Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used...
Edited by: Keri Stooksbury
With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
& Kellie Jez
Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...
121 comments
Shaun L Tobin
March 20, 2019
When using AA or Amex miles and flying from LAX through Doha, where are we able to fly on to, and what is the total mileage cost? I know that is vague but can we fly to CAI? IST? TLV? DAR? Great job with this blog. Extremely meticulous and well thought out.
Stephen Au
March 20, 2019
Hey Shaun,
If you’re talking about maintaining the same award price and flying through Doha, you’ll have to go through an award region that is at least as expensive as your transit region. Since Doha is in the Middle East, you can fly to a different city in the Middle East or Africa. You can’t end up in Europe, for example, since Europe is a cheaper region.
Praneeth Kottapalli
March 23, 2019
Great article Stephen. Thanks for all the valuable info.
Between me and my wife we have accumulated about 600k AA points (accrual from credit card spend/bonuses and purchased miles when they were offering steep bonuses). We have started planning our next vacations to take benefit of Q suites and have currently booked RT tickets on Qatar to JNB.
The question I have is, am having great difficulty in finding any award availability in Nov from DFW to Hyderabad (HYD) on Qatar or even DFW to Qatar. Is it generally the case?
Does Qatar release more award seats on AA in the future ? How does that work ?
Stephen Au
March 25, 2019
Hey Praneeth,
Thanks for reading. Award availability on Qatar is best from Chicago, Los Angeles, or Houston. You can try to search there or just continue to look for availability. Qatar QSuites is generally pretty attainable with award availability, but you just have to be a bit creative.
They may release more seats closer to departure (within 1 week of departure). Thanks for your support.
Kate Groenhagen
April 02, 2019
Great article! Thank you for the information. My husband and I are trying to fly the QSuites RT from Chicago to CPT (or anywhere honestly) in February 2020 but we want the middle section. I called AA to book with MileSAAver points, but all of the middle section seats were booked or blocked off. Do you know if I book a window seat through American if I can call and change my seat with Qatar to the middle section? Do they typically block them or do we think they are actually booked up 10 months in advance? Thanks for your help!
Stephen Au
April 02, 2019
Hey Kate,
Yes, Qatar Airways typically blocks off most of the middle seats. They open up these seats closer to departure. Since almost all of the middle seats are blocked, there’s a high probability that you will be able to get a pair of seats when you check in at the airport.
Ricardo
May 01, 2019
I had the same issue with blocked seats……
Couldn’t picked middle seats on AA or Qatar Air website….
Solution- I googled Qatar Air USA number gave them a call and was able to book the middle seats…took about 3 minutes to complete.
Hope this helps
Stephen Au
May 02, 2019
Hey Ricardo,
Calling Qatar Airways is one of the best ways to reserve your seats. Thanks for sharing!
Chris Wyatt
April 14, 2019
Wow, I want to know more about that epic trip using Asia Miles. I may have to get another Amex card to top off my balance for something like that!
Stephen Au
April 17, 2019
Hey Chris!
We definitely consider all the options and and there’s tons of ways to get huge, outsized value (we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in flights)!
Thanks for reading!
Amrit Melwani
May 05, 2019
Hi Stephen,
so for what you mentioned was a “complex itinerary”, we call Asia Miles, and ask them for mile requirements for the aforementioned 6 flights, wont they see each individually which could end up costing a small fortune ?
thanks
Stephen Au
May 07, 2019
Hey Amrit, you’ll need to tell them that you want to book a “oneworld multi-carrier reward flight”. You also want to make sure that there’s award availability for all your flights in your desired cabin class before calling. You can do so via ExpertFlyer, for example.
Andrew
April 17, 2019
Does BA&AA use married segments with QR? Also, it seems to me that what AA shows on its calendar doesn’t match what BA shows on its calendar. LAX-SEZ shows 4 J awards seats on 3/13/20 via AA but BA doesn’t show that? Phantom? Or is AA’s calendar more reliable than BA’s. Or is there a glitch for QR on BA.com?
Stephen Au
April 17, 2019
Hey Andrew, it’s a well-known issue that British Airways’ search engine has difficulty with connecting flights.
To get around this, you can search individual segments and cross reference with Qantas. Thanks for reading!
AA is relatively reliable for QR flights. But BA will still be best.
Rich
April 29, 2019
My wife and I flew Q-Suites BOS-DOH for 70k AA miles per ticket then Doh-ICN for 40k per ticket, spent a couple hundred bucks and flew from ICN to Jeju island then Jeju to Tokyo… Then we splurged and flew home JAL first class NRT-BOS for 80k AA miles per ticket.
Petty incredible that both of us had 2 Q-Suite flights and JAL First Class for 190k AA miles a piece…
Adi Makhija
May 31, 2019
This is an awesome article. Thank you for the detailed information. I tried booking QSuites back in Feb 2019 from Delhi back to US and I am trying to do the same for Labor day weekend, but neither BA not Qantas is showing any availability. Also, Qnatas usually doesn’t display DOH as a starting point. Any suggestions? I am trying to fly on Sep 2 from DEL-DOH and DOH to PHL or JFK or DFW. We are two passengers and I can’t wait to try the QSuites, if I can. I can use AA miles or JAL (tranfer from Marriott)
Stephen Au
May 31, 2019
Adi,
As is the case with all excellent business class products, you’ll need to be flexible to successfully book. If not, you’ll have to plan very far out in advance (~11 months out). Use BA to search from Doha since Qantas won’t show any flights FROM Doha. If you fly TO Doha, you can use Qantas to search. Otherwise, stick with BA and AA. Thanks for reading!
Raju
June 10, 2019
I’m planning to travel to India in May 2020. I’ve 71K Citi points & 48K Capital One points. If I transfer to Asia Miles, I would have around 107,000 miles. I would like to visit an Asian country like Singapore or Hong Kong. Can you please help me book a oneway business class ticket to Hyderabad via Singapore, Hong Kong or any other country to spend 2 to 3 days en route to Hyderabad, India?
Jarrod West
June 23, 2019
Hi Raju,
What city/country would you be starting your itinerary from? Knowing that will make all the difference in determining what routing will be possible for you with the number of points you have. Have you seen our post on the best ways to fly to India with points and miles? You can check it out here: /best-ways-to-fly-to-india-with-points/
Ambarish Vachhani
June 18, 2019
I am planning to travel LAX-DOH in NOV and trying to use AA miles to book QSuites but i am not able to find any flights. Somehow i am not able to find any flights from any of the US airports. I even called the AA and it was not showing for them as well. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to proceed?
Stephen Au
June 18, 2019
Hey Amabarish,
As always is the case, you need to be as flexible as possible. QSuites are a very hot product, and many travelers plan up to 11 months in advance. If you’re looking for November flights (5 months away), you won’t have much luck. Best advice: Plan further out in advance or look again within 1-2 weeks of departure. Thanks for reading!
Michae
July 02, 2019
BA and AA are not showing any direct flights from LAX-Doha. They are all routing to Europe first with a connection to Doha. Any idea what the issue is?
Stephen Au
July 02, 2019
Hi Michae,
Award availability is always subject to the airlines’ rules and inventory. As such, we always suggest to keep look for the itineraries you want and be flexible with dates. Thanks for reading!
Kyah
July 19, 2019
Hey guys,
I’ve had a one-world award trip planned for many months now but at the crucial time of booking for an approx June/July 2020 trip I can’t find a single DOH-JFK flight in business available for awards. Is it possible that these are so rare that unless I’m there the moment they open they are all being booked by someone else. Literally can’t find any dates at all – even in the months prior.
Stephen Au
July 21, 2019
Hey Kyah,
Thanks for reading. There’s something weird going on with Qatar Airways QSuites availability on North American routes right now. Please keep trying and hope for the best. Thanks!
Ruy
July 31, 2019
I have been looking for QR space for any flights back to the US from Doha for April of next year and I have found zero availability for the first three weeks. Something is certainly going on.
Lindsey Jensen
August 06, 2019
Is there a time limit between stopovers/open jaws for a oneworld multi-carrier award? I’m trying to get from KUL – FRA (via DOH) and have onward travel to other European / African destinations over the next 6 months (I’m traveling full-time). Wondering if I can combine them — i.e. book the KUL – DOH – FRA over a couple of days in October, then book another routing (say, VLC – CPT) 3 months later
There’s no mention of it in their rules
https://www.asiamiles.com/en/terms-and-conditions/service/flight-award-oneworld-multi-carrier-awards.html
Stephen Au
August 06, 2019
Hey Lindsey,
No restrictions besides the fact that all travel must be completed within 1 year of ticket issue.
Kristina
August 08, 2019
Great article and very helpful as I’m planning our trip to India. Any idea why the Boston route is listed only until October 25th, 2019? Our trip is after that; do you anticipate the route being discontinued? Wondering if flying out of JFK might be the safer option to ensure Q suite. Thanks!
Stephen Au
August 09, 2019
Hi Kristina, the QSuites is currently showing past October 25, 2019 via ExpertFlyer’s Seat Map. If you have ExpertFlyer, I would highly encourage you to check the schedule prior to booking again. Thanks for reading.
Kristina
August 16, 2019
If I go to pretend book on the exact day and flight number I want in January on Qatar’s own website, it is showing QSuites. Will ExpertFlyer be more reliable even than that, or is it safe to assume availability? Thanks so much again.
Stephen Au
August 16, 2019
Kristina,
We don’t suggest searching for availability using Qatar Airways’ website. The reason why is because they might reserve more QSuites for their own loyalty members. Unless you’re planning on booking using Qatar Airways Qmiles (which is a terrible idea), then we would suggest using AA or BA to search.
kevin
August 27, 2019
I’ve been checking AA’s website very day for 331 days out…Business awards show up at midnight (Dallas time or LA if that’s the departure city), and the Qatar Business awards show available, with flight numbers and times. When I select a flight and click “Continue” the system comes back with “the flight you selected is no longer available”. Yet, if I search again (all day long) those flights show available until midnight the next day, when the process starts over. This is true for all US gateway cities (JFK, IAD, ORD, etc). Am I missing something? Are these seats really available?
Andrew Kunesh
August 27, 2019
Hi Kevin, good question. You may want to try to call American Airlines to book these award tickets. Unfortunately, they have a history of failing when being booked online, despite the seats actually being bookable. Rest assured that this is a pretty quick process over the phone.
rodrigo v
August 28, 2019
Stephen…. i’ve been trying to get the Qsuites for DAL-DOH and when i clickin the business/first Milesaver for 70k, when the flight show up it Will only display flight to DOH via LHR. When i click on economy milesaver then it Will show flight QR730.. do you know why? Not even in the first milesaver 115k would it let me (here it sends flight to FRA)
Stephen Au
August 30, 2019
Rodrigo,
You need to find availability in the cabin that you want. So, finding economy awards on a specific flight doesn’t mean business or first class will be available. In fact, most flights will always have economy availability, but very few will have business or first. You’ll need to search harder for real non-stop award availability.
Rahul
August 31, 2019
1) BA has no direct flights to Doha from any USA airport available on QATAR, i tried all airports (starting from Cleveland BUT searching from PHL/IAD/IAH/LAX/ORD etc to DOH) and no direct flights available from USA To DOH from tomorrow to as far as searching in 2020 that BA website allows. All flights go via LHR and it’s either BA on one or both legs…. If Qatar is there for LHR to DOH, Qsuites are not available. Something has to be wrong……Even called AA directly and agent on phone could not see any Business class seats at all…..Either something is wrong/has a glitch…or am i missing something?
2) From DOH to AMD (Ahmadabad) or Mumbai, again no Business class award seats available from tomorrow till May/June/July 2020…..Guess all freebies have snatched them i guess (When freebies/sale is there, U will see Indians like “flies on open sweets”
Pardon the Sarcasm but if there is an issue, let us know as neither BA search or AA website/phone call is finding any direct USA flight to DOH under Business award seat/Qsuites, nor is any Business seat available from DOH to AMD or MUM……..annoying and frustrating it is
Stephen Au
August 31, 2019
Hi Rahul,
Please remember that QSuites are among the most competitive in the world to book using points and miles. If you can’t find any award availability far in advance. The best move is to book availability close-in just before departure.
Cities such as Houston and New York City (JFK) tend to have better award availability.
William Barlow
September 14, 2019
I have had the same issue trying to book business class on Qatar. The AA website will show it is available and then when I try to book it says there is an error and doesn’t allow me to book it. I am trying to book dates that are just coming into their system. I have called AA multiple times and they have been no help either. Someone told me it might be phantom space but when I have tried to book an economy ticket on flights from different departure cities to DOH I get the same error message. It always shows me the flight is available up until I actually try to book it. It sounds to me like Qatar isn’t really a partner with Oneworld. If they aren’t allowing people to book an award with AA miles then why are they even listed as a partner. It makes no sense to me.
GD
September 07, 2019
Hi Stephen, thanks for the wonderful article again. I have a question: I want to travel in December from LAX to ATQ (Amritsar) on Qatar Qirways. The flight goes from LAX-DOH-ATQ. I have 180,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points that I can transfer to British Airways Executive Club. But I am not able to find any reward flight. How can I find the connecting reward flight for this route. Thanks!
Stephen Au
September 09, 2019
Hi GD,
Unfortunately, the airlines very carefully regulate the number of award flights. Many of these people who booked these long-haul flights in amazing business class seats plan a full year in advance. Although your chances of getting that flight are slim, you can keep searching on British Airways or use American Airlines to view a monthly calendar.
More award seats might be released a few days before departure, but it’s unlikely. Thanks for reading.
Young traveler
October 20, 2019
Hi. I bought a one-way economy ticket from Chicago to Kuala Lumpur on Qatar Airlines. Can I use my friends’ or my AA miles to upgrade to business class?
Christine Krzyszton
October 21, 2019
Hello. You can use AAdvantage miles to upgrade on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights but unfortunately you cannot use them to upgrade on Qatar.
Sean
January 16, 2020
Hi Stephen!
I realize this is an older post, and I’m sorry for keeping the thread going. From what it looks like, QR availability really does seem to be hit/miss (leaning more on the miss side). I’m trying to book two QSuites seats for the last week of December 2020/first week of January 2021, using AsiaMiles (as part of an RTW ticket (last leg is KHI-DFW via DOH)). Is 11 months out still the best timeframe to book? I have a daily search scheduled on AwardNexus via both BA and AsiaMiles, but no dice so far.
Thanks again for such a helpful and thorough writeup.
Stephen Au
January 22, 2020
Sean,
The best advice is to book closer to departure. You’ll notice a good wealth of award space opening up on some routes, such as Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Chicago (ORD), and Boston (BOS).
Deb B
March 25, 2020
RE: Chicago to SJJ (Sarajevo) on Qatar. If your destination is actually Europe, would your AA miles cost be 70,000 in biz (The mid-east coast) or some lesser amount? Thank you.
Stephen Au
March 29, 2020
Hi Deb,
You’re actually not allowed to transit through a more expensive region when using AA miles. If you want to book ORD-DOH-SJJ, you’d have to split it up into 2 separate flights. You’ll pay the individual prices for each flight. That means 70,000 miles plus 42,500 miles for the entire itinerary.
Eric
May 22, 2020
Are there Qsuites on the Miami route? Got some biz class seats on hold, but how to confirm that?
Jarrod West
May 25, 2020
Hi Eric,
When is your flight and what type of plane are you scheduled to fly on? QSuites routing from MIA to Doha is scheduled to operate from August 1 through October 24, 2020, on the A350-1000.
Meghan
August 27, 2020
Are all ORD-DOH QR 725/726 flights Qsuites, even if Qatar’s site doesn’t identify them as Qsuites? I’m seeing those flights on the. 777-300ER. Does it mean they’ve been retrofitted and maybe the system hasn’t caught up to that yet?
Stephen Au
September 09, 2020
Hi Meghan,
To figure out if the 777-300ER you’re looking at has QSuites, you’ll want to look at the seat map. I’m almost 100% sure that your flight has QSuites. If there are 4 seats across in a 1-2-1 configuration for the 777-300ER, you’re looking at QSuites. If there are 6 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration for the 777-300ER, you’re looking at an older business class, though this plane is usually only flown for shorter routes.
Hope this helps!
Sarah
September 28, 2020
Hello!
Looking to book the easiest Qsuites US-MLE route, doesn’t matter which airport I’m departing from in the US. I just can’t get AA to give me availability, keep getting errors no matter what route (ORD/PHL/JFK/etc). Do I have to book US-DOH separate from DOH-MLE? I hope not, trying to do this for the 140k AA miles in biz and I thought the route qualified for that…thanks!
Stephen Au
September 30, 2020
Hi Sarah,
For this specific route, you’ll need to find availability on both segments. Then and only then will you be able to book the U.S. to Male in business class.
Unfortunately, Doha to Maldives is rare to find.
But if you feel like you’d get value from a service that will optimize your award travel and offer ultra-personalized points wealth management, please feel free to contact me directly at stephen@upgradedpoints.com to inquire about a monthly subscription service as little as $97 per month
Carmelita Valera
November 22, 2020
Thank you for the wealth of information here. What I’m really interested is using Asia Miles for 6 countries, 6 airlines itinerary. I will be retiring Oct 2021 and will have more flexibility, i currently don’t have all the miles needed yet. I am working on Chase UR points and Amex rewards. When is the best time to start looking for award availabilities for travel starting Dec. 2021 into 2022?
Also, does the itinerary allow for stopovers on each of those countries or side trips? While in HK, I would like to fly to Philippines and visit family before continuing to the next destination.
Stephen Au
November 22, 2020
Hi Carmelita,
Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for reading!
When it comes to planning a multi-country itinerary as you’re describing, it’s important to note that every airline releases award availability differently.
It’s all about juggling many different trends to maximize success.
To answer your question about the stopovers/side trips, yes, stopovers are allowed in almost all situations. Because these are round-the-world trips, the airline almost expects you to stop for at least a few days to explore the new country!
After all, what’s the point in flying all over the world if you can’t see new cultures and have new experiences on the ground? 😉
If you’d like to look into an award planning or booking service, please reach out to me directly at stephen@upgradedpoints.com, and we can discuss some options that would fit you.
Thanks!
Ronald Gene Robinson
November 26, 2020
So I cannot book with AA miles from DFW to BKK?
Jarrod West
November 27, 2020
Hi Ronald,
Yes, you can use AA miles to fly from DFW to BKK.
Prabhu
September 15, 2021
This doesn’t seem to be working anymore. British Airways or AA does not show Qatar Airways on their bookings 🙁 It does not seem to be a proper way to use AA miles to book Qatar.
Stephen Au
September 16, 2021
Hi Prahbu,
We can confirm that these 2 booking engines still work for Qatar Airways Qsuites searches. Keep searching! And remember, you can always pick up the phone to book your ticket if you find online availability but can’t seem to redeem your miles online.
Kartik
October 04, 2021
I have 80,000 American Airlines points and would like to fly from Washington DC, USA to Mumbai, India in Business Class in December 2021. What would be my best bet? I have been trying for months to book via AA since they offer business class seats from the US to India @ 70,000 point miles on Etihad or Qatar, but cannot find anything. Can you please help me find another alternative? Thank you very much in advance.
Stephen Au
October 11, 2021
Hi Kartik,
Unfortunately, you’re searching way too late in the game. During this time, there are blackout dates for the second half of December. On top of this, most of the award availability that is going to be released has already been released and booked by other travelers.
The best thing you can do is hope that Qatar Airways opens up more award space. Etihad Airways isn’t searchable on AA’s website, so you can use ExpertFlyer or Aeroplan’s website.
Pete
December 22, 2021
Looking at DFW-BKK in Oct 2022, ideally Q-Suite all the way.
Have about 300k AA points (and 1M Amex)…looks like my best bet is DFW-DOH on AA points, then just book the DOH-BKK with cash due to lack of reward availability, anyone disagree? I want to get the flights booked early so I can plan the rest of the trip, so can’t really gamble and leave it to the last minute.
We flew DFW-MLE on Qatar (amazing!), but had the points go to AA, rather than Qatar. It got us Platinum for another year, but if I’m planning on more travel with Qatar over the next few years, is it better to just get QMiles?
Stephen Au
December 28, 2021
Hi Pete,
Everybody’s travel plans are different — ultimately, it’s always better to get plans confirmed earlier than later (hopefully, you agree).
Qmiles are much less valuable than AA miles, but the value of each elite status is subjective. Again, it’s a judgment call on your end, but AA miles can be redeemed for more value.
Pete
December 25, 2021
Hi Stephen
I booked Economy on Qatar Airways , I want to upgrade to Qsuite for my family of 4 as a one time experience, Should I call Qatar Airways for upgrade? we have plans on FEB-6 & MAY -01 . what’s the best way to get Qsuite ( IAD –> DOH–>BLR )? Please let me know.
Stephen Au
December 28, 2021
Hi Pete,
It depends on your ticket booking class. Some tickets are upgradeable, and others are not. If you booked the economy ticket using AA miles or any other points besides Qatar Qmiles, your only shot is to pay for an upgrade at the airport. That’s because if you redeemed AA miles, the ticket is issued by AA, not Qatar. Qatar cannot touch any tickets issued by other airlines, including for upgrades.
Sam T
December 26, 2021
Hi,
Any idea why AA website doesn’t show Qatar airways flights from BOS-BOM? I get QR flights in results when I try to book BOS-DOH but not for BOS-BOM? Does AA website only show QR flights for flights originating/ending in DOH?
Stephen Au
December 28, 2021
Hi Sam,
You’ll need to find availability on each segment separately on back-to-back dates, since AA doesn’t allow stopovers. First, search BOS-DOH. Then, search DOH-BOM. Then, circle the dates with availability as a continuous itinerary. Those are the available dates for redemption.
M Brown
January 11, 2022
I am so lost! Looking to book ATL-DEL via DOH at the end of the months and really wanted to do it with points. Only have a bunch of Amex points and for whatever reason my brain is so confused! Can you help?!
Stephen Au
January 18, 2022
Hi M Brown,
You need to plan further in advance if you want any chance at booking these Qsuites flights with points. You are probably not seeing any availability because there is none. We recommend following the instructions in this guide and planning further out in advance.
Steven Block
January 24, 2022
Looking for Qsuite to BKK for family of 5 Oct 2022, from any of options in US. How difficult to find a flight for all 5 on same flight? Will be very difficult to arrange lodging, tours, etc, and have to cancel week prior if the other seats do not open up.
Stephen Au
January 30, 2022
Hi Steven,
It’s doable, not impossible. But you’re already planning a bit too late for an early October departure date. That’s around 8 months before departure, but the ideal timeframe to start is 11 to 12 months before departure. I would recommend being flexible and searching for multiple date ranges and departure cities. Good luck!
Mave
March 14, 2022
Hi,
I want to try and book Qsuites for a trip I have booked for next March. I see that AA is the best way to do that, and while I know there are no flights for March yeat (only up to early Feb of next year), I want to be prepared. Is there a certain time they release these award seats and how fast do they go? Is it completely random when they do? I’m trying to either fly from SFO or LAX. my reservation is for Monday-Friday so I would need to take a Saturday flight here to land there on Monday. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you
Stephen Au
March 16, 2022
Hi Mave,
The best way to succeed here is to check back frequently. AA has access to Qsuites up to 331 days before departure, so I would calculate what exact date you should start looking and confirm it immediately from there. However, Qatar Airways has a reputation of adding more flights than it truly intends on offering, so be prepared to re-book or change your booking if they cancel your flight closer to departure.
Origami
March 27, 2022
Quick note: Qatar Airways seat maps include Q Suites for Seoul, South Korea (flights 858/859), as do some other points/miles sites (verified QR 3/27/22). Seat Guru does not, not sure if ExpertFlyer shows this. Nevertheless, the “current” QSuites flight list might need to be updated.
R
April 02, 2022
Amex to Aer Lingus Avios (+40%) limited time, Avios to Qatar and book directly? any advantage/disadvantage?
Jarrod West
April 09, 2022
Hi R,
I’d recommend transferring to British Airways over Aer Lingus. In terms of booking through BA or Qatar directly, if you’re just trying to fly QSuites to Doha, you should see the same pricing regardless of which program you book through. If you’re looking to layover in Doha, and then travel on to another destination, the pricing is often better by booking through Qatar directly. Safe travels!
Braulio
April 18, 2022
Hi Jared,
I did this too, I transferred MR points to BA for the 1.4 rate till May 15th 2022. Qatar said that I need 150000, for a business class round trip ORD – DUBAI. So I transferred my avios to Qatar. Then while booking thru Qatar, I found out that points needed is 322,000 so I’m confused why it is expensive. Then I see some flights at BA that requires only 150000 with Qatar Airlines. My question is can I transfer back again to BA my avios? Thank you
Jarrod West
April 18, 2022
Hi Braulio,
Yes, you can transfer your Qatar Avios back to British Airways to book the cheaper ticket.
Keith Lewis
April 25, 2022
Hi Stephen,
I have recently found Qatar and Qantas business availability through Avios (and Qantas), and called AAdvantage reservations for booking, only to be told each time, that flights not displayed on AA.com are ineligible for booking through AA (period). Please advise.
Thanks,
Keith
Stephen Au
May 19, 2022
Hi Keith,
I would recommend feeding the flight numbers manually to an experienced AAdvantage reservations agent. They should be able to help book these flights. Sometimes, AAdvantage doesn’t have access to the same availability as other airlines do.
Jon
November 17, 2022
I get that response all the time too, even if I provide flight numbers etc.
matt
April 30, 2022
Hi, Anyone know if there is a way to book with a layover in DOH and fly 2 classes of service via points. Call Qatar?
Stephen Au
May 19, 2022
Hi Matt,
If you are booking using AAdvantage miles, simply call AAdvantage and ask to book a mixed cabin award itinerary. You’ll then feed the agent the flight details and they should be able to help.
However, different frequent flyer programs have different rules about mixed cabin bookings, so this only works for certain frequent flyer programs.
Christine Flowers
July 09, 2022
Hi Stephen,
This article was extremely helpful; however, every time I try to book a one way flight from SFO or LAX to DOH in September, Qatar Airways wants to charge me 140000 Avios instead of 70000. What am I doing wrong? Many thanks for your insight.
Jarrod West
July 11, 2022
Hi Christine,
There must be saver award space available on the dates that you want to fly in order to book the 70k pricing. Keep in mind that this availability on popular routes can be booked up quickly, so you’ll want to book as far in advance as possible.
Alfredo Parker
August 08, 2022
Hello!
Love the article. Wanted to fly from MIA to DOH on a qsuite but was confused having so many different sources for points. I have 70k bonvoy, 200k chase ultimate, and 60k Amex points. I’m guessing bringing them all to bonvoy and then to British airways or American is the best way? Saw that bonvoy was 3:1 via avíos. Or maybe go straight to British or American? Any recommendations on how I can maximize my points to get the best deal for a qsuite?
This is amazing article btw!
Jarrod West
August 15, 2022
Hi Alfredo,
Your best option would be to transfer your Amex or Chase points directly to British Airways at a 1:1 rate, and then link your British Airways account to Qatar. Then you can easily book a Qsuites ticket through either program depending on the availability for your dates.
Mei
August 17, 2022
Have you ever seen Business award availability on last minute flights ? Planning a last minute LAX-DOH next month. Thanks!
Jarrod West
August 22, 2022
Hi Mei,
Yes, you can certainly find last minute award availability at times.
David Walter
November 15, 2022
Expert Flyer doesn’t help with BA or Qatar. Do we know why?
lisa
April 04, 2023
Trying to upgrade to qsuite on an AA flights serviced by Qatar and neither party are able to assist. I have October travel to Maldives via Dallas, returning through JFK. Any idea how I can get one of the seats?
Jarrod West
April 05, 2023
Hi Lisa,
Just to clarify, did you book through Qatar using Avios or AA using AAdvantage miles?
Kara
April 18, 2023
I keep finding saver award availability through British airways, but when I search for the same flights on Qatar Airways they are never there. Qatar will not show me any non-stops :/ Any advice?
Jarrod West
April 19, 2023
Hi Kara,
Try calling the Qatar customer service team and giivng them the dates, times, and flight number of what you are seeing on British Airways, then they should be able to book it manually for you using your Qatar Avios.
Cat
July 12, 2023
Hi, I’m looking at LAX->DOH on Qatar Airways and in the calendar it says from “70000 Avios +$$”, but when I click the Business choice it shows up as being 140k Avios instead (one way 1 person.) Am I doing something wrong or it 70k only for certain flights?
Jarrod West
July 12, 2023
Hi Cat,
After clicking on the date, when the results come up, are you sorting by the lowest priced flights? Sometimes BA will default to “recommended flights” and hide the lower priced flights toward the bottom of the page.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
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