Qatar Airways offering 25% bonus for Citi points transfers

Just last week we wrote about a new transfer bonus from Citi Miles or ThankYou Points in Singapore to the Qatar Airways Privilege Club programme, allowing you to net 30% more Avios than usual when converting for the first 10 days of the month.

The airline has now extended the offer through to 30th November 2023, but with a lower 25% bonus now in force for the remainder of the promotion. If you successfully transferred from Citi between 1st and 10th November 2023, don’t worry – a 30% bonus is still on the way for you.

While this new 25% rate obviously isn’t quite as good, it still allows you to achieve great value Qatar Airways redemptions, like Business Class from Singapore to Europe for the equivalent of only 56,000 miles transferred from credit card points.

Oneworld awards like Qantas from Singapore to Perth in Business Class for the equivalent of 31,000 miles transferred are also possible with this deal, as is a partner redemption on Bangkok Airways from Singapore to Koh Samui for the equivalent of just 4,800 miles.

Unfortunately Qatar Privilege Club (QRPC) does have award surcharges of US$35 to US$70 per sector, which spoils the value slightly, but still makes it well worth considering, especially with a bonus like this running.

Better still, a recent reduction in Oneworld and partner award costs of up to 60% opens up a wide variety of great awards on other carriers, plus you can still switch your Avios across to British Airways 1:1 instantly and fee-free, for additional options you can search and redeem online.

25% bonus miles offer

For transfers made between 11th November 2023 and 30th November 2023, Qatar Airways will award:

• 25% bonus Avios for any total transfer equivalent to 1,000 Avios or more

from selected bank and credit card partners, with no upper cap.

That means for transfers of 1,000 Avios or more, which is virtually all conversions from bank points, the whole amount gets a 25% boost.

Here’s how it works:

• Log in to the rewards account that you have with your bank.
• Choose to convert your reward points into Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios.
• Enjoy 25% bonus Avios credited to your Privilege Club account.

Note that bonus Avios will not be awarded instantly.

You may have to wait until 14th January 2024 before receiving the bonus miles as a separate transaction. The bonus will also not be reflected by your bank during the transfer process itself (Qatar Airways is giving you the bonus, not your bank).

That’s disappointing, since it will be no use to those hoping to use the bonus to jump on a redemption ticket in the coming weeks, or even one you have your eye on in the coming months (will it still be available in mid January?).

Full terms and conditions for the transfer bonus are available here.

Citi to Qatar Privilege Club

Qatar Airways is partnering with no fewer than 18 banks around the world during this transfer bonus, but for those of us based in Singapore only Citi is included. The programme’s other local partners, HSBC (T1 card) and Standard Chartered, haven’t made the list this time round.

Citi Miles, earned exclusively through the Citi PremierMiles card in Singapore, usually transfer into Qatar Privilege Club at a 1:1 ratio.

With this offer you’ll get 12,500 Qatar Avios for every 10,000 Citi Miles converted instead (1:1.25 ratio).

Transfer Ratio Citi Miles    QR Avios 10,000 : 10,000 10,000 : 12,500

Citi ThankYou Points (TYPs), earned through cards like the Citi Prestige and Citi Rewards, usually transfer into QRPC at a 2.5:1 ratio.

With this offer you’ll get 12,500 Qatar Avios for every 25,000 Citi TYPs converted instead (2:1 ratio), as shown below.

Transfer Ratio Citi ThankYou Points    QR Avios 25,000 : 10,000 25,000 : 12,500

Citi Miles transfer into Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles at a 1:1 ratio and Citi ThankYou Points at a 2.5:1 ratio, the same as the regular Qatar conversion rates, so this 25% bonus for Qatar it’s definitely worth considering if you think you’ll use Qatar (or BA) Avios in the near future.

QRPC applies award surcharges

When it shifted to using the Avios currency, Qatar Airways rather sneakily reintroduced a carrier-imposed booking fee on award redemptions, in addition to the taxes and fees normally payable, and of course in addition to the unchanged Qmiles (now Avios) redemption rates themselves.

Surcharges apply sector-by-sector and are applied at the rates shown below:

• Economy: US$35
• Business / First: US$70

The problem for most of our readers is that the sector-by-sector nature of the additional charge means paying at least twice for a redemption from Singapore (e.g. to Europe) and then twice again on the way back home if you’re also using Avios on Qatar for the return trip.

For a round-trip Business Class award (e.g. SIN-DOH-MAD-DOH-SIN) that’s potentially an additional US$280 (~S$380) cash outlay per person, compared to previous charges.

Very few people are merely going from Singapore to Doha and back, in which case the surcharge would only be applied once for a one-way award and twice for a round-trip.

Business Class to Europe from 56,000 miles

For our readers based in Singapore, one of the best value redemptions on Qatar Airways is to Europe and back in Business Class.

Here’s an example of how you can use this 25% bonus to fly from Singapore to Athens and some other cities in Business Class on Qatar Airways for just 56,000 Citi Miles + S$260 in taxes.

QRPC
Business Class redemptions from Singapore
(one-way)

Route
	QR Avios	Citi Miles (25% bonus)	KF Miles
Singapore Doha	50,000 +S$160	40,000 +S$160	n/a
Singapore Athens	70,000 +S$300	56,000 +S$300	n/a
Singapore London	75,000 +S$300	60,000 +S$300	103,500 +S$65
Singapore New York	95,000 +S$360	76,000 +S$360	111,500 +S$89*

* S$127 if routing via FRA

As you can see, a transfer of just 56,000 Citi Miles to Qatar Privilege Club is enough to net you 70,000 Avios in the programme, including the bonus, enough to get you from Singapore to Athens via Doha in Qatar Airways Business Class with around S$260 in taxes and fees to pay.

That shorter Europe zone also includes destinations like Bucharest, Sofia and Mykonos.

For longer Europe flights like London and Paris, a transfer of 60,000 Citi Miles into QRPC will be enough to redeem in Business Class at the 75,000 Avios rate (usually 103,500 miles with KrisFlyer!).

Singapore – USA trips in Business Class don’t normally represent a huge saving using Avios on Qatar Airways versus KrisFlyer on SIA, but with this bonus running you’d only need to transfer 76,000 Citi Miles for such a routing – a great deal compared to 111,500 miles under KrisFlyer.

While a transit in Doha may be inconvenient, do remember that Qatar Airways is serving many cities in Europe and the USA which require a transit anyway when you fly with SIA – like Madrid or Washington.

Qatar does not impose any pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for transit passengers at Doha Airport, so you’ll only be subject to the requirements for your final destination (if any). That means travel to all of Europe, Canada and now even the USA is test-free for fully vaccinated passengers.

Qatar has slashed its Oneworld and partner award rates

Back in June we revealed that Qatar Airways Privilege Club had cut Avios award costs for redemptions on Oneworld and partner airlines by up to 60%, matching its chart with the British Airways one.

That now allows you to redeem good value short-haul redemptions on other Oneworld carriers and partners at the BA Avios rates, which are far better than the old Qatar Avios rates when used to redeem Oneworld flights directly.

Here are some examples of the good value partner redemptions you can now unlock with the programme’s revalued award chart by transferring Citi Miles (or Citi TYPs) to Qatar Avios with a 25% bonus.

QRPC
Business Class partner redemptions from Singapore
(one-way)

Route			Using KrisFlyer orAsia Miles
	QR Avios	Citi Miles (25% bonus)
Singapore Kuala Lumpur (MH)	12,500 +S$76	10,000 +S$76	24,000 +S$65
Singapore Colombo (UL)	22,000 +S$191	17,600 +S$191	43,000 +S$65
Singapore Perth (QF)	38,750 +S$105	31,000 +S$105	40,500 +S$86
Singapore Melbourne (QF)	62,000 +S$101	49,600 +S$101	68,500 +S$87
Singapore Tokyo (JL)	62,000 +S$209	49,600 +S$209	52,000 +S$65
Singapore Helsinki (AY)	92,750 +S$87	74,200 +S$87	70,000 +S$87
Singapore London (QF)	108,250 +S$79	86,600 +S$79	103,500 +S$65

Qatar’s Avios Economy Class pricing for Oneworld partners is also worth looking at here, with the following examples representing good value versus a KrisFlyer Saver Economy or Asia Miles award.

BA Avios via QRPC
Economy Class redemptions from Singapore
(one-way)

Route			Using KrisFlyer orAsia Miles
	QR Avios	Citi Miles (25% bonus)
Singapore Kuala Lumpur (MH)	6,000 +S$76	4,800 +S$76	8,500 +S$65
Singapore Koh Samui (PG)	6,000 +S$126	4,800 +S$126	10,000 +S$126
Singapore Colombo (UL)	11,000 +S$191	8,800 +S$191	20,000 +S$65
Singapore Perth (QF)	13,000 +S$105	10,400 +S$105	21,500 +S$86
Singapore Melbourne (QF)	20,000 +S$101	16,000 +S$101	30,500 +S$87
Singapore Tokyo (JL)	20,750 +S$209	16,600 +S$209	27,000 +S$65
Singapore Helsinki (AY)	31,000 +S$87	24,800 +S$87	40,000 +S$87
Singapore London (QF)	35,000 +S$79	28,000 +S$79	42,000 +S$65

This includes the cheapest option for redeeming miles from Singapore to Koh Samui, at the equivalent of just 4,800 miles transferred during this 25% bonus offer.

We’d definitely snag Singapore to Perth in Qantas Economy Class on a daytime A330 flight with the great 2-4-2 configuration – perfect for couples by the window – at 10,400 Citi Miles each way (Singapore Airlines wants more than double the number of KrisFlyer miles).

It also works for transfers to BA Avios

Since Qatar Airways shifted its frequent flyer currency into Avios, the loyalty points of the IAG Group in which the airline has a 25% stake, these frequent flyer points aren’t only good for redeeming only on the airline itself.

You can now easily link your British Airways Avios and Qatar Airways Avios accounts together (see this guide) and make unlimited instant transfers back and forth between the two.

This allows you to tap the same good value short-haul redemptions on other Oneworld carriers at via the BA Avios site, which allows online searching and booking for most partners.

Transferring resets the expiry clock

Since July 2020, Qatar’s Qmiles (now Avios) work on an activity-based expiry policy, meaning any earning or redemption will ‘reset the clock’ for all Avios in your account – keeping them alive for another 36 months (as with BA Avios).

That means any credit card points you transfer during this campaign will be valid for three years, even if your account is empty right now. Alternatively a transfer will not only top up any existing Avios, but then ensure your entire balance is good for another three years.

Do note that transfers between Qatar Avios and British Airways Avios do not reset the expiration clock (that would be too easy!).

Remember the lead time

One important condition for this promotion is that you won’t receive a 25% bonus for Qatar Avios credited to your account after 30th November 2023, even if the transfer from your bank was initiated before that date.

“If the Avios, which your Bank Rewards Points were converted into, are credited to your Privilege Club account after the period during which this offer is valid has passed, you will not earn bonus Avios under this campaign.”

Qatar Airways

It’s therefore vital to allow sufficient time between initiating the transfer at the bank side and the closing date of this offer.

Our recent conversions of Citi Miles in Singapore across to Qatar Privilege Club have seen the miles credit to the account between two to three days after initiating the transfer.

Other bank transfer partners are included

If you have credit card points in banks outside Singapore, don’t forget this Qatar Privilege Club offer is open to a variety of partner banks.

Options here include Citi points accrued in Australia, Indonesia and the USA, or with HSBC in Hong Kong (but not HSBC Singapore, for TravelOne cardholders).

For a full list of the bank partners included in this offer – click here.

Is Privilege Club trustworthy?

Here’s perhaps the biggest concern with this otherwise great deal.

Qatar Airways has previously devalued its Qmiles overnight, without notice, by a whopping 40% (and on some routes by 80%).

That has always led us to recommend that QRPC is not a frequent flyer programme to trust with a large miles balance in your account for too long.

We would only recommend transferring miles if you have a specific redemption in mind to book in the near future, even with this bonus rate on offer.

The ability to combine your Avios 1:1 with your British Airways account does hopefully provide some partial insurance here, since even if Qatar Airways devalues its own awards you should still be able to tap good value Avios redemptions in the region.

Qatar Privilege Club has extended its transfer bonus offer through to the end of November 2023, with a reduced 25% bonus for those transferring from partner bank reward points into Avios, though only Citi in Singapore is included.

While that’s not as generous as last year’s 40% bonus offer, there are still great value long-haul and regional awards available using Avios points, some of which we’ve outlined above.

If you’re going to take advantage, build in a good lead time for the transfer to complete before the cutoff. Qatar’s terms are quite clear – if the base miles land in your account on or after 1st December – no bonus for you.

As always, we do advise you to have a redemption plan in mind before too long, given Qatar’s history of decimating its own redemption rates without notice.

Will you be transferring your Citi points into the Qatar Privilege Club Avios during this deal? If so, let us know which routes give you good value in the comments section below.

(Cover Photo: Qatar Airways)