How I saved more than 50% on a Qatar Qsuites business-class ticket
Travel is ramping up again, and TPG staff members are already taking to the skies and flexing our expert flight-booking muscles to score significant savings.
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As part of a wider business trip, I needed to book a business-class flight on Qatar Airways in the Qsuite product from Doha (DOH) back to London Heathrow (LHR).
With no Avios availability on the specific dates required, I was left with the prospect of purchasing an expensive cash ticket. On most days, the cheapest one-way, business-class seats on Qatar for this route came in at £2,275 (about $3,082).
Because there are many short connecting flights around the Gulf and I knew we'd likely be in other countries before Qatar anyway, I set about searching various departure points to see if this dropped the price. I included departure points in Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) since these short hops have resumed.
I was delighted to find significant savings this way.
The best option that fit neatly into our schedule was a departure from Abu Dhabi (in our case with a forced overnight connection in Doha) continuing to London the following day on the same flight we needed to take anyway.
That £2,275 ($3,082) price tag dropped dramatically. By flying from Abu Dhabi to Doha to London (instead of just Doha to London) we reduced the price to £1,091 (about $1,478) — an impressive 52% discount.
One less obvious benefit comes in the form of additional Avios and Tier Points by crediting the flights to the British Airways Executive Club.
The Doha to London leg booked into R class and earns 4066 Avios and 140 Tier Points. By adding the connecting flight, the Abu Dhabi to Doha leg (which booked into A class; a first-class fare bucket) increases the haul by a further 450 Avios and 60 Tier Points.
This is very helpful for travelers chasing status with BA's reduced Tier Point thresholds.
This example demonstrates why it's important to think a little outside the box when it comes to routings. In this case, the routing actually made even more sense because of where we were coming from — but even if it wasn't perfectly convenient, the price drop was so significant I may have gone out of my way to take advantage of this flight.
We have often lauded the benefits of searching various departure points to save big on business-class tickets and the ease of which you can search using tools such as Google Flights. Hopefully, this example inspires you to use the same principle to potentially snag yourself a bargain, too.
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10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
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Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023