Qatar Airways is renowned for its luxury offerings, topping Skytrax’s rankings of the best airlines in 2025 and even winning the award for the finest business class cabins across the industry. The latter was largely thanks to Qsuite, a completely encapsulated private seat arrangement in business class cabins across a range of its Airbus A350s, Boeing 787s, and Boeing 777s.

The problem is, as a premium carrier, Qatar is by no means always cheap to fly, and a range of budget carriers consistently undercut the Qatar flag carrier on price. That is especially true when trying to secure premium seats. However, the good news is that free upgrades are available for its frequent flyers. So, how easy is this to do, and what are the best ways to get the most out of Qatar’s loyalty program?

What Is Privilege Club?

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First, we need to delve into what Qatar offers to its frequent passengers. This is known as Qatar’s Privilege Club, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers better rewards the more flights an individual takes with the carrier. By joining, members can accumulate air miles to unlock such perks for frequently flying with the airline. Note that signing up requires actively becoming a member on the airline’s website and is not simply automatic upon booking flights.

Distance-based rewards include earnings of Qpoints and Avios. Qpoints are accumulated over a 12 or 24-month basis and basically determine one’s loyalty status with the airline. Naturally, the more a member flies with Qatar, the higher loyalty tier they will secure in the scheme. Depending on the tier, members will then gain eligibility for increasingly stronger perks, such as lounge access and additional baggage allowance, as they work their way up the rankings.

As mentioned, Qatar also uses Avios as its preferred currency, which represents a far more broad-based rewards system and so can be earned in a wider variety of ways beyond just accumulating air miles with the airline. Indeed, Avios are used by several airlines, so they can be transferred across after flying with partner carriers. These themselves are used for upgrades. In essence, a member of Qatar’s Privilege Club will accumulate both Qpoints and Avios by flying with the airline.

Rewards: Qpoints And Avios

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Having joined Privilege Club and taken a flight with Qatar, passengers will begin to collect both these Qpoints and Avios to then redeem at a future date. How members collect each of these is similar, though the amounts they can access vary.

Again, the main way to collect Qpoints is by flying with Qatar, with the number earned based on booking class and route. For instance, a return flight from Heathrow to Doha would earn a Privilege Club member from 20 Qpoints in economy lite to 100 Qpoints in first class, regardless of their tier, according to the airline’s website. Other ways to accumulate Qpoints include booking vacation packages with Qatar, shopping and dining in Qatar Duty Free, spending with a Privilege Club credit card from Doha Bank, or even flying with a partner airline.

In terms of Avios, Privilege Club members will find it easier to collect them as they rise through Qatar’s membership tiers. For the same return trip between Heathrow and Doha mentioned above, Privilege Club flyers might receive as few as 1,624 Avios and as many as 25,968 Avios, depending on their flight class and membership tier. Aside from flying with Qatar, Avios are earned again through flights with partner airlines, hotel stays, and car rentals, or spending on partner credit cards, such as American Express, to name a few.

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Qatar Privilege Club Tiers

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Naturally, frequent flyers gain access to the best rewards, as is the case with Qatar offering increasing Avios to those higher up its membership tiers. Privilege Club members will find that the program offers four tiers. These include burgundy, the initial tier members gain upon joining the scheme, then silver, gold, and finally platinum. The table below details Qatar’s Privilege Club Tiers, respective benefits, and Qpoints needed for retention or upgrades.

So, for more Avios to use on upgrades with Qatar and partner airlines, Privilege Club members will need to earn a certain number of Qpoints. The rates offered do not change based on a member’s tier; rather, they are determined by the route and class flown. Qatar offers passengers a calculator via its website to determine how many Qpoints and Avios they will collect by flying with the carrier.

How To Maximize Rewards Outside of Qatar

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The key to making the most of being a Privilege Club member is understanding how the reward system works and where else these can be gained. Of course, it might not always be convenient to fly with Qatar, but that does not mean a flight with a rival cannot still benefit one’s loyalty status with the airline. Qatar’s partner airlines have been frequently touched on and indeed make up an integral part of its loyalty program.

Qatar is a member of the oneworld airline alliance and a partner of the Avios program. It joined the alliance in 2013 in order to allow passengers to earn miles with partners, becoming the first Gulf carrier to do so. Nine years later, Qatar adopted Avios as its reward currency in 2022. These marked two major moments for its Privilege Club members, as it broadened the scope of how rewards could be earned and spent.

Being part of Qatar’s Privilege Club, all members are eligible to earn Qpoints and Avios on oneworld airlines. Avios can also be redeemed on flights with partner airlines, too. Benefits such as priority boarding and lounge access then also become available in the higher tier with Qatar.

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Things To Consider

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Qatar’s loyalty program can impress, namely if it is the sole scheme flyers focus on and, as such, the option they choose most for flights. That said, it does have some drawbacks and so may not be the best option when determining which scheme to join.

Privilege Club is only available to those over the age of 18, meaning student or family memberships may make for better options if one wants to travel with their children, say. Retention criteria are also important to be wary of. Indeed, failing to fly with Qatar often or far enough will mean a loss of position in its tier system. Not all of Qatar’s flights are eligible for Avios, too, so double-checking beforehand is key to avoiding any wasted trips, however unlikely.

The Avios system itself is also far from perfect, as most notably evidenced through a string of devaluations in the past, including as recently as last December. Like any other currency, inflation has a part to play in how much an Avios point is worth. For frequent fliers, keeping track of what they have saved up and how far it will get them is important.

Getting The Most From Qatar’s Loyalty Scheme

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Drawbacks aside, Qatar’s loyalty scheme fits the bill exactly as one might expect. If flying with the airline, it is indeed worth signing up as a member just to avoid missing out on simple perks like the chance to collect Avios. Indeed, including through flights with partners, you might find yourself with enough currency to bag a cheap flight or upgrade.

For the most frequent travelers, seeking out credit cards and other partner deals that reward Avios, ensuring enough flights to retain membership tier, and flying via Qatar’s Doha hub will open the door to the full array of benefits the airline offers its Privilege Club members. Realistically, if you are flying anyway, why not aim to break up the journey with a complimentary break in one of Qatar’s airport lounges?