Qatar Airways switches to Avios (combine your miles with British Airways Executive Club)

Until March 22, 2022, Qatar Airways – a Oneworld Alliance airline – used Qmiles currency in its own Qatar Airways Privilege Club rewards program.

Since March 22, 2022, Qatar Airways has been using the Avios currency.

Avios is now used by these airlines:

• British Airways
• Iberia
• Aer Lingus
• Vueling
• Qatar Airways

Qmiles have been converted at a 1:1 ratio to Avios miles.

In Canada, we know Avios as the currency for the British Airways Executive Club. And these are already transferable between British Airways and Iberia through the “Combine my Avios” function (even if the process remains a little complex).

Avios miles can now be transferred from the British Airways Executive Club to the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program. With a process that takes 2 minutes!

The link was made instantly and my 282,048 Avios Miles available on the British Airways Executive Club appeared on the Qatar Airways Privilege Club portal!

Then simply click on the “Combine Avios” option to transfer Avios miles from British Airways Executive Club to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Then choose the number of Avios miles to transfer. I chose to transfer 100,000.

You will be redirected to British Airways Executive Club for confirmation. And in a matter of seconds, Avios miles were transferred from British Airways Executive Club to Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club program remains the same (and therefore does not adopt the distance-based fare structure we know from the British Airways Executive Club).

A one-way ticket between Montreal (YUL) and Doha (DOH) costs :

• 35,000 Avios miles in economy class
• 70,000 Avios miles in business class (subject to availability)
• 140,000 Avios miles in business class (flexible: “Flexi Awards”)

This especially gives more power to the Avios currency, now used by five airlines.

In addition, in Canada, American Express, HSBC and RBC are transfer partners with British Airways Executive Club. And therefore indirectly with Qatar Airways Privilege Club.

Usually, you can convert:

• 70,000 American Express Membership Rewards points into 70,000 Avios miles
• 70,000 RBC Rewards points into 70,000 Avios miles
• 175,000 HSBC Rewards points into 70,000 Avios miles

But regular transfer promotions allow you to get a 30-50% bonus on your points transfers between these programs (HSBC, RBC) and British Airways Executive Club. Wait for these moments to transfer!

For example, it is common for HSBC to run a points transfer promotion to British Airways Executive Club during the summer.

If you took advantage of the exceptional welcome offer of 130,000 HSBC Rewards points from the HSBC World Elite^MD Mastercard^®, and a 50% transfer bonus kicks in, you could earn 75,000 Avios Miles by converting 125,000 HSBC Rewards points.

That’s enough to get a one-way ticket in a QSuite flight between Montreal and Doha! Discover our Qsuite reviews on board the A350 and the B777-300ER.

And knowing that Avios miles can be earned in many ways (travel, credit cards, hotels, car rentals, retail), it’s worth looking into the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program. Check out our ultimate guide to this program.

Here are all the cards earning Avios miles in Canada: