Qatar Airways Privilege Club extends tier status to 31 December 2022

Good news for members of the Qatar Airways Privilege Club, with the oneworld airline confirming to members that the validity of status tiers in the programme will be extended to 31st December 2022, in view of the continued difficulties around planning travel due to the pandemic.

This automatic extension will apply regardless of activity (or lack thereof), or the number of Qpoints you have accrued.

We understand that you may need more time to plan your travel and we want to ensure that matters beyond your control do not impact your tier status with us.

If you are a Platinum, Gold or Silver member of Privilege Club and your membership status is due to end before 31 December 2022, we’ll automatically extend your tier validity to 31 December 2022 on the day of renewal.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways was one of the first airlines to announce a status tier extension when the COVID-19 situation took hold, back in March 2020, with this latest reprieve marking the second one offered by the carrier.

Validity of unused lounge passes will also be extended to 31st December 2022. See here for full details of the extension, including a list of frequently asked questions.

Great news for status match members

If you took advantage of Qatar’s generous status match in May 2020 and took the opportunity to leverage your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer tier to unlock a year of equivalent oneworld status, this is really good news.

Like other accounts due to downgrade this year following a lack of travel, yours will also be extended for a second time, with a new expiry date of 31st December 2022.

Here’s how Qatar status matched most of our readers from the KrisFlyer programme way back towards the start of the pandemic:

Elite Silver	➔	Silver
Elite Gold	➔	Gold
PPS Club	➔	Gold
		Platinum
Solitaire PPS	➔	Platinum

Status matches were also offered at the same time for members of the following FFPs:

• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Turkish Miles&Smiles
• South African Airways Voyager
• Virgin Australia Velocity

The expiry date of your QRPC status level displayed at your online account or on the mobile app should now reflect the 31st December 2022 date, since those who matched but did not fly had a 31st December 2021 expiry prior to this extension.

What about next year?

When Qatar Airways launched its status match for frequent flyers in six different airline programmes, including KrisFlyer, it also offered a reduced Qpoints threshold for annual renewal to these new members.

Effectively, you’d need to accrue only half the usual Qpoints level to get another year at the same status level after June/July 2021.

It is not clear if this offer has been extended to allow you to now do so by 31st December 2022, or whether the regular tier renewal threshold will then apply, assuming a further status extension is not granted.

It’s probably safe to assume this particular benefit has been long forgotten!

Lounge access

The great benefit for most of our readers who status matched into the Qatar programme is of course lounge access at Changi (and globally) when departing on a oneworld carrier, like Malaysia Airlines.

There hasn’t been much to take advantage of over the last year, though things are starting to look up.

With more quarantine-free travel options, airlines are returning to Changi and the first oneworld lounge to reopen its doors since the start of the pandemic has been the Qantas Business Lounge in Terminal 1.

With your Gold and Platinum (oneworld Sapphire and Emerald) tiers extended through to the end of 2022 however, there’s even more hope that with the progressive return of travel you’ll also be able to use your shiny QRPC card to experience some of the following facilities at Changi on a future trip.

Lounge
		Gold	Platinum
Qantas Business (review)
Qantas First (review)
British Airways (review)
Cathay Pacific (review)		Departing CX only	Departing CX only

Access based on flying Economy Class on a oneworld operated and marketed flight (e.g. Malaysia Airlines Singapore to Kuala Lumpur under MH flight code).

In all cases you’ll be able to bring a guest with you into the lounge, provided your guest is also departing on a oneworld flight number.

One lounge you unfortunately won’t be able to use with your Qatar Airways status is the airline’s excellent Premium Lounge at Changi’s Terminal 1, even if it reopens in 2022.

This is strictly reserved for those flying in Business or First Class with a oneworld airline, and there is unfortunately no access based on frequent flyer status alone.

Qatar’s Qmiles are valuable again

In November 2020 Qatar Airways cut its award rates, bringing redemption prices on its flights back to pre-May 2018 levels (when an unannounced and significant devaluation occurred).

With no fuel surcharges passed on to its own members redeeming Qatar Airways flights since 2015, this is now among the cheapest redemption options from Singapore to Europe in Business Class, with the excellent Qsuite also on offer if you pick the right flights.

Here are some example redemption options using the programme, showing miles rates and taxes payable for redeeming on Qatar Airways flights one-way from Singapore using Qmiles, against some other programmes.

Qatar Business Class redemption from Singapore
FFP	Doha	London	Athens	New York
	50k +S$55	75k +S$66	70k +S$66	95k +S$95
	61k +S$422	70k +S$482	70k +S$482	90k +S$605
	62k +S$422	124k +S$482	84k +S$482	170.25k +S$605
	75k +S$422	119.2k +S$482	90k +S$482	159k +S$605
	82k +S$422	131k +S$482	131k +S$482	165k +S$605

As you can see even though you’ll pay slightly less to fly in Business Class from Singapore to London on Qatar Airways using Asia Miles, the fuel surcharge payable through that programme significantly increases the cash outlay to nearly S$500, compared to just S$70 using Privilege Club Qmiles.

This improved value in the programme, plus its activity-based miles validity policy meaning your Qmiles should never expire, has brought a whole new lease of life to the Qatar Privilege Club programme in recent times.

Qpoints and Qcredits will still expire

Qatar Airways has clarified that any Qpoints and Qcredits in your Privilege Club account will still maintain their original expiry date, which for most of our readers who status matched in mid-2020 means during June or July 2022.

Those who matched to Platinum status in 2020 should find they still have 60 Qcredits, while those with Gold status have 40 Qcredits, regardless of activity.

These can be used to:

• Upgrade flights (e.g. Economy to Business)
• Offset excess baggage charges
• Pay for award fees (e.g. change / cancellation)
• Obtain guest lounge passes

These benefits are only available when you fly Qatar Airways, not with oneworld partners.

For example, 33 Qcredits is enough to upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class on Qatar Airways between Singapore and Doha (one-way).

Qatar’s Privilege Club status extension last year wasn’t much use for most of our readers who had matched their KrisFlyer status in mid-2020, but this latest extension should hopefully come in far more useful during 2022.

With excellent oneworld lounges starting to reopen, even at Changi Airport, this is one status level it’s great to keep hold of.

Bear in mind that any Qpoints and Qcredits in your Privilege Club account will maintain their original validity date, probably expiring in mid-2022 for those who status matched in 2020, so you might want to try and use those to obtain a lounge voucher or for an upgrade prior to expiry.

(Cover Photo: Qatar Airways)