Joe McConnell
As first reported today by DansDeals, Qatar Airways has devalued some of the Avios points available on award flights on partner airlines, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Historically, Qatar Airways Privilege Club has been a popular, if somewhat niche, loyalty program for U.S. travelers, thanks in part to the low redemption levels for short-haul flights on Qatar’s U.S. airline partners. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. And what’s more, Qatar Airways made this devaluation without warning to its Privilege Club members. It’s just another reason why travelers should always consider diversifying the types of points and miles they earn and redeem, because devaluations like this happen all too often.
Here are the details on this latest hit, what passengers can expect, and how they can continue to reap the benefits of Qatar Airways Avios on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines short-haul flights.
Related: 5 Versions of Avios: When to Use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Devalues American Airlines and Alaska Airlines Short-Haul Awards
Qatar Airways uses multiple award charts (not published) for flights on various airlines.
While the airline hasn’t announced that it will change the chart used for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines awards, flight searches reveal that redemption rates for American and Alaska’s short-haul routes have actually increased. The cost of these flights in Avios has increased by as much as 64%, with the shortest routes seeing the most dramatic price increases. Here’s what we’ve been able to piece together.
| Flight distance | Sample flights | First cost (in Avios) | Current cost (in Avios) | Edit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles | From Charlotte to New York City with American
From Seattle to Portland, Oregon to Alaska |
6,000 economy
12,500 companies |
9,500 economy
20,000 companies |
+58%
+60% |
| From 651 to 1,151 miles | From Miami to New York City with American
From Seattle to Los Angeles to Alaska |
9,000 economy
16,500 companies |
13,000 economy
27,000 companies |
+44%
+64% |
| From 1,152 to 2,000 miles | From Miami to Chicago with American
Seattle to Minneapolis-St. Paul in Alaska |
11,000 economy
22,000 companies |
14,500 economy
34,000 companies |
+32%
+53% |
| From 2,001 to 3,000 miles | From Miami to Seattle with American
From Los Angeles to Newark, Alaska |
13,000 economy
38,750 companies |
16,000 economy
43,000 companies |
+23%
+11% |
That means even the shortest flights, like a 129-mile flight from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, will set you back at least 9,500 Avios each way.
The good news is that long-haul awards on American and Alaska, as well as redemption requirements for JetBlue flights, appear to be unaffected… yet. Since this reduction came without warning, it’s unknown if Qatar Airways Privilege Club plans to make any further changes to its award levels in the coming days. So if you were planning on booking something using Qatar Airways Avios, do it sooner rather than later.
For now, Qatar Airways award charts for flights on other partner airlines also remain unchanged.
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Related: Airlines You Can Book Using Avios: How to Maximise Your Points
What is the best way to use Avios?
While Qatar Airways award fares on these flights have increased significantly, in the broader context of points and miles, they are still relatively affordable.
British Airways Executive Club, which also uses Avios as its currency, has recently suffered a similar devaluation. British Airways’ award chart for Alaska and American Partner flights is structured very similarly to Qatar’s, except that each price point costs a few thousand more Avios.
| Flight distance | Qatar Airways cost (in Avios) | British Airways cost (in Avios) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 650 miles | 9,500 economy
20,000 companies |
12,000 economy
24,000 companies |
| From 651 to 1,151 miles | 13,000 economy
27,000 companies |
16,000 economy
32,000 companies |
| From 1,151 to 2,000 miles | 14,500 economy
34,000 companies |
18,000 economy
40,000 companies |
| From 2,001 to 3,000 miles | 16,000 economy
43,000 companies |
20,000 economy
50,000 companies |
If you plan to use Avios to book award flights on American or Alaska, you will still get the best prices if you book through Qatar Airways. However, depending on the award currencies you have, there may be better options.
For example, if you wanted to fly from Miami to Chicago, a one-way ticket on American Airlines booked through Qatar would cost 14,500 Avios in economy class or 34,000 in business class.
Or you could book the same flight on American for just 8,500 AAdvantage miles in economy or 26,500 miles in business class.
However, because American uses dynamic pricing, using AAdvantage miles may not always be the cheapest option. You’ll want to double check anyway.
AAdvantage miles are also among the most difficult frequent flyer miles to earn because the program has so few transfer partners (the same goes for Alaska Mileage Plan miles). You may find it easier to book award flights with Avios because you can transfer them from:
As mentioned, Qatar Airways has not, at the time of publication, changed its award chart for JetBlue flights, so you can still get great value for your Avios by booking short-haul flights on JetBlue. Here is the current award chart Qatar uses for JetBlue flights:
| Flight distance | Cost in Avios |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,100 miles | 8,500 economy
17,000 companies |
| From 1,101 to 2,000 miles | 13,000 economy
26,000 companies |
| From 2,001 to 2,800 miles | 18,500 economy
74,000 companies |
| From 2,801 to 3,700 miles | 25,000 economy
78,000 companies |
So, you could fly from Fort Lauderdale to New York (a 1,070-mile route) on JetBlue for just 8,500 Avios each way in economy class.
A similar route on American or Alaska would cost 13,000 Avios on Qatar Airways or 16,000 on British Airways.
When searching for routes to or from cities that Qatar Airways does not serve, the city or airport may not appear in the destination drop-down menu. Don’t worry, just enter the airport code in the destination box and click “Search”, and your flight options should appear.
Related: Best Credit Cards That Earn Avios: Which One Is Right For You?
In conclusion
Despite this devaluation, Qatar Airways Avios continue to be the cheapest type of Avios for booking award flights on Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.
British Airways’ award chart is more expensive than Qatar’s for these partner flights, and it’s much harder to book partner award flights on other airlines that use Avios (Finnair, Iberia, and Aer Lingus). You should also always double check the awards on American and Alaska’s sites if you have their miles to see if you can get a better deal that way.
For now, Avios collectors should keep their eyes peeled, as there could be more devaluations to come.
