AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Qatar Airways has a reputation for having the best business class seats in the sky. Having flown it myself, I can fully support that claim. And it's not just the immaculately designed seat that makes flying Qsuite such a great experience. It's truly everything — from the luxurious amenities to the Michelin Star-level cuisine, and of course, the unforgettably incredible service — Qatar Airways is the one to beat.
Now, you might think that being as luxurious of an experience as it sounds would also make it unaffordable. But thankfully, you'd be wrong. You can book Qsuite using Qatar Airways or British Airways Avios for very affordable rates to and from destinations worldwide. Even better, award availability is better than you'll find in most other programs.
And speaking of luxury…is there a more luxurious destination than the Maldives? A place where almost everyone can agree is the true definition of paradise. And there is no better way to fly to this tropical haven than sipping champagne while lounging in Qsuite.
In this post, we'll show you how to combine the best of both worlds and fly Qatar Airways Qsuite from the U.S. to the Maldives for just 85,000 Avios — one of the best sweet spots in award travel.
Page Contents
- How To Fly Qatar Airways Qsuite to the Maldives for Just 85,000 Avios
- How To Book Qsuite to the Maldives Using Avios
- Step 1: Sign in to your Qatar Airways account
- Step 2: Enter travel details (departure/arrival airports and desired date)
- Step 3: Look for business class availability
- Step 4: Write down your desired flight info and dates, then transfer points from your dedicated bank to book flights.
- Step 5: Select your flight and book your ticket using newly transferred points.
- Step 6: Choose your seats and patiently wait for your travel date!
- How To Earn the Avios Necessary To Book Qsuite
- Bottom Line
How To Fly Qatar Airways Qsuite to the Maldives for Just 85,000 Avios
The best way to book Qsuite to the Maldives is through the British or Qatar Airways sites. It's the most straightforward method, and availability is generally the most widespread. A one-way ticket costs just 85,000 Avios plus taxes and fees.
Qatar Airways U.S. destinations
Qatar Airways flies to several destinations in the United States. Sometimes, award availability on the leg from the U.S. to Doha — where you'll connect en route to the Malé, Maldives (MLE) — is better out of some airports than others. So it's worth keeping the entire list of gateways in mind; you can view it below:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Washington, D.C. (Dulles)
If Qatar doesn't serve your home airport — or if you can't find award availability from your home airport — consider booking a positioning flight to another gateway.
Booking Qsuite through AAdvantage
We would be remiss if we didn't mention it can be cheaper to use American Airlines miles to book Qsuite. A one-way award between the U.S. and the Middle East or Indian subcontinent (including the Maldives) costs just 70,000 AAdvantage miles each way!
However, two aspects limit this American Airlines sweet spot. First, it can be difficult to earn American Airlines miles. Plus, partner award availability on Qatar Airways is almost nonexistent nowadays. That makes booking directly via Qatar Airways or with British Airways a much better option.
How To Book Qsuite to the Maldives Using Avios
Step 1: Sign in to your Qatar Airways account
The very first step is to sign into your Qatar Airways Privilege account. Click on “Spend your Avios” under the Privilege Club tab, or select the checkbox under the booking page stating “Book an award flight.”
Having trouble logging in? Here's how to unlock your Qatar Privilege Club account.
If you plan to book with British Airways Avios, you'll follow the same steps — but you'll want to log in to your Executive Club account. Both airlines use the Avios currency — and you can transfer Avios between your Privilege Club and Executive Club accounts instantaneously — so these steps are nearly identical.
Step 2: Enter travel details (departure/arrival airports and desired date)
You will likely need to be flexible on your originating airport and travel dates, so it's best to look at a few different airports that are still accessible enough to depart from. There are many times where getting a cheap positioning flight to another U.S. airport is definitely worth the extra cost/time — especially when it means you get to fly in Qsuite!
Step 3: Look for business class availability
To get the most out of your Avios, you're better off avoiding what Qatar Airways refers to as “flexi awards.” These tickets are double the price (170,000 Avios!) of classic award tickets. Flexi awards are far more prevalent than classic awards, but unless you need a specific itinerary on a certain day, you should keep looking for awards price at 85,000 Avios.
Generally, best availability is closer to 10-11 months prior to departure date, and can be hard to find for flights sooner. However, there are many times where availabilities open up last minute (2-3 weeks prior) and can be booked then if you aren't able to plan a year in advance. But you may get lucky and spot awards in between.
Related: How Far in Advance Can You Book an Award Flight?
Step 4: Write down your desired flight info and dates, then transfer points from your dedicated bank to book flights.
Once you've found flights that work for you, it's time to initiate a transfer to Qatar Airways Privilege Club or British Airways Executive Club. A best practice is to write down the flights you found and the dates, so you can quickly find them again.
And this is when utilizing a transfer bonus can make this an even better deal! One of the best parts about Avios is being able to transfer points from essentially every major bank to be combined and used on multiple airlines.
For example, neither Chase nor Capital One don't partner with Qatar Airways, but they do partner with British Airways. This means you can transfer points from either bank to British Airways first, then easily move them over to your Qatar Airways account. Avios can be freely combined/transferred at a 1:1 ratio, so there is no downside to moving them between accounts.
Step 5: Select your flight and book your ticket using newly transferred points.
When booking on Qatar Airways, it should tell you whether the flight will have Qsuite or not. However, plane changes sometimes do happen last minute, so it's never guaranteed you'll end up with Qsuite (although it isn't likely to change).
You'll also have to pay for the taxes and fees that are charged with an award booking, which are typically around $200. Qatar Airways has raised award taxes and fees in recent years, so they're more costly than they used to be. This isn't the most ideal price, but considering these flights retail for thousands of dollars, you're definitely still getting an incredible deal.
Step 6: Choose your seats and patiently wait for your travel date!
If you're traveling solo, the best seats to choose are the window seats along the sides of the airplane. These are true window seats and are farthest away from the bathrooms. For couples, you'll definitely want to get the two middle seats together as they form this amazing double bed that is a bucket list experience on its own.
You can find a seat map on Qatar Airways' website when you book, but you can also scout your plane's layout using a service like AeroLOPA. For example, here's part of the Qsuite cabin on Qatar Airways' Boeing 777-300ER:
And that's it. The next step is planning what to do and where you'll stay in the Maldives. Might we suggest the Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa or the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi?
Related: How To Book Maldives Overwater Villas With Free Night Certificates
How To Earn the Avios Necessary To Book Qsuite
Avios are some of the easiest points currencies to earn. Not only are you able to transfer points from every major bank (or even other Avios-utilizing airlines), but there are tons of other methods to earning extra Avios, whether that be through shopping portals or even booking Airbnbs through British Airways.
Here's a list of all the points transfer options you have:
This wide range of transfer partners means you can earn a sign-up bonus on one of several transferable rewards cards to help fund your trip, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- More Value! With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. * As of 07/2025.
- More Value! $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- More Value! $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $25 in statement credits each month after you pay for eligible purchases with the Platinum Card® at participating partners. Enrollment required.
- More Value! $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- New! $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: When you use the Platinum Card® to pay at U.S. Resy restaurants and to make other eligible purchases through Resy, you can get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter with the $400 Resy Credit benefit. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you, enrollment required.
- More Value! $209 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR Plus Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR Plus with the Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account*. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in upon arrival, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
- New! $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That's up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
- $100 Saks Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com on the Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 in statement credits from July through December. No minimum purchase required. Enrollment required.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®. Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
Bottom Line
Despite Qatar Airways Qsuite being arguably the best business class seat in the world, it's also one of the most affordable to book! Considering the many ways to earn Avios, it couldn't be easier to book this bucket list experience. Especially if you're willing to plan ahead, you might just be able to book a dream honeymoon vacation for two to the Maldives — all for only a couple hundred dollars in taxes and fees.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
