How to Book Qatar Airways Avios Awards

Prepare the account before you search

Only someone who is both a British Airways Club member and a Privilege Club member can become a Linked Member, and the linking terms set a minimum age of 18 [1]. Linking is what allows Avios to be moved between the two accounts and lets a member see a Total Avios Balance, defined in the terms as the sum of the two account balances [1].

The personal details on both accounts — first name, last name, date of birth and email address — must match before the link will work [1]. Linking starts from ba.com, qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways app through the "Link your account" option, and it cannot be done offline [1]. That option becomes available 30 days after the account creation date [1]. Once the link succeeds, each programme sends a confirmation email to the address registered on its account [1].

Limits apply: only one Privilege Club account and one British Airways Club account can be linked at any time, and a Privilege Club account can be linked to a British Airways Club account at most twice in any 50-year period [1]. Members may unlink at any time through the same online channels [1]. Security checks can appear along the way, because British Airways uses multi-factor authentication and Privilege Club uses one-time passwords, and a member may be asked to complete both during linking, movement of Avios or redemption [1].

Split at checkout, or move the Avios first

Spend across accounts without moving anything. Under the linking terms, linked members may redeem Avios from either or both linked accounts for award tickets or Cash + Avios without moving Avios first, and that feature is not available offline [1]. At checkout the member picks one of three deduction orders: in proportion to each account's balance, Privilege Club first with any remainder taken from the British Airways Club account, or British Airways Club first with any remainder taken from Privilege Club [1].

Combine the balances first. Avios can also be moved between the two accounts in either direction with no fee, and the terms set no minimum or maximum number of Avios and no limit on the number of movements, although the two airlines reserve the right to impose limits where fraud is suspected [1]. Moved Avios are credited to the target account immediately at 1:1 and are available to use, and if a move has not completed within 24 hours the member is told to contact British Airways or Qatar Airways [1].

Two restrictions matter here. Only the Main Member of a Privilege Club Family Programme can move Avios to their own British Airways Club account [1]; the Family Programme pools Avios earned by up to ten family members — a Main Member and up to nine Family Members — in the Main Member's account [1]. Separately, a member of a British Airways Club household account can link their own membership number to Privilege Club if they are over 18, but only their individual balance of Avios can be moved [1]. Once Avios have been moved, the terms of the programme holding them apply [1].

Top up when the balance falls short

Privilege Club lets members buy, gift or transfer Avios in blocks of 1,000, with the price depending on how many Avios are bought in a transaction [2]. To buy, a member must have earned at least 1 Avios since enrolment, and a minimum balance of 1 Avios is needed to buy, gift or transfer [2]. Buying, gifting and transferring combined are capped at 250,000 Avios per calendar year, purchased or transferred Avios are not refundable and post within 72 hours, and they do not count towards qualification for any improved status [2]. Purchases are made only online through the member's account, and the programme says these services are no longer processed through ticketing offices or contact centres [2].

A separate boost option multiplies Avios already earned with partners and on Qatar Airways operated and marketed flights in the previous 90 days, by up to six times, for a fee [2]. Boosting is capped at 250,000 Avios per calendar year, each eligible transaction can be boosted only once, the member needs at least 500 Avios collectively earned from eligible transactions, and boosted Avios are not refundable [2]. Excluded from boosting are Avios transferred in from other airlines, bonus Avios, Avios transferred or gifted by other members and previously bought Avios [2].

After booking: changes, refunds and a comparison

Changes and refunds of award tickets and Cash + Avios tickets made under the linking arrangement are supported offline only [1]. When such a ticket is refunded, all the Avios return to the member's Privilege Club account, and the member can then move them to the British Airways Club account while the accounts remain linked; if the accounts were unlinked before the refund was issued, the Avios cannot be moved unless they are re-linked [1]. Avios have no fixed or par value and cannot be redeemed for cash [1]. Cash + Avios is a part-payment product that saves up to 50% of the cash amount on flight tickets purchasable with Qatar Airways, which is a different thing from an award ticket [1].

British Airways publishes its own rules for its Reward Flights, and they show why the operating airline and fare matter: they apply to bookings made with British Airways, not to Privilege Club awards [3]. A British Airways Reward Flight pairs an Avios amount with a fixed cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges, whereas on partner-operated Reward Flights the cash amount is variable rather than fixed [3]. On ba.com the search shows British Airways availability first and then partner availability [3], the Avios needed for partner flights may differ from British Airways' own pricing depending on route and distance [3], and British Airways asks members to call its contact centre for help booking a specific partner [3]. Changes and cancellations there are subject to availability and a small service fee, and a cancellation must be made at least 24 hours before the first flight to be eligible for a refund [3]. Those figures and conditions should not be read across to Privilege Club awards [3].

Exceptions and what is not published

• Missing details. Any specific figure seen elsewhere is unverified against these sources.
• Partner access. The linking terms define award tickets only as tickets issued under the Privilege Club terms and conditions, and they do not list which airlines may be booked with Privilege Club Avios or on what terms [1]. See the partner award booking checklist for questions to settle before relying on partner space.
• One link at a time, twice in 50 years. A member cannot hold two simultaneous links, and a Privilege Club account that has been linked and unlinked twice in a 50-year period cannot be linked again under these terms [1].
• Offline gaps. Both spending from two linked accounts at checkout and moving Avios between them are unavailable offline, so these steps need a working online session and, where prompted, the authentication factors of both programmes [1].
• Two expiry clocks. Privilege Club Avios expire under Privilege Club terms and British Airways Avios under British Airways terms, so a combined balance can hold Avios with different expiry dates [1]; the comparison in Avios programmes compared sets out how the schemes differ.

Related pages

Programme profile: Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Guides: award search workflow, how to book British Airways Club awards, partner award booking checklist, Avios programmes compared. Terms: award availability, award routing rules, and the full glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Three pages were checked — Qatar Airways' Privilege Club Avios linking terms, its buy, gift and transfer page, and British Airways' Reward Flights page — and Qatar Airways' award chart, surcharges and partner redemption rules were not among them. Other Avios programmes are not covered here; see Avios programmes compared.

1. Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Avios terms and conditions (linking with British Airways Executive Club), checked 18 October 2026
2. Qatar Airways Privilege Club: buy, gift, transfer and boost Avios, checked 18 October 2026
3. British Airways: Reward Flights when spending Avios, checked 18 October 2026