Qatar Airways raises Avios surcharges substantially
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Qatar Airways Privilege Club has raised taxes and charges on Avios redemptions sharply last night in a ‘no notice’ move.
In general, around £125 per sector has been added to Business Class tickets.
This means a return flight with an aircraft change in Doha has risen by around £500 per person on longer routes.
EDIT: Qatar Airways has now rolled back some of the increase – click here to read
I haven’t had time to do a deep dive yet but here is one example.
This is Heathrow to Brisbane, priced a few months ago for an earlier HfP article:
As you can see, you were paying £613 plus 180,000 Avios for a return flight in Business Class.
Here is the same route priced last night:
Taxes and charges are now £563 per person, return, higher at £1,176.
If you nominally value an Avios at 1p, the overall implied cost has jumped from (£613 + £1,800) £2,413 to (£1,176 + £1,800) £2,976 which is an increase of 23%.
Suddenly those £1,900 return China Eastern cash tickets in Business Class between Amsterdam and Sydney look more appealing ….
Here is more pricing. Bangkok is now £899 return in Business Class (not sure what it used to be):
Return flights to Doha, because they are only one segment each way, remain cheaper at £499 return in Business Class:
If you’ve recently booked a Qatar Airways redemption and can compare old and new, please post in the comments.
ba.com is showing identical taxes and charges figures if you book through BA.
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (May 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 Card
30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express Credit Card
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 Credit Card
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 Card
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.
The American Express Business Platinum Card
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
The American Express Business Gold Card
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.
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