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Qatar Airways and IHG have launched a new partnership that, at first glance, looks appealing: Privilege Club members can now earn Avios on paid IHG hotel stays, and IHG One Rewards points can be converted directly into Qatar Airways Avios.
On paper, that flexibility sounds useful, especially given how versatile Avios can be across multiple airline programs. But hotel-to-airline transfers are rarely a good deal. And is it worth giving up earning IHG points to earn Avios on stays?
Let’s break down how the partnership works and when — if ever — it’s worth using.
Earn Qatar Avios on IHG Stays
You earn Qatar Privileges Club Avios for stays at IHG properties at the following rates:
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 USD spent on qualifying room rates at all IHG Hotels & Resorts, with the exception of the following:
- Staybridge Suites
- Candlewood Suites
- IHG Residences
- IHG Army Hotels.
- Earn 1 Avios per $1 USD spent on qualifying room rates at Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, IHG Residences & IHG Army Hotels.
To earn Qatar Avios for your IHG stays, log in to your IHG account, then change your earning preference to airline miles. As you'll see, IHG One Rewards members have a long list of airline partners to choose from. So, make sure Qatar Airways is your best option before changing your earning preference.
Transfer IHG Points to Qatar Avios
Also, you can convert your existing IHG points balances to Qatar Avios at a rate of 10,000 points to 2,000 Avios. You can convert your points by contacting your local IHG Customer Service Center.
This adds another partner to a surprisingly long list of IHG One Rewards airline partners:
Is This A Good Deal?
Earning Avios for your IHG stays may seem like an excellent idea, but make sure to do the math. It all depends on how you plan on using your Avios. Bear in mind that you can transfer Avios between Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Logan Air, and Finnair.
To decide whether this is a good idea, you will need to crunch the numbers. Consider that you exchange 10,000 IHG points for 2,000 Avios. On average, AwardWallet members have been able to leverage IHG points for 0.68¢ per point, making 10,000 points worth $68. Now you will need to look at how you will use the Avios.
For instance, let's say you transfer them to Iberia Plus for a business-class award. On average, AwardWallet members have redeemed their Iberia Avios for 4.49¢ per Avios for a long-haul business class awards. At that rate, your 2,000 Avios are worth ~$89 — which is a better value than what you'll generally get from redeeming IHG points.
However, if you transfer your IHG points to British Airways for an economy or premium economy award, it's harder to get outsized value. On average, 2,000 Avios are worth ~$33 based on AwardWallet members leveraging their Avios for 1.66¢ per Avios on BA economy and premium economy awards. That's about half of the value you can expect to get from 10,000 IHG points.
Our Take
This new Qatar-IHG partnership is neither a clear win nor an automatic trap — it’s highly situational. In the right scenario, transferring IHG points to Avios and redeeming them for high-value premium-cabin flights can outperform redeeming them within the IHG ecosystem. In most everyday use cases, however, the math simply doesn’t work.
If you're trying to top off your Qatar Privilege Club account for a high-value redemption, it can make sense for you to opt into earning Qatar Avios instead of IHG One Rewards points — or even transferring IHG points to Avios. But don't default to earning or converting IHG to Avios without a plan for redeeming those Avios for high value.
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