Avios : How to travel on Qatar Airways Qsuite using points?

Updated May 31, 2024
QsuiteQatar-2400×1260
To the point Qatar Airways' famous Qsuite is one of the best business classes in the world! Here are our tips for booking it with points.

The routes and flight numbers in the article have been updated for the fall 2023-winter 2024 timetable.

What sets Qatar Airways’ Qsuite apart from the rest? Qatar Airways was one of the first airlines to offer seats with closed doors in business class. Previously, this style of seat was associated with first class at Etihad Airways, Emirates or Singapore Airlines.

qatar airways qsuite couple

Qsuite - What's the best program to book?

The short answer will be the one for which you have the easiest time accumulating points.

There are several ways to book an award ticket on Qatar Airways:

In Canada, the easiest way to access the Qsuite is with Avios, as many credit cards offer them.

To be able to book, you must have an account with the chosen program.

The availability calendar with Qatar Airways and the interfaces of American Airlines and British Airways are the ones I prefer for availability searches.

qatar airways qsuite cabine

Qsuite - Program comparison

Some programs require fewer points, but will charge higher taxes and fees. Therefore, it would be a mistake to stop only at the number of points required.

For example, here are the points required for a one-way trip from Montreal to Doha (YUL-DOH), in business class, according to each program:

Program Number of points Taxes and fees (CAD)
Alaska Mileage Plan 85,000 $85
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 75 000 $526
American Airlines AAdvantage 70 000 $69
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank 80 000 $69
British Airways Executive Club 70 000 $159
Qatar Airways Privilege Club 70,000 $165

Turning to Europe, here are the fares for a one-way Munich-Doha (MUC-DOH) flight in business class:

Program Number of points Taxes and fees (CAD)
Alaska Mileage Plan 65,000 $114
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 30 000 $444
American Airlines AAdvantage 42 500 $103
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank 48 000 $79
British Airways Executive Club 43 000 $198
Qatar Airways Privilege Club 43,000 $198

However, if we look at the reverse trip Doha-Munich (DOH-MUC), still in business class, the total cost in taxes and fees is much lower. This is due to specific taxes at the departure airport.

Program Number of points Taxes and fees (CAD)
Alaska Mileage Plan 65,000 $69
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 30 000 $183
American Airlines AAdvantage 42 500 $52
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank 48 000 $29
British Airways Executive Club 43 000 $147
Qatar Airways Privilege Club 43,000 $147
Qsuite - Lit double
Qsuite - Lit double

Qsuite - What you need to know

Of course, there are also advantages to choosing one program over another depending on the route.

With Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, you can get maximum value from the points with a complex itinerary. Similar to the old Aeroplan program, you can build mini round-the-world trip in four segments.

American Airlines AAdvantage offers the best deal for a booking between North America and the Middle East. In addition, the ability to put an option on a flight for up to 5 days can be interesting, especially if you are waiting for missing points (by purchase or transfer).

With Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and American Airlines, taxes and fees are very low. Also, the points price for a round trip is the most advantageous with Japan Airlines.

With British Airways Executive Club, the sweetspot will be on short-haul flights.

How to collect these points?

In Canada, the best way is to turn to points transfers. American Express Membership Rewards points and RBC Avion Rewards points are among the easiest to earn and transfer.

First, the American Express Cobalt® Card will earn you 5x points on your grocery and restaurant spending. You can then transfer these Membership Rewards points to Asia Miles and British Airways Executive Club (Avios).

HSBC Rewards points and the RBC Avion program are also a way to accumulate these Avios.

The HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® is now discontinued. I’m leaving the HSBC Rewards mention in this guide for card members who still have points to use.

For Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and American Airlines AAdvantage, the only way to get them is to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points. Going through this route is not usually recommended, as your points will lose value with this double conversion.

That said, Marriott Bonvoy points are still easily accumulated with Marriott Bonvoy cards and the American Express Cobalt® Card. Since taxes and fees are very low with JAL and AA, a point transfer could be advantageous. However, there are a few calculations that need to be made depending on the award ticket you are looking for.

Finally, U.S. credit cards from Citi Bank and Barclays offer generous sign-up bonuses for earning AAdvantage points.

You should also keep an eye out for transfer or points purchase promotions that will allow you to collect bonus points!

Qsuite - Which credit card for which type of points?

Here’s a quick summary and examples of the cards you can use to accumulate points for Qatar Airways Qsuite travel.

Qsuite - Choosing the right Qatar Airways flight

Qatar Airways’ Qsuite class is only available on certain routes and on certain aircraft in the fleet. Qsuites can be found on most Boeing 777s and Airbus 350s; all Airbus 350-1000s are equipped with Qsuites.

Discover our Qsuite reports on board the A350 and the B777-300ER:

Entrée de mezzes

The ExpertFlyer tool lets you view the cabin plans for each flight. Therefore, it is an excellent way to check if the chosen flight is in Qsuite or not.

Qatar Airways' different business classes

Qatar Airways occasionally changes aircraft, both in advance and at check-in (e.g. in the event of a breakage). Unfortunately, we can’t anticipate these kinds of unforeseen events.

This kind of switch is very disappointing, but we must remember that the airlines have the primary mandate to get us to our destination in the class we booked.

However, depending on the goodwill of customer service, you could request a new destination, time or date with the Qsuite.

Qatar Airways’ regular business class has a 1-2-1 configuration. While it’s not the iconic Qsuite, it’s still very comfortable.

Classe Affaire standard
Qsuite – couple

As for the Qsuites, they are not aligned on the plan. Also, if you are travelling as a couple or alone, the odd row seats are preferable. On the one hand, couples will benefit from greater proximity, and on the other, solo travelers will have more privacy at the window. However, these seats are rear-facing.

The former Qatar Airways business class is to be avoided, as the configuration is 2-2-2. You will have to climb over your neighbour if you are sitting at the window.

Qatar Ancienne classe affaires 2
Qatar Ancienne classe affaires

Here are the different configurations:

Qatar Airways – Qsuites
Qatar Airways – classe affaire
Qatar Airways – ancienne classe affaire

Qsuite - Connections and destinations

From the Doha hub (DOH), here is the list of routes where Qatar Airways Qsuite can be found.

However, this is not a guarantee. For example, Qatar Airways uses a Boeing 777 on the YUL-DOH route, but only 33 of their 57 Boeing 777s are equipped with Qsuites. It is important to check the cabin plan for the aircraft operating on the flight in question and for the desired date.

North America
Atlanta (ATL) QR 755 and 756
Boston (BOS) QR 743 and 744
Chicago (ORD) QR 723, 724, 725 and 726
Dallas (DFW) QR 729, 730, 731 and 732
Houston (IAH) QR 713 and 714
Los Angeles (LAX) QR 739, 740, 741 and 742
Miami (MIA) QR 777 and 778
Montreal (YUL) QR 763 and 764
New York (JFK) QR 701, 702, 703 and 704
Philadelphia (PHL) QR 727 and 728
Seattle (SEA) QR 719 and 720
Washington Dulles (IAD) QR 707, 708, 709 and 710

 

Europe
Amsterdam (AMS) QR 273 and 274
Berlin (BER) QR 81 and 82
Frankfurt (FRA) QR 67, 68, 69 and 70
London Heathrow (LHR) QR 1, 2, 7, 8, 15 and 16
Manchester (MAN) QR 21, 22, 27 and 28
Madrid (MAD) QR 117 and 118
Milan (MXP) QR 117, 118, 123 and 124
Munich (MUC) QR 57, 58, 59 and 60
Oslo (OSL) QR 175 and 176
Paris (CDG) QR 39 and 40
Zurich (ZRH) QR 93, 94, 95 and 96 (check aircraft)

 

Asia & Middle East
Bangkok (BKK) Various flights, irregular
Bangalore (BLR) QR 572 and 573
Beirut (BEY) Various flights, irregular
Colombo (CMB) QR 668 and 669
Denpasar (DPS) QR 960, 961, 962 and 963
Dubai (DXB) Various flights, irregular
Hong Kong (HKG) QR 815, 816, 817 and 818
Jakarta (CGK) Various flights, irregular
Karachi (KHI) Various flights, irregular
Kuwait (KWI) Various flights, irregular
Lahore (LHE) QR 620 and 621
Manila (MNL) Various flights, irregular
Mumbai (BOM) QR 556 and 557
Beijing Daxing (PKX) QR 892 and 893
Riyadh (RUH) Various flights, irregular
Seoul (ICN) QR 858 and 859
Shanghai (PVG) QR 870 and 871
Singapore (SIN) QR 942, 943, 944, 945, 947 (irregular) and 948
Tehran (IKA) QR490 and 491 and various irregular flights
Tokyo (NRT) QR 806 and 807

 

Africa
Cairo (CAI) Various flights, irregular
Cape Town (CPT) QR 1369 and 1370, irregular
Johannesburg (JNB) QR 1363, 1364, 1365, 1366, 1377 and 1378

 

Oceania
Adelaide (ADL) QR 914 and 915
Auckland (AKL) QR 920 and 921
Melbourne (MEL) QR 904, 905, 988 and 989

 

South America
Buenos Aires (EZE) QR 773 and 774
Sao Paulo (GRU) QR 773, 774, 779, 780, 785 and 786

Which aircraft have a Qsuite?

In addition to the routes, each aircraft is identified with a FIN number. Here are the aircrafts that are equipped with Qsuite:

  • Airbus A350-1000 : A7-ANA,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S
  • Airbus A350-900 : A7-ALY,Z and AME,F,G,H,I,J,K,L
  • Boeing 777-300ER v3 : A7-BAC,E,F,G,I,M,O and BED,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,U,V,T,W,X
  • Boeing 777-300ER v4: A7-BAT,U,V,W,X,Y,Z and BEA,B,C
  • Boeing 777-200LR v2 : A7-BBA,B,C,D,E,G,I

Bottom Line

Currently, All Nippon Airways offers a similar product with The Room seats, which is much easier to reach with Aeroplan points.

However, I still prefer Qsuites, as it is possible to lower the division between seats. Travelling in groups of two or four, the experience is superb!

What is the name of the new version of Qatar Airways' business class?

This is the Qsuite cabin, on board certain Qatar Airways A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

What is the Qatar Airways Qsuite?

Qatar Airways’ Qsuite features an innovative design. Its modular cabin allows flexible seating arrangements, suitable for individual travelers, couples or groups, with sliding doors offering greater privacy. Fully reclining seats transform into beds, contributing to a comfortable flying experience. Passengers have access to top-notch entertainment and gourmet meals prepared by renowned chefs and accompanied by a selection of fine wines. In-flight Wi-Fi connectivity adds to the overall travel experience.

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Aline Nguyen

Aline Nguyen

Aline Nguyen
Aline, an experienced traveler and avid photographer, is an Avgeek and foodie at heart. An expert in credit cards & rewards programs, including Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, American Express Membership Rewards, CIBC Aventura, and RBC Avion, she uses points to travel affordably and save in daily life. Having explored all 7 continents and 77 countries, Aline shares her travel passion and insights to help others make the most of loyalty programs.
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