How to book Qatar Airways flights with points and miles
Quick summary
Qatar Airways has an excellent reputation amongst travelers worldwide. TPG has awarded its Qsuite business-class product as the best business class in the world, and its economy class and first class (found only on its A380s) is also very highly regarded.
- Approaching perfection: A review of Qatar Airways' Qsuite business class on the 777-300ER, Doha to JFK
- I Didn't Want to Leave the Plane: A Review of Qatar Airways Economy on the A380 From Doha to London
As a member of the Oneworld alliance, there are plenty of ways to book seats on this airline using points. And, Qatar makes a good deal of seats in all classes available to partner airlines. Qatar Airways does not have premium economy.
Here's how to book seats with Qatar Airways with popular miles and points currencies.
British Airways Executive Club Avios
Per flight, British Airways charges the following Avios from the U.K. to Qatar's hub in Doha (DOH), one-way per person:
- Economy: 20,750 Avios
- Business: 62,000 Avios
- First (where available): 82,500 Avios
Keep in mind you will owe fees, taxes and substantial fuel surcharges. You can book these flights directly on the British Airways website.
Iberia Plus Avios
If you either have you Avios in your Iberia Plus account or are considering transferring Avios between different programs that use Avios, note that Iberia Plus prices out Oneworld partner awards as round-trips. Both British Airways Avios and Iberia Plus Avios programs are transfer partners of American Express Membership Rewards at a rate of 1:1.
Per flight, Iberia charges the following Avios from the U.K. to Doha, round-trip per person:
- Economy: 81,500 Avios (equivalent of 40,750 one-way)
- Business: 100,000 Avios (equivalent of 50,000 one-way)
- First (where available): 150,000 Avios (equivalent of 75,000 one-way)
Keep in mind you will owe fees, taxes and substantial fuel surcharges. If you are booking a round-trip itinerary in business class, you will require noticeably fewer Avios through Iberia than you would through British Airways.
You can book these flights directly on the Iberia Plus website, though note its website is not nearly as user-friendly as the British Airways website, so you may wish to confirm availability on the British Airways website and then book through Iberia.
American Airlines AAdvantage miles
If you have American AAdvantage miles, the program allows one-way redemptions and though fees and taxes are payable as through other programs, you will avoid the high fuel surcharges that British Airways and Iberia will impose on redemptions, so you can expect the overall co-payment to be lower.
Per flight, American charges the following number of AAdvantage miles from the U.K. to Doha, one-way per person:
- Economy: 20,000 AAdvantage miles
- Business: 42,500 AAdvantage miles
- First (where available): 62,500 AAdvantage miles
Qatar Airways-operated flights can be directly booked on the AA website.
Qatar Privilege Club Qmiles
Of course, you can use Qatar's own Qmiles currency to book flights operated by Qatar Airways. Privilege Club does not allow first-class award redemptions between London and Doha.
Per flight, Qatar charges the following Qmiles from the U.K. to Doha, one-way per person:
- Economy: 29,000 Qmiles
- Business: 58,000 Qmiles
Qatar does not charge extreme fuel surcharges, so you can expect the overall fees and taxes amount to be lower than using Avios as a result. These flights can be booked directly on Qatar's website.
Bottom line
Qatar Airways is one of the world's best airlines and has excellent products in all its classes. And fortunately, it makes a good amount of these seats available to book with points and miles. For more, check our ultimate guide to Qatar Qsuite.