Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is the loyalty program of Qatar Airways and a member of the oneworld alliance. Its most consequential design choice was currency. In March 2022 Qatar retired its own Qmiles and adopted Avios, joining a currency bloc that then covered British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling. Finnair followed in March 2024 and Loganair in March 2025, taking the group to seven programs. Members can move Avios between all of them at a one-to-one rate and pool them for redemptions.

Spending and status use different currencies. Avios are earned and redeemed for flights and upgrades, while Qpoints, earned on flying, drive the tier ladder of Burgundy, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, with oneworld recognition attached. In 2024 the airline widened the Avios earning and redemption network with partners including IndiGo and China Southern.

The lesson for an enterprise operator is the strategic weight of adopting a shared currency. By moving to Avios, Qatar traded sole control of its points economy for membership in a larger currency bloc that makes its miles more liquid and more useful to members who also fly British Airways or Iberia. For a brand deciding between a proprietary currency and joining an established one, Qatar shows that shared liquidity can outweigh the value of standalone control, especially when partners are already close.