How to get cheaper Avios flight redemptions to the Middle East by exploiting the 3,000 mile rule

When you redeem Avios on a British Airways partner airline, the points cost of your flight is based off a separate pricing chart.

This is it, as from June 2019 (click to enlarge):

It is marginally, but only marginally, more expensive in terms of Avios than redeeming for a British Airways flight.

Because it is driven by distance, and because the gap between Avios pricing bands can be substantial, there are often good savings to be made if you leave the UK to start a redemption.  As an added bonus, you will save on long-haul premium cabin Air Passenger Duty too.

Before we go on, you should note that – as you won’t be flying British Airways if you start a redemption outside the UK – you hit two problems:

• you can’t use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher as that is only valid on BA flights

• you will be charged peak Avios pricing every day, as off-peak pricing only applies to BA flights

If these are not problems for you, read on.

I thought I would focus on the Qatar Airways flights to Doha today as an example, in case you are thinking of slotting in a quick break before the weather in Europe improves.

However, even if you have no interest in a Qatar Airways trip to Doha, the same principles can be used with other Avios partners.  For example, Cathay Pacific redemptions to Hong Kong require fewer Avios from some European cities because it pushes you into the lower price band.

Going back to my Middle East example, the good news for Avios collectors is that:

• Qatar Airways is a British Airways Avios earning and spending partner

• Qatar Airways now flies to pretty much everywhere in Europe 

• Qatar Airways has an excellent reputation for its premium cabins

• Qatar Airways releases at least FOUR business class seats per flight

There is, of course, a big downside.  Due to the continuing blockade of Qatar by the UAE and others, it is not possible to (easily) connect from Doha to Dubai, Abu Dhabi etc.  If you follow the tips in this article, you will be holidaying in Doha.  It IS still possible to fly to Oman on Qatar Airways from Doha.

Heading to the Middle East, the key cut-off point is 3,000 miles:

• 3,000 – 4,000 miles (which includes the UK), a Business Class return to Doha is 124,000 Avios return on a partner airline

• below 3,000 miles, a Business Class return to Doha is 77,500 Avios return on a partner airline

Here is a map showing you a 3,000 mile radius from Doha:

Any Avios redemption on Qatar Airways booked from a city inside the red line to Doha will price at 77,500 Avios return instead of the 124,000 Avios it would cost from London.

Here are some Qatar Airways departure cities that are close to the red line and which are in most cases easily accessible from UK regional airports, as well as Heathrow:

• Berlin
• Budapest
• Copenhagen
• Frankfurt
• Geneva
• Gothenburg
• Helsinki
• Kiev
• Milan
• Munich
• Nice
• Pisa
• Prague
• Rome
• Vienna
• Warsaw
• Zagreb
• Zurich

Here is an example of business class pricing to Doha, return, using Avios:

• Frankfurt to Doha, Business Class – 77,500 Avios + £448

• Copenhagen to Doha, Business Class – 77,500 Avios + £442

• Rome to Doha, Business Class – 77,500 Avios + £400

If you REALLY want to do it on the cheap, try starting in Turkey.  Istanbul to Doha is under 2,000 miles so the Avios pricing is:

• Istanbul to Doha, Business Class – 44,000 Avios + £252

It is important to check the aircraft type.  Qatar Airways is using short-haul planes on some niche European routes, although most of them still have flat bed seats.  From the cities above you will get a long haul aircraft, except for Istanbul where one of the daily services seems to be an A320.

The taxes are not cheap, unfortunately.  Whilst you will be saving a lot of Avios, you won’t be saving much on the taxes once you’ve added in the cost of getting to your starting point.

If you are interested in this idea, I suggest doing an open-jaw trip.  Fly out of one European city and back to a different one.  Tack on a bit of sightseeing in both.  This gives you two mini-breaks either side of your Middle East holiday, as well as saving you a lot of Avios.

You can learn more about redeeming Avios on airline partners in our beginner’s guide to spending Avios points here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

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

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

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