British Airways reinstates Qatar ‘R’ class earning – so check out the Qatar Airways 2-4-1 sale

Yesterday was a fairly chaotic day on Head for Points, but all ended well.

British Airways claimed that it was a mistake that it announced that Qatar Airways ‘R’ class (discounted business class) tickets would no longer earn Avios or tier points – a mistake repeated by BA’s social media and call centres.  By the end of the day, ba.com had been adjusted and ‘R’ class tickets were again officially qualifying for Avios and tier points.

This means that we can look at the current Qatar Airways ‘2 4 1’ business class sale today.

As usual, the best deals are to be had if you start outside the UK.

Remember the following guidelines:

As this is a 2-4-1 sale, you need two or four to be travelling to get the prices quoted

These flights all involve changing in Doha.  This means that you earn tier points and Avios on four segments.  For flights to Asia, you will earn 560 tier points return (140 x 4) as long as each flight is over 2,000 miles.

Qatar Airways has a wide range of aircraft in its fleet.  The hugely impressive current generation business class seating will definitely be found on the Boeing 787, Airbus A350 and Airbus A380 aircraft.  As this is a 2-4-1 sale, however, you will also be perfectly happy on the Boeing 777 fleet because of the two-abreast seating.

My review of Qatar Airways A380 business class is here, 777 business class here and 787 business class here.

These pages have a summary of the best deals for the main European departure hubs.  I recommend taking a look at each based on where you want to fly:

Qatar Airways Stockholm deals (Singapore SEK 11,730)

Qatar Airways Helsinki deals (Phuket €1,130)

Qatar Airways Germany deals (Johannesburg €1,229; Dubai €1,019)

Qatar Airways Oslo deals (Bangkok NOK 10,500)

Qatar Airways Paris deals

Qatar Airways Amsterdam deals  (Tokyo €1,519)

Qatar Airways Brussels deals (Maldives €1,580)

In most cases you must book on the Qatar Airways website by Monday 7th November and travel between 15th November and 15th June.

Get an extra 5% saving on flights from the UK

There is no doubt that the best deals are available from continental Europe.  However, if you are happy to pay extra for the convenience of starting from a UK airport then there are some offers out there.

Here are a sample, priced per person based on two travelling:

Dubai – £1320 (Edinburgh)

Goa – £1390

Bangkok – £1620

Kuala Lumpur –  £1650 (Edinburgh)

Seychelles – £1840

Maldives – £1750

Cape Town – £1950

More UK deals can be found here.

Book your Business Class Qatar Airways sale flight from the UK via this page and you will receive a further 5% discount.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

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.

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 Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.