Qatar Airways now sells Avios via subscription

Members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club can now buy Avios via a recurring monthly or annual subscription. But, here’s a twist. Subscribe at the top level, and you could also earn Qpoints – Qatar’s version of status credits. This could help you to retain an existing frequent flyer tier, or potentially, move up the ladder: all without flying more.

Qatar Airways isn’t the first Avios-linked airline to sell frequent flyer points via subscription. British Airways already does the same – and BA Avios can be transferred to Privilege Club on a 1:1 basis, without fees. But Qatar Airways is the first Avios carrier to sell status accumulation as part of the package.

Here’s a look at what you’d pay for an Avios subscription through Privilege Club. We compare the cost of buying these points with the value of a Business Class ticket that could be booked using the same rewards, flying from Sydney to London. We also take a look at how meaningful the offer of Qpoints would be for an elite Privilege Club frequent flyer.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios subscription pricing

The price paid for Qatar Airways Avios depends on whether you subscribe month-by-month or commit to a full year. The best value comes from annual subscriptions, as the pricing is akin to getting two months ‘free’ each year. However, the monthly option provides more flexibility if you only need a short-term boost.

Here’s a look at pricing, and what you could earn in return. For the annual plan, we’ve indicated the total rewards received over that 12-month period. However, these rewards are disbursed across the year, at the same rate as a monthly plan. For instance, subscribe to Access on an annual plan, and you’d pay a total of US$500 for 30,000 Avios. This would be distributed as 2,500 Avios per month for 12 months. In other words, take an annual plan and you’ll pay the best-value annual price, while receiving Avios at the same rate as a monthly customer.

Plan name	Monthly price	Cost per Avios (monthly purchase)	Annual price	Cost per Avios (annual purchase)
Access	US$50 for 2,500 Avios	US$0.02	US$500 for 30,000 Avios	US$0.0166
Select	US$130 for 7,500 Avios	US$0.0173	US$1,300 for 90,000 Avios	US$0.0144
Exclusive	US$240 for 15,000 Avios	US$0.016	US$2,400 for 180,000 Avios	US$0.0133
Ultimate	US$350 for 20,000 Avios + 5 Qpoints	US$0.0175	US$3,500 for 240,000 Avios + 60 Qpoints	US$0.0145

To put it simpler, divide the annual reward by 12 to see what you would receive monthly. This is the same as the monthly rewards listed above, just with different pricing.

What can you do with Privilege Club Avios?

Qatar Airways Avios can be used to book flights on Qatar Airways and its many partners. But one of the best-value bookings for Australian travellers will be off-peak Business Class flights from Down Under to the UK and Europe.

Find flights at an off-peak date, and Sydney-London can cost just 90,000 Avios in Business Class, one-way. Taxes, fees and charges are payable, which vary by route and cabin, and are quoted at the time of redemption. Depending on your origin and destination, these can be in the region of AU$600-$800 one-way between Australia and UK/Europe. If departing the UK in Business Class on a flight to Qatar, an additional tax of around AU$443 is also payable (UK APD).

In other words, on top of the cost of buying Avios, you should expect to pay something in the region of AU$2,000 per person, return. You can keep costs down by flying out of a country other than the UK, to avoid the UK APD. For instance, flying into London, but out of Paris.

Ultimately, you’ll need at least 180,000 Avios for that return trip. Let’s see what that costs, and whether the subscription is worth it.

Is Qatar Airways’ Avios subscription worth it?

Let’s say you’re seeking exactly 180,000 Avios for one of those off-peak bookings. That haul is akin to an Exclusive subscription, held for one year. Via the annual option, you’d pay US$2,400 to earn those 180,000 Avios. That’s around AU$3,667.

Whack on the taxes, fees and charges – and APD, if departing from the UK – and that places the rough out-of-pocket cost at around AU$5,667. This includes the cost of acquiring the Avios via the subscription, as well as the co-pay amount when redeeming them on those flights.

Ignoring the Avios proposition for a moment, let’s look at the cost of simply buying a comparable ticket. Using off-peak dates in February 2026 – typically, a quiet month – the lowest-price return fare starts at $10,169. That includes taxes, fees and charges – UK APD, among other things – as well as the airfare itself.

This means, if you can find availability and acquire Avios via the Exclusive annual subscription, you could save around 45% on the retail fare. All while sitting in the same seats on the same flights. But while it may be cheaper, it’s not quite the same.

By booking flights using Avios, you won’t then earn Avios as you would with a paid fare. Ditto, you wouldn’t accrue Qpoints (Qatar status credits) on these flights. There’s also much less availability in terms of off-peak reward seats, compared to the flights bookable at even that lead-in price.

Is it worth it? If you’re not fussed about earning extra rewards when you fly, and can locate those off-peak reward seats and make them suit, there are some serious cash savings to be had. But, otherwise, be very mindful of those restrictions.

Consider too that reward programs can change their redemption rates from time to time. Just because you subscribe to an annual plan with Privilege Club doesn’t necessarily mean that reward rates will remain untouched over the coming year. In essence, it’s a little bit of a gamble.

Is the Ultimate plan worth it for Qpoints?

While Qatar’s Ultimate subscription offers the greatest number of Avios, the cost per Avios is also higher than the Exclusive plan. That’s because the Ultimate plan adds Qpoints into the equation. As for the cost, compared on a per-Avios basis, Ultimate is 6.25% more expensive per month than Exclusive. Annually, Ultimate costs 9% more than Exclusive, for each Avios received.

Even so, the number of Qpoints awarded via the Ultimate subscription is relatively minimal. It’s just 5 Qpoints per month, or no more than 60 Qpoints per year. By comparison, to earn Privilege Club Silver status, you’ll need 150 Qpoints. This means that the subscription will only cover you for 40% of the annual requirement, at most.

This makes the Qpoints offering via Qatar’s Avios subscription more of a top-up for travellers already doing a chunk of paid flying. It won’t get you to any status tier by itself, and on its own, also won’t fulfil the complete requirement to keep that status in-check.

Consider also that no Qpoints are earned when travelling on flights booked using Avios. So, at the highest level of subscription, you’re receiving the most Avios. But the more travel you undertake by using those Avios, the harder it’ll get to retain your status or move up the ladder.

Really, it’s just for people who may find themselves close to the line for retaining their tier or moving up, who might not otherwise get there. And, for that matter, for those who realise this early and plan ahead, given that Qpoints are only awarded per month, not in bulk. Even if you have the annual subscription, the total promise of 60 Qpoints is metered out on a monthly basis (5 Qpoints per month for 12 months).

Summing up

Qatar Airways’ Avios subscription provides a new way to build your balance of frequent flyer points on an ongoing basis. But, at a cost. It also creates a new way of building or retaining status without actually flying – albeit, to a limited degree.

But when it comes to buying Avios, keep in mind that Privilege Club also sells these in bulk: and did so, before this subscription was launched. At current rates, buying 180,000 Avios clocks in at around AU$5,887. By comparison, through the Exclusive subscription, the same number of Avios would cost US$2,400 (~AU$3,662) over the course of a year. But buying in bulk gets those Avios now (well, within 72 hours of purchase), to be used towards a reward flight in the short term. On the other hand, the subscription is longer-term play.

Whether a one-off purchase or a subscription makes sense will vary from person to person. Ultimately, it may suit those with extremely flexible travel plans who aren’t already sitting on a stash of reward points. As for the Qpoints on top? If you’re not already earning these from other paid flights, the small trickle through the subscription isn’t going to get you into a lounge any time soon. Instead, book Business Class using Avios, and you’ll get the perks of Gold, and more, when flying on points.

You can also earn Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios via participating partner transfer programs. For instance, American Express Membership Rewards, which can be earned through cards like the Amex Platinum Card. Or, via PayRewards, on business payments processed through Pay.com.au (Pay is affiliated with Point Hacks).

Also read:

• British Airways’ Avios subscription prices
• Our guide to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios
• Introduction to pay.com.au and how it could benefit you
• You can now convert PayRewards Points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Featured image courtesy of Qatar Airways.

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