The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Sweet Spot Sunday: How to book Qatar Qsuites to the Maldives for just 85,000 points
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
Qatar Qsuites are considered among the top business class experiences, offering privacy and unique seating configurations for couples and families.
Booking Qsuites to the Maldives is now more accessible using Avios points, especially after Qatar Airways joined the Avios loyalty program.
Flights from the U.S. to the Maldives in Qsuites can be booked for 85,000 Avios each way, often requiring around $200 in taxes and fees.
Avios are easier to earn and transfer from various flexible points programs, making this redemption more attainable for many travelers.
What to consider
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available.
Award prices are lowest when avoiding 'Flexi awards,' which double the required points for the same route.
Aircraft swaps may occur, so Qsuite availability is not guaranteed even after booking.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step booking instructions and tips for maximizing award availability and seat selection on Qatar Qsuites flights.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Qatar Qsuites are in the discussion for the best business class seat in the sky. They’ve got fully-enclosed doors, a layout that allows for a couple to turn their adjacent seats into a full-fledged double bed, and even the ability to create a four-seat mega-suite for traveling families.
Now that Qatar Airways has joined the Avios loyalty program with British Airways, there’s never been an easier way to book Qsuites to aspirational destinations such as the Maldives. Let’s take a look at how to do it.
Why it’s special
Qsuite. (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)
Qsuites are a bucket list item on the list of many points and miles collectors. Qatar Airways operates its Qsuites to lots of fun routes around the world, like Cape Town, Bangkok, Tokyo and Paris.
Perhaps the most enticing Qsuites destination is the Maldives. It’s an award traveler’s paradise, with jaw-dropping five-star resorts in every direction — many of which can be reserved for free if you’ve got the right points.
There are two common ways to book Qsuites to the Maldives:
Via the British Airways site for 105,000 Avios points each way
But the sweetest spot of all is now with Qatar Airways Avios. You can fly from the U.S. to the Maldives in lie-flat Qsuites for 85,000 points each way. The cash price for these flights depends on your route, but never expect to pay less than $6,000 round-trip for your ticket. And one-way flights can sometimes cost more than a round-trip. Expect to get a value of at least 3.5 cents per point for your Qatar Avios — a full 2 cents higher than TPG’s valuation of Avios at 1.5 cents each.
The reason we consider this a better deal than the 70,000-mile American Airlines option is because Qatar Avios are exponentially easier to earn. There are only a handful of ways to quickly earn American Airlines miles — but there are dozens of ways to quickly earn Qatar Airways Avios (as we’ll cover below).
Plus, Qatar’s website allows you to book flights a full month beyond the American Airlines site. So you can scoop up award flights before those using American Airlines miles even get the opportunity.
From the navigation bar at the top, click the “Privilege Club” tab. You’ll see a “Spend” category to the far right of the page. Click “Spend your Avios.”
(Screenshot from qatarairways.com)
Step 3. Click “Book Now”
You’re now taken to a page that lists all the ways you can spend your Qatar Avios. The first option is “Book award flights.” That’s the one you want.
(Screenshot from qatarairways.com)
Step 4. Enter your travel details
On this page, you can choose whether you want to book flights on Qatar Airways or its partner airlines. If you’re after Qsuites, stay on the “Redeem on Qatar Airways/British Airways” tab.
Qatar flies its Qsuites to a handful of U.S. cities, including:
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Washington D.C.
Choose one of these airports. If there’s no availability for your desired dates, choose the next most convenient. In my opinion, it’s worth flying to another U.S. airport to catch a flight in Qsuites to your destination.
(Screenshot from qatarairways.com)
Step 5. Find seats that aren’t “Flexi awards”
On the results page, you’ll see some awards with a “Q2” flag next to them (representing Flexi awards) and some without. The awards without the Flexi awards flag cost 85,000 Avios in total to reach the Maldives in Qsuites. The awards with the flag cost 170,000 Avios — double the price.
(Screenshot from qatarairways.com)
Step 6. Choose your seats and book them
You can consult our ultimate guide to Qatar Qsuites to see which flights offer Qsuites. Just note that Qatar can swap aircraft at will, so even if you’ve done everything right, you may not get a Qsuite.
Per our ultimate guide, flight QR 756 from Atlanta to Doha and flight QR 672 from Doha to Male are theoretically Qsuites. You should be able to tell if your flight is a Qsuite when selecting your seats. Or, you can check ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG’s parent company, Red Ventures) to preview seat maps before you purchase.
There are loads of ways to earn Qatar Airways Avios. That’s because you can transfer British Airways Avios to Qatar at a 1:1 ratio — and British Airways Avios are perhaps the easiest points to earn in all of award travel.
As an example, you can transfer the following flexible points currencies to British Airways, and to Qatar from there:
Likewise, Citi ThankYou points transfer directly to Qatar at a 1:1 transfer ratio, making it the most direct transfer partner.
You’ve got many, many cards to choose from that earn these types of points, such as:
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
You can fly from the U.S. to the Maldives in arguably the best business class seat in the world — Qatar Qsuites — for just 85,000 Qatar Airways Avios each way. You’ll likely have to pay a couple of hundred dollars in taxes and fees, but it’s well worth the fee for a flight that would otherwise cost many thousands of dollars.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
