Last day for the great Qatar Airways sale deals – and Etihad launches its own sale

Today is the last day to book the excellent deals currently available in the Qatar Airways UK sale.  For certain destinations, the pricing is unprecedented for UK-departing business class flights.

Don’t forget the bad news though.  Qatar Airways flights earn British Airways Avios and tier points. Fly with them to Asia in Business Class and you would get you 560 tier points (4 flights x 140 each) which is 90% of a BA Executive Club Silver card.  It is a great opportunity.

Last month, Qatar brought in a new ticket ‘class’ for cheap business class seats, ‘R’.  These sale flights book into ‘R’ class.  British Airways has been slow to update its partner list and if you click here and then click on the Qatar logo you will see that ‘R’ class tickets will only earn Avios and tier points if BOOKED after 1st May.

I am not 100% convinced by this.  However, the rule as it is written on ba.com (and the BA call centre is reiterating this) is that you would need to BOOK after 1st May and, of course, that isn’t possible as today is the last day to book.

If you book one of these deals, you are taking a risk that you will get nothing in British Airways Executive Club.  The best you could do is credit the flights to Qatar Airways Privilege Club but you would be nowhere near earning equivalent status.

The UK sale home page on the Qatar website is here.   You can book for travel until 31st March 2017.

Here is a reminder of the best deals:

Edinburgh to Dubai – £880

Birmingham to Phuket – £980

Edinburgh to Maldives – £1,130

Edinburgh to Bangkok – £1,140

Edinburgh to Singapore – £1,200

Birmingham to Perth – £1,425 (the advertised price of £1,230 does not seem to exist)

London to Dubai – £1,250

There are lots more deals where these came from.  I recommend taking a look at the Qatar sale page here.  The main booking page is here.

Look below for a £1,300 fare to Australasia though …..

Etihad launches its own UK business class sale

Etihad has launched a UK sale in competition, although the prices do not compare in most cases.  That said, the Etihad product is excellent – especially if you can get onto the Etihad A380 Business Class Studio which I reviewed here.  I honestly think it is the best business class product out there.

You must book by 28th April for travel between 9th May and 28th February 2017.

Here are some sample prices in Business Class:

London to Colombo – £1,838

Manchester to Melbourne – £2,680

London to Abu Dhabi – £1,505

Edinburgh to Mumbai – £1,540

Full details of the UK sale deals can be found on this page of the Etihad website.

If you are willing to start outside the UK, you may be interested in an Istanbul to Sydney Business Class sale fare that Etihad is currently selling – just $1,927 (£1,332).  If you select the A380 to Sydney from Abu Dhabi then this is a fantastic fare.  It can be booked via the UK Etihad site.

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How to earn Etihad Guest miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Etihad Guest does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Etihad Guest miles.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Etihad Guest miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Etihad Guest mile.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Etihad but with any airline.