An introduction to Avios and Qatar Airways Privilege Club (Part 1)

There are lots of information on the web about Avios and British Airways Club. There's much less information about Qatar Airways Privilege Club and its quirks. I'll leave it to the other blogs to cover the less important stuff; I'll give a quick overview about Avios before dissecting Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and the sweet spots.

What is Avios?

Avios is a rewards currency used by the following frequent flyer programs:

• British Airways Club

• Iberia Plus

• Aer Lingus AerClub

• Vueling Club

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club

• Finnair Plus

How to earn Avios using credit cards issued in Singapore?

You can earn Avios using cards issued by American Express, Citibank, HSBC, and OCBC (not recommended due to an inferior transfer ratio). It is also possible to convert your Heymax miles to Avios.

Do Avios expire?

Yes, Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity (earning, spending). Do take note that transferring Avios between accounts of different frequent flyer programs will not extend the expiry of Avios.

British Airways Club - The Middlemen

British Airways Club functions as a middleman for you to move your Avios around - it is essential for you to have a British Airways Club account. You can transfer Avios from British Airways Club to Iberia for example, but you can't transfer from Iberia to Qatar without first transferring them to British Airways Club.

Qatar Airways Privilege Program Quirk #1 - Award Redemption Fees

In addition to paying fuel surcharges and airport taxes when redeeming Avios on Qatar Airways flights, Qatar Airways also charges an award redemption fee. The award redemption fee is distance-based, hence the longer your flight, the more you pay.

As seen below, I paid a total of SGD 324.40 in award redemption fees (YR) for a one way flight to Sao Paulo from Singapore.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Quirk #2 - Lack of an award chart

Qatar Airways does have an award chart (kind of), but it isn't published. There are different types of awards, plus the concept of off-peak and peak periods.

Let me explain. There are three types of Qatar flight awards: Regular (Off-Peak), Regular (Peak) and Flexi.

There are certain dates that Qatar defines as peak periods and (1) These dates aren't published, and (2) These dates differ across different routes. For example, a Regular (Off-Peak) award for Singapore to London Heathrow costs 75000 miles.

On the other hand, a Regular (Off-Peak) award for Singapore to Doha will cost 50000 miles. Take note that the departure for both flights are on 14 April 2026.

Fast forward to 12 September 2026, Singapore to London Heathrow still only costs 75000 miles.

However, Singapore to Doha on 12 September 2026 will now set you back 62500 miles instead of 50000 miles previously, because the flight award is a Regular (Peak) award.

Generally, Regular (Peak) awards cost 20% more than Regular (Off-Peak) awards. Is this true for all routes? I can't be sure since Qatar doesn't publish their award charts but that does seem to be the case.

Flexi awards are much more easier to understand; a Flexi award will cost twice as much as that of a Regular award. If the date you picked happens to be within the peak periods, you will pay double that of a Regular (Peak) award. As shown below, a Regular award from Singapore to London Heathrow should cost 75000 miles, but a Flexi award will cost double that, making it 150000 miles instead.

If you need to find out how much would it costs for a route while planning for your trip, use the provided calculator here.

Conclusion

If the above has not deterred you, stay tuned to part two of this series where I will highlight some sweet spots for using Avios.

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