Transferring points from a transferable rewards program does not satisfy that requirement. That means many users who only transfer points into Qatar may now be limited to booking award flights for themselves. Fortunately, Avios can still be transferred between participating Avios programs, providing a potential workaround for those affected by the new rules.
The best way to redeem Qatar Avios is to book an award flight on Qatar Airways or one of its many partners. Qatar offers an Award Flight Finder that lets you search availability and pricing by month. You must have an account and be logged in to use it.
You can also search directly from the home page. Click on “Book Flights,” check the box that says “Book using Avios,” then enter your route and dates to see available award flights.
Qatar does not publish an award chart for its own flights. Awards are priced by geographic zone and follow peak and off-peak pricing. For partner redemptions, Qatar uses the British Airways partner chart, though it’s not publicly published and does not apply to every partner. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines follow a different chart (also unpublished).
Qatar Airways generally requires you to add other travelers to either My List or Family & Friends before redeeming your Avios for their award flights.
There are two ways to redeem Avios for other travelers:
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Qatar Privilege Club shares Avios with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair, and Loganair, but award prices aren't always the same. Compare pricing across Avios programs before transferring, especially for partner flights.
Taxes, fees, and surcharges can vary significantly between Qatar partner awards. For example, we found JFK-Madrid for 20,750 Avios + $62.40 on Iberia, compared with 20,750 Avios + $324.50 on American.
Qatar doesn't always offer the lowest mileage price for Qsuite awards. American Airlines and British Airways sometimes charge fewer miles, but Qatar members can access award space earlier than either program, sometimes making it the only option because of availability.
Qatar Airways serves only a limited number of U.S. gateways. You may need to book a separate repositioning flight to Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington D.C.
The best use of Qatar Avios is for premium cabin redemptions on Qatar-operated flights. While partner programs can sometimes book the same flights on Qatar metal for fewer miles, premium cabin availability is limited. Booking through Qatar Privilege Club gives you access to QSuite award space before partners, which can justify the higher cost for such a premium product.
One of the biggest advantages of Qatar’s program is that it uses Avios, the same currency used by six other airlines. You can freely transfer Avios between all seven programs, which offers tremendous flexibility. Even though Qatar only partners directly with American Express, Bilt, Capital One, and Citi, you can still use Chase Ultimate Rewards by transferring to British Airways first, then to Qatar. You can also use Capital One by transferring to Finnair and then to Qatar. Avios flexibility is a major strength of this program.
Qatar has four elite status tiers, beginning with Burgundy, which you receive simply by signing up. You can qualify for the higher tiers by earning Qpoints. These are earned by flying on Qatar, flying with its partners, or by using one of Qatar’s co-branded credit cards. Use the online calculator to see how many Qpoints you’ll earn from a specific flight.
Parameters for earning Qpoints and status rules:
Here are the three other levels, requirements you’ll need to get to each level, and the benefits of each
Your Qatar Avios will not expire as long as you hold one of the co-branded cards, so keep that in mind if you plan to cancel. Keeping your Avios active should be easy, since they only expire after 36 months of no activity. Any earning or redeeming of Avios counts as activity. Transferring Avios between any of the airlines that use the currency also resets the clock, as does transferring points from a credit card partner.
It is free to join Qatar Privilege Club. You start with Burgundy status and can earn and redeem Avios right away. Reaching the next tier requires earning 150 Qpoints within a year or holding the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Signature Card.
British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair, Loganair, Vueling, and Qatar all use Avios. You can freely transfer Avios between all seven programs, each of which has different partners and redemption options, making the currency extremely flexible.
There is no fixed Avios amount to upgrade to business class. Costs vary based on route, availability, and the fare class you booked. The best way to check pricing is to use Qatar’s online Qcalculator. Not all flights or tickets qualify for upgrades.
You cannot transfer Avios from Qatar to American Airlines since AA does not use Avios. You can still book American Airlines award flights with Qatar Avios (provided there is saver space) because the two airlines are partners and both part of oneworld.
Tracking Points & Transfer Options
