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Update: As reported on Reddit, Qatar Airways removed the qualifying-activity requirement for creating a Family & Friends group or My List around September 14, 2026. Members no longer need to credit an eligible flight or use a qualifying Qatar Airways co-branded credit card first. However, the 30-day account-age requirement and other restrictions remain. Here are the current restrictions.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers plenty of valuable ways to redeem Avios. Between Qsuite awards, partner sweet spots, and the ability to transfer Avios between several airline programs, it can be a useful program even if you rarely credit flights to Qatar.
However, Qatar no longer lets most Privilege Club members freely redeem Avios for anyone. Instead, you generally must add the traveler through either the Family & Friends program or My List before booking an award for them.
Qatar has backed away from the most burdensome part of these restrictions. You no longer need qualifying flight or credit card activity to unlock either feature. But you still need to plan ahead, particularly because new accounts must wait 30 days and travelers added to either program generally face a six-month lock-in period.
Here’s how Qatar’s current rules work.
Qatar Drops Its Qualifying-Activity Requirement
When Qatar introduced these restrictions, members needed more than an account that was at least 30 days old. They also needed to credit an eligible Qatar Airways or partner flight to Privilege Club or complete a transaction with an eligible Qatar Airways co-branded credit card before creating a Family & Friends group or My List.
That caused significant problems for travelers who primarily obtain Qatar Avios through bank transfers or transfers from another Avios program. Neither option satisfied Qatar’s qualifying-activity requirement.
Thankfully, Qatar quietly removed that requirement around September 14, 2026. Qatar’s current published rules now list the 30-day account-age requirement but no longer require eligible flight or credit card activity.
This makes the process considerably easier. Still, Qatar hasn’t restored the previous ability to book awards for virtually anyone. Most members must use one of the following two options.
Track your Qatar Privilege Club Avios balance (and 600+ other
How To Book Qatar Awards for Other Travelers
Qatar provides two ways to add travelers for whom you want to redeem Avios:
- Family & Friends: Add up to nine people who aren’t already Privilege Club members and pool the Avios they earn into your account.
- My List: Add up to four adult travelers who already have Privilege Club accounts without pooling their Avios.
The better option depends primarily on whether the traveler already belongs to Privilege Club and whether you want to pool future earnings.
Family & Friends
The Family & Friends program allows a main member to invite up to nine people to join a group. Invitees cannot already be Privilege Club members. Instead, Qatar creates individual membership numbers for them after they join.
Children older than 2 may participate. However, travelers under 18 can join only if their parent or guardian is either the main member or another member of the group.
Other important restrictions include:
- The main member’s Privilege Club account must be at least 30 days old.
- New group members cannot leave or be removed for six months, except when Qatar approves an exception.
- Avios earned by group members go directly into the main member’s account.
- Group members earn base Avios but don’t earn Qpoints or tier-based bonus Avios.
- Only the main member controls and redeems the pooled Avios.
- Previously pooled Avios remain with the main member if someone later leaves the group.
Family & Friends can work well when you want to pool future earnings from children, a spouse, or occasional travelers. However, you can’t use it to combine balances that people already hold in existing Privilege Club accounts.
Related: Loyalty Programs That Offer Family Pooling
My List
The My List feature lets you add up to four adult Privilege Club members for whom you can redeem your Avios.
Unlike Family & Friends, My List doesn’t pool Avios. Each traveler keeps their own Privilege Club account and balance, while the list owner can use their Avios to book Qatar Airways or partner award flights for people on the list.
The principal rules are:
- The My List owner’s Privilege Club account must be at least 30 days old.
- Invitees must be Privilege Club members and at least 18 years old.
- The traveler must accept the owner’s invitation before being added.
- A member can belong to only one My List at a time.
- Family & Friends group members cannot be added to a My List.
- Members must remain on the list for at least six months.
My List is generally the better option when the traveler already has a Privilege Club account and you simply want permission to redeem your Avios for their flight.
Gold and Platinum Members Get More Flexibility
Qatar makes an important exception for Gold and Platinum members. According to the My List terms, these elite members can book award flights for people who aren’t on their My List, either online or through Qatar’s Contact Centre or Member Service Centre.
That effectively preserves much of Qatar’s old booking flexibility for top-tier elites. Unfortunately, it won’t help most occasional Qatar flyers or travelers who primarily obtain Avios through transferable-points programs.
Related: Qatar Airways
Which Qatar Pooling Option Should You Use?
Here’s the simplest way to choose:
- Use My List if the traveler is at least 18 and already has a Privilege Club account.
- Use Family & Friends if the traveler doesn’t have a Privilege Club account and you want their future Avios earnings pooled into your account.
- Use the Gold or Platinum exception if you hold qualifying elite status and want to book for someone outside your My List.
If you expect to book Qatar awards for other people, set things up well before you find award availability. The 30-day waiting period for new accounts and six-month lock-in rules make these options poorly suited to last-minute arrangements.
Bottom Line
Qatar Airways still places more restrictions on booking awards for others than it did previously. Most members must add travelers through My List or Family & Friends, and the invitation, account-age, and lock-in rules create additional friction.
Still, removing the qualifying-activity requirement is a meaningful improvement. Members no longer need to credit a paid flight or use a Qatar Airways co-branded credit card just to unlock these features. As long as your account is at least 30 days old, you can create the appropriate list and prepare to redeem your Avios for friends or family.
