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Qatar Privilege Club has become a solid loyalty program. From Qsuite bookings to sweet spots on partner bookings, there is a lot of value to be found. Plus, the ability to transfer Avios readily among several airlines means it is easy to acquire the currency needed to book through Qatar.
Qatar Airways has made a change, though, that could make booking through Privilege Club a little more difficult. Qatar members will soon be limited in the number of people they can book award flights for using their Avios. Let's dive into the specifics.
Qatar Changing Requirements for Booking Friends and Family
Currently, you can book an award flight with Qatar for anyone; all you need is the traveler's identification info. Citing fraud issues, Qatar is changing the process.
Qatar now has stricter rules on who you can book awards for with your Avios. The new process is more limiting and confusing. You can now only book awards for persons in your “Family and Friends” or “My List” groupings. What do each of those entail?
Family & Friends program
This existing program allows members to invite six members,(ages two and up) into a family pool. These invited members cannot be part of the Privilege Club, but will receive a membership number when accepted into the group.
Children under the age of 18 can only be added to the Family & Friends group if their parent or guardian is either the main member or a group member. The main member may then redeem Avios for award flights for any of the group members in their Family & Friends group. This group does allow the pooling of Avios among members, while the My List” feature below does not.
Related: Loyalty Programs With Family Pooling
My List
This new feature allows members to create a personalized list of up to four individuals for whom they can redeem Avios when booking award flights. This follows the same “invite and accept” process as above.
To be invited to join the “My List,” you must already be a Privilege Club member and be 18 years or older. Members can be part of only one My List at a time and not be part of an existing Family & Friends group. Members added to a My List must remain in the list for a minimum of six months from the date they are added to the list.
Also note that Privilege Club accounts are subject to a 30-day account maturity period before members are eligible to create a My List, so brand-new accounts must wait before forming a list.
These restrictive changes are set to go into effect in early June, but a specific date has yet to be announced.
What This Means
Qatar Airways is tightening control over who members can redeem Avios for, replacing the program’s previously open-ended booking flexibility with a more restrictive “Family & Friends” and “My List” system.
For most travelers, the new limits probably won’t be a dealbreaker. Being able to redeem awards for up to 10 other people will still cover many families and small travel groups. But the added friction — invite requirements, account setup rules, waiting periods, and separate pools with different restrictions — undeniably makes the process more cumbersome than before.
If you regularly use Qatar Privilege Club miles to book flights for extended family, friends, or clients, it’s worth understanding these new rules now. Going forward, booking Qatar award flights may require a bit more planning and coordination than it used to.
