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Qatar Airways announced earlier this week that by the end of March 2022, Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will no longer earn Qmiles and will earn Avios instead, as originally reported by One Mile at a Time.
Avios are the frequent-flyer miles of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus. Effective in late March, Qmiles will convert to Avios at a ratio of 1:1. This will happen automatically within all Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts, so there’s nothing you need to do to prepare for this conversion.There will be no changes to the award chart, according to the FAQs provided by Qatar.
Although this is just the first small amount of information released by Qatar, we can make some assumptions about the conversion based on how Avios work currently. Our optimistic hope is that Avios will be transferable between British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Qatar. This would give people looking to fly Qsuites another way to build up miles to book this premium product.
At this time, you can earn Avios with the following personal credit cards: the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card, the British Airways Visa Signature® Card and the Iberia Visa Signature® Card.
This also could introduce a way to transfer more flexible point currencies to Qatar. Right now, only Citi ThankYou Points transfer 1:1 to Qatar. However, if our assumption proves correct, transfers could be made from American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards to Qatar via British Airways.
Assuming that Qatar doesn’t adopt a distance-based award chart and tack on high surcharges as the British Airways Executive Club does, this sounds like good news to us. Qatar has always been well-reviewed in terms of service and the physical attributes of the cabins, but the carrier’s frequent-flyer program wasn’t much to write home about. If the change to Avios ends up being positive, it could mean some solid improvements to the Privilege Club.
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British Airways Visa Signature® Card
Limited time offer! 75,000
Avios
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Annual Fee: $95
Limited time offer! 75,000
Avios
Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. 5x Avios on up to $10k in gas, grocery stores, and dining purchases for first 12 months!
Annual Fee: $95
Final Thoughts
Like others in the points and miles community, we’re really hopeful that this announcement means good news in the form of more ways to book Qatar award flights and easier ways to use flexible points for the booking. But, only time will tell if that’s going to be the case.
Qatar should release some more details in the coming weeks. If you are already a Qatar Airways Privilege Club member, more information will be sent to the email associated with your account, so keep an eye out.
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Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
bonus points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points
after you spend $4,000 in 3 months
Venture Miles
after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply.
