11 Best Ways To Redeem Qatar Airways Avios for Maximum Value

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club program is highly underrated and does not get as much attention as other well-known programs. Qatar is part of Oneworld, allowing for many creative points and miles redemption opportunities.

The program has gone through some significant changes over the years. In March 2022, the program transitioned from Qmiles to Avios, the same currency used by other airlines such as Aer Lingus, Iberia, and British Airways. More importantly, Avios can now be transferred between all Avios miles programs.

While all the airlines use the same Avios currency, each program uses a different award chart. This allows for redemption options, as you can choose to book award flights with whatever program has the cheapest redemption rates.

Qatar has also implemented a new award chart for all Privilege Club partner airline award redemptions. As with other distance-based award programs, the total Avios required to redeem for a partner award ticket will depend on the total distance (miles) flown.

Here is the updated partner award chart. Prices are shown for one-way flights:

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Distance (Miles)	Economy Class (Avios)	Premium Economy (Avios)	Business Class (Avios)	First Class (Avios)
0-650	6,000	9,000	12,500	24,000
651-1,151	9,000	12,500	16,500	33,000
1,152-2,000	11,000	16,500	22,000	44,000
2,001-3,000	13,000	25,250	38,750	51,500
3,001-4,000	20,750	41,250	62,000	82,500
4,001-5,500	25,750	51,500	77,250	103,000
5,501-6,500	31,000	62,000	92,750	123,750
6,501-7,000	36,250	72,250	108,250	144,250
7,001 or more	51,500	103,000	154,500	206,000

It is worth noting that partner award tickets can only be booked on a single airline. This means you cannot combine flights between airlines (Qatar Airways, Oneworld, or other partner airlines).

This updated pricing matches British Airways Executive Club’s partner redemption rates. As expected, the most value comes from nonstop flights operated by their Oneworld partners.

Following are some of the best ways to redeem Qatar Avios from the U.S.

Earning Qatar Avios

Qatar Avios can be transferred from Citi ThankYou Rewards at a rate of 1:1 or from Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1. For every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred, you get a 5,000-mile bonus.

However, now that you can pool Avios together from other Avios programs, it has gotten significantly easier to earn Avios. You can now earn Avios from other programs, such as British Airways and Iberia, and convert them to Qatar Avios. Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One Miles can all indirectly get you the Qatar Avios you need.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

The 11 Best Ways To Redeem Qatar Avios 

With an understanding of some ways to earn Avios, here are some of the best ways to use them.

1. Short-Haul Flights in North America for 6,000 Avios

Unlike British Airways, the Qatar partner award chart doesn’t treat short-haul flights in North America differently. With British Airways, award flights in North America under 650 miles can be booked for 7,500 Avios.

With Qatar Avios, you can book those same award flights under 650 miles for just 6,000 Avios each way. These award flights will be operated by American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.

This allows for a ton of possible redemptions. For example, from American’s hub in Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW), you could fly nonstop to:

• Austin (AUS), in Texas
• Denver (DEN)
• Memphis (MEM), in Tennessee
• St. Louis (STL)
• Nashville (BNA), in Tennessee
• New Orleans (MSY)

As all the above-mentioned cities are less than 650 miles from Dallas, they can be booked for just 6,000 Avios each way.

Hot Tip:

Look for nonstop flights from American Airlines and Alaska Airlines hubs to maximize U.S. domestic Avios awards.

2. Caribbean or Mexico Award Flights for 9,000 Avios

Another great use of the distance-based Avios award chart is for nonstop flights in the next distance band. Flights under 1,151 miles can be booked for 9,000 Avios in economy. This is an especially valuable option for flights to the Caribbean, where cash tickets are typically costly.

From American’s hub in Miami (MIA), you could fly nonstop to some Caribbean and Mexican destinations, including:

• Cancun (CUN), in Mexico
• Providenciales (PLS), in Turks and Caicos Islands
• Punta Cana (PUJ), in the Dominican Republic
• San Juan (SJU), in Puerto Rico
• Santo Domingo (SDQ), in the Dominican Republic

These are in addition to flights wholly within the U.S. that also price out at 9,000 Avios if under 1,151 miles.

3. Hawaii From 13,000 Avios One-Way From the West Coast

You can fly nonstop to the Hawaiian Islands starting at 13,000 Avios one-way in economy from many West Coast airports. The key is to look for flights between 2,001 and 3,000 miles, as this is the shortest distance band for flights from the West Coast to Hawaii.

Plenty of American Airlines and Alaska Airlines routes from the U.S. West Coast are bookable. This includes nonstop flights to Hawaii from airports including:

• Anchorage (ANC), in Alaska
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Portland (PDX), in Oregon
• Phoenix (PHX)
• San Diego (SAN)
• Seattle (SEA)

4. Domestic American Airlines Business Class for as Few as 12,500 Avios

Another great use of Avios domestically also relates to flights in the 651-to-1,151-mile distance band. However, this time, we are looking at business class.

According to the partner award chart, you can book flights within this distance band for 16,500 Avios in business class. This opens up a lot of redemption options. However, one thing to consider is what aircraft is being flown on a particular route.

For example, you could fly between New York (JFK) and Miami (MIA) with just 16,500 Avios in business class. However, that is not even the best part. The best part is that American regularly flies wide-body aircraft (such as their 777s and 787s) on specific routes, including New York and Miami.

5. Transcontinental American Airlines First Class for 51,500 Avios

Another great redemption is for those looking to fly from coast to coast. American Airlines operates 3-cabin Airbus A321 aircraft on its most premium domestic routes between New York and Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).

It is worth noting that award space on these routes is generally hard to come by. But if you can find the award space, this redemption provides a ton of value for just 51,500 Avios one-way.

With this redemption, you get access to many perks, including priority check-in and access to American’s Flagship Lounges.

Hot Tip:

Check out our step-by-step guide for booking American Airlines first class.

6. Qatar Qsuites Business Class for 70,000 Avios

Another great use of Avios is booking Qatar’s Qsuites business class from the U.S. to its hub in Doha for 70,000 Avios.

Qsuites is arguably the best business class in the world. From a private suite with doors to incredible inflight dining featuring both Arabic and Western cuisines, Qsuites has it all. The suites are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning you have direct aisle access no matter which seat you pick.

Qatar Airways flies numerous wide-body aircraft, but Qsuites’ availability differs among their many aircraft types. Qatar Airways Qsuites can be found on 4 different types of aircraft: the Boeing 777-200LR, the Boeing 777-300ER, the Airbus A350-900, and the Airbus A350-1000.

Nonstop Qatar Qsuites flights to Doha (DOH), Qatar, that can be booked with Avios include:

• Atlanta (ATL)
• Boston (BOS)
• Chicago (ORD)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
• Houston (IAH)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• Seattle (SEA)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Hot Tip:

Partner airlines British Airways and American Airlines make searching for Qsuites availability much easier.

8. Qatar Qsuites Business Class to India or Maldives for 85,000 Avios

We just covered Qsuites flights to Doha, but what if you wish to travel farther? For 15,000 additional Avios, you could fly to popular destinations on or near the Indian subcontinent, including India or Maldives.

9. JetBlue Redemptions Starting at 8,500 Avios

Although JetBlue and Qatar Airways have partnered for quite some time, including a codeshare agreement, you couldn’t book awards with the reciprocal programs. Earlier this month, Qatar broke the news that Qatar Privilege Club members could finally book award flights on JetBlue.

This was huge news, as no other programs let you redeem on JetBlue, aside from JetBlue’s own TrueBlue program.

However, just a week later, without warning, Privilege Club increased the number of Avios required to book JetBlue flights. Privilege Club priced redemptions on JetBlue with a fixed award chart similar to those for all its partner airlines.

Yet even that has changed, as Qatar uses unique pricing for its JetBlue partner flights that does not correlate with other partner airlines.

Flights between 1 and 1,151 miles can be booked for 8,500 Avios in economy or 17,000 Avios in JetBlue’s Mint business class. Flights between 1,152 and 2,000 miles can be booked for 13,000 Avios in economy or 26,000 Avios in Mint. Lastly, transcontinental flights between 2,001 and 3,000 miles can be booked for 18,500 Avios in economy or 74,000 in Mint.

10. Japan Airlines First Class From Los Angeles for 103,000 Avios

In general, booking with Avios isn’t the best value for long-haul flights. However, there are some exceptions within certain distance bands. For example, flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Tokyo (NRT) come out to 5,451 miles.

This route can be booked for 25,750 Avios in economy, 77,250 Avios in business class, and 103,000 Avios in first class on Japan Airlines. Although better ways to book Japan Airlines First Class exist, this provides a reasonable alternative.

Flights to Japan from other U.S. gateway airports such as New York (JFK) and Chicago (ORD) require at least 20,000 additional Avios because of the greater distance from Tokyo.

Hot Tip:

Check out our review of this exact Japan Airlines First Class flight between Los Angeles and Tokyo.

11. Royal Air Maroc Business Class Between the U.S. and Morocco for 62,000 Avios

Lastly, there is a solid way to redeem Avios for those wanting to go to northern Africa.

Royal Air Maroc, Morocco’s national airline, operates nonstop routes between Casablanca (CMN), in Morocco, and the following airports in the U.S.:

• Miami (MIA)
• New York (JFK)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD)

However, the best pricing applies to flights between Casablanca and New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C. (IAD). Both U.S. cities fall within the 3,001-to-4,000-mile distance band. This means they can be booked for 20,750 Avios in economy or 62,000 miles in business class.

This also allows you to connect to some harder-to-get places in Africa, albeit for additional Avios.

Booking Award Flights With Qatar

Our main Qatar Airways Privilege Club page outlines the membership tiers, how to earn both Qpoints and Avios, redeem Avios, and more.

Using Your Qatar Avios 

Privilege Club is the frequent flyer program of Qatar Airways, and Avios are the miles you earn by flying on Qatar or its partner airlines’ flights.

Qatar is a member of the Oneworld alliance. The airline also has partnerships with airlines outside of the Oneworld alliance.

Oneworld Qatar Airline Partners

Hot Tip: For more information about using Qatar’s Oneworld partners, check out our guide to the best ways to search for award availability in the Oneworld Alliance.

Qatar Airline Partners Outside an Alliance

Partners Outside an Alliance
JetBlue	LATAM
Bangkok Airways	Middle East Airlines
RwandAir	Virgin Australia

Booking Awards Online or by Phone

You can now search for award availability online for Qatar Airways flights. Having Avios in your account is not required to search for award space.

You can also call Qatar at 800-988-6128 to check award availability.

Award Redemption Rules

Qatar has several rules, indicated on its website, that are important to know before making an award booking:

• If a member has no activity for 36 consecutive months, then all of that member’s balance of Avios expire as of the set expiration date.
• Privilege Club has 4 membership tiers: Burgundy, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
• You progress to a higher tier if you earn enough Qpoints in a consecutive 12-month period. Once you move to a higher tier, it’s valid for 12 months. 
• Main members earn Qpoints for travel at eligible fares on flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways; flights marketed by Qatar Airways and operated by a Oneworld carrier; flights marketed by an Oneworld carrier and operated by Qatar Airways; and flights marketed and operated by any Oneworld carrier.
• You earn Avios for travel on flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways; flights marketed by Qatar Airways and operated by an airline partner or a codeshare airline; flights marketed and operated by any Oneworld carrier; flights marketed and operated by a non-Oneworld airline partner; and flights marketed by an airline partner and operated by Qatar Airways.
• If you are a main member, you can buy up to 250,000 Avios from Qatar Airways in 1 calendar year to be added to your account.
• You can redeem Avios for various awards on Qatar Airways and its partners. Depending on the type of award, you can use it yourself or redeem it for any other individual of your choice.
• You can redeem Avios for award tickets and cabin upgrades on Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways only offers award tickets and cabin upgrades on specific flights.
• Award tickets are not eligible for award cabin upgrades.
• You can redeem Avios for airline partner award tickets. The number of Avios required for airline partner awards is determined by the total flight distance specified in your itinerary. When you combine cabin classes on the same ticket, each cabin is priced separately and then 1 final price is quoted to you.

Final Thoughts

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club program has made significant changes to its program, from switching to Avios to publishing a new award chart for all partner airline award redemptions.

Thanks to the new pricing for partner-operated flights, it has become much easier to get high-value redemptions from Avios. Whether you’re flying short-haul in economy domestically or flying to Japan in first class, Qatar Avios have you covered.