Qatar Airways A380 (Source: airliners.net)

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is once again offering a promotion for purchasing Avios. For current purchases, a bonus of up to 50% is granted. At best, this can yield a price of 1.50 USD cents per Avios, which is not far from the previous best price. If purchased at the current rate, we could fly in the Qatar Airways Qsuite from Doha to Germany for approximately $805.

Buying Avios – A Note

Avios hold a special place in the world of frequent flyer programs. Avios are the points or award miles currency for several frequent flyer programs. British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar Airways, and, since early 2024, Finnair, along with their respective frequent flyer programs—Executive Club, Iberia Plus, AerClub, Vueling Club, Privilege Club, and Finnair Plus—use Avios as a common currency for booking awards. These programs are also linked through an Avios transfer function, allowing for free transfers of Avios between the programs and redemption for award flights. Therefore, it may be worth comparing the offers of the different programs.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios Purchase – The Offer

Bonus/Discount: 50% Bonus
Offer Duration: Sep 8th, 2024
Minimum Purchase: 1,000 Avios for $29 (2.90 USD cents per Avios)
Maximum Purchase: 250,000 + 125,000 Avios for $5,625 (1.50 USD cents per Avios)
Best Price: 1.50 USD cents per Avios when purchasing 36,000 + 18,000 or more Avios

Avios can be purchased directly through the Privilege Club website at regular rates of 2.24 to 2.88 cents per Avios, with the exact price depending on the number of Avios purchased. At this price, purchasing Avios is rarely worthwhile. The current offer includes a tiered bonus of up to 50%, with the maximum bonus applying to purchases of 36,000 Avios or more. Here are some examples:

1,000 Avios for $29 – 2.88 cents per Avios
5,000 + 1,000 Avios for $145 – 2.41 cents per Avios
16,000 + 4,800 Avios for $378 – 1.82 cents per Avios
25,000 + 7,500 Avios for $590 – 1.82 cents per Avios
36,000 + 18,000 Avios for $810 – 1.50 cents per Avios
50,000 + 25,000 Avios for $1,125 – 1.50 cents per Avios
100,000 + 50,000 Avios for $2,250 – 1.50 cents per Avios
250,000 + 125,000 Avios for $5,625 – 1.50 cents per Avios

The best average price is achieved when purchasing 36,000 + 18,000 Avios or more. In that case, one Avios costs 1.50 USD cents.

Is it worth buying Avios through the Privilege Club?

Avios can offer considerable value when redeemed for award flights in Business and First Class. Therefore, a purchase price of 1.50 USD cents per Avios or a 50% bonus could represent a good deal for purchasing Avios.

Qatar Airways QSuites (Source: thepointsguy.com)

As with most promotions, it's best to have a specific redemption opportunity in mind. The most significant savings potential exists when booking short but normally expensive flights in Economy, Business, and First Class. Particularly interesting are flights in the Qatar Qsuite from Germany to Doha or flights with Cathay Pacific within Asia. There are also some shorter routes where Business and First Class can be booked. Note that Avios can be transferred for free between the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and the Qatar Airways Privilege Club, allowing you to take advantage of the sweet spots in multiple programs. The following examples can help you determine whether buying Avios would be worthwhile for you:

British Airways Economy Class from Frankfurt to London (one-way): from 4,750 Avios + $25 -> approx. $95
British Airways Business Class from Frankfurt to London (one-way): from 8,500 Avios + $45 -> approx. $170
American Airlines Economy Class from Los Angeles to Honolulu (one-way): 20,000 Avios + approx. $5 -> approx. $310
Alaska Airlines Economy Class from Seattle to Honolulu (one-way): 20,000 Avios + approx. $5 -> approx. $310
American Airlines Economy Class from Miami to Aruba (one-way): 12,000 Avios + approx. $14 -> approx. $195
Qantas Economy Class from Sydney to Perth (one-way): 13,000 Avios + $29 -> approx. $230
Qantas Economy Class from Sydney to Nadi, Fiji (one-way): 11,000 Avios + $92 -> approx. $265
Qatar Airways Qsuite from Frankfurt to Doha (one-way): 43,000 Avios + approx. $160 -> approx. $805
Qatar Airways Qsuite from Doha to Frankfurt (one-way): 43,000 Avios + approx. $112 -> approx. $765
Cathay Pacific Business Class from Tokyo to Hong Kong (one-way): 22,000 Avios + approx. $26 -> approx. $355
Cathay Pacific First Class from Tokyo to Hong Kong (one-way): 44,000 Avios + approx. $26 -> approx. $685
Cathay Pacific First Class from Frankfurt to Hong Kong (one-way): 123,750 Avios + approx. $110 -> approx. $1,965
Japan Airlines Economy Class from Osaka to Okinawa: 9,000 Avios + $4 -> approx. $325
JAL First Class from Tokyo to San Francisco (one-way): 103,000 Avios + approx. $50 -> approx. $1,600

Transferring Avios between Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and AerClub

You can use Avios to book award flights through the Privilege Club, Executive Club, Iberia Plus, or Aer Lingus AerClub. Since Avios collected in one program can be transferred to the other programs for free and instantly, you indirectly have access to all the redemption options of the sister programs. A detailed explanation of the transfer function is provided in the following article.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios Purchase – What Else to Consider?

Each participant can purchase a maximum of 250,000 Privilege Club Avios per calendar year. A bonus does not count towards this limit. For example, with a 50% bonus, it is possible to purchase 375,000 Avios.

The Avios should appear in your account within 72 hours. The purchased Avios are then immediately available for use. You could buy Avios today and book an award flight right away.

The purchased Avios are subject to the regular expiration rules of the Privilege Club and therefore remain valid indefinitely as long as at least one mile is earned or redeemed within a period of 3 years.