There’s some unwelcome news to report for frequent flyers redeeming award seats on Qatar Airways, with the airline replicating the strategy of its partner British Airways in applying seat selection fees for those redeeming miles to book Business Class tickets, including for the Qsuite.

The new fees were first spotted on the FlyerTalk forum earlier this week, and subsequently picked up by Travel-Dealz and Thrifty Traveller.

We’ve since confirmed the changes apply to new Business Class award bookings made from 3rd November 2025 onwards.

How much does it cost?

Qatar’s new seat selection fee isn’t cheap. On a sample booking from Singapore to London, the fee stands at S$129.40 per sector (approximately US$100).

The seat selection fee is non-refundable, even if you cancel or change your flight.

That increases a one-way Business Class award on this routing from 75,000 Avios + S$349 in taxes and fees to 75,000 Avios + S$608 in taxes and fees – a substantial 74% increase in the cash portion.

Luckily you can skip seat selection at the booking stage and not pay the additional fee.

You’ll then have to try your luck when online check-in opens at T-48 / T-24 hours., but you can always log on to your booking to see which seats are still available, then if it’s starting to look very tight take the plunge and pay up before then.

Who’s exempt from the new fees?

There is no seat selection fee for:

• Awards ticketed on or before 2nd November 2025, including for any subsequent seat changes
• Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald members
• Business Flexi awards (but those cost 2x the usual Avios rate!)
• Seat selection when online check-in opens (T-48h for most flights, T-24h for USA flights)

We can confirm that existing Business Class redemptions booked before the 3rd November deadline remain unaffected – our two bookings in the next 12 months, one made just days before the cutoff for travel from Europe to Singapore in October 2026, still allow unlimited seat changes without any fees applied.

Bringing awards closer in line with the cheapest cash fares

The change brings Business Class award tickets and Business Class upgrade awards (Qatar’s U fare code) in line with the airline’s Business Classic fare bucket as far as seat selection is concerned, with fees applying until online check-in opens.

However, there’s some good news: unlike Business Classic cash fares, which don’t include lounge access, award tickets will continue to offer complimentary lounge entry.

Business Classic fares were introduced by Qatar Airways in November 2020, and back then there was a brief scare that all their terms were being ported over to award bookings, but it turned out to be a miscommunication – let’s hope the lounge access element now stays that way!

Following BA?

British Airways, also part of the IAG Group of which Qatar Airways is the largest shareholder, has been charging for seat selection in Business Class for years, including for award redemptions using Avios points.

Finnair, another Avios ecosystem member, also charges for seat selection in Business Class on its cheaper fares but currently spares award redemptions from the fee.

However, we’ve noticed that Qatar Airways services operated by Finnair between Helsinki and Doha (QR flight number, but Finnair aircraft) are already charging for seat selection on Business Class Avios award redemptions, since they follow the marketing carrier’s rules.

Another fee in Qatar’s growing list

From our perspective, this is just another “junk fee” being added to Qatar Airways award bookings.

The airline reintroduced its award segment fee in April 2022, adding hundreds to award costs despite not passing on fuel surcharges directly, which saw those 70,000 Avios + S$68 Business Class awards to Europe hiked closer to S$300 on the cash portion.

It then hiked that fee again in September 2024, meaning awards from Singapore to Europe already require a substantial S$350 cash outlay on top of Avios – though to be fair, the Avios redemption rates remain competitive and haven’t changed in five years.

Do you need seat selection in Qatar Business Class?

Knowing exactly which seat you’ll be flying in, and choosing it in advance, used to be a given in Business Class (heck, even in Economy not that long ago). But with the growing trend of fare “unbundling”, the lowest Business Class fares on many airlines now exclude this once-standard perk.

As a solo traveller on a Qsuite-equipped aircraft, I honestly wouldn’t mind skipping seat selection and taking my chances. Every seat in the solo configuration offers excellent privacy anyway.

Even for couples, unless you’re set on one of the rear-facing honeymoon pairs with the divider down, two solo suites elsewhere in the cabin may not be a deal-breaker, assuming none of those pairs remains available at online check-in.

However, if you’re keen to sit together, want a window seat, or are flying on one of Qatar’s older Business Class layouts that don’t offer quite as much privacy, paying for seat selection on an award ticket may now be the only option left – and sadly it’s no longer a cheap one.

What can you do?

Short of skipping seat selection during booking and taking your chances at check-in, or forking out double Avios for a Flexi award (which we don’t recommend!), your only real workaround is to attain Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status. That will restore complimentary seat selection, even on bookings made after 3rd November 2025 where you initially opted out.

As a small consolation, Qatar Airways does offer modest seat selection discounts for its Privilege Club members: 10% for Burgundy (entry-level) members and 20% for Silver members, even though neither tier qualifies you for the Sapphire (Gold) or Emerald (Platinum) benefits.

Qatar Airways’ introduction of seat selection fees for Business Class award tickets marks another way for the airline to erode award value, without actually increasing the number of Avios needed for a redemption.

It follows the reintroduction of award segment fees in 2022, and their subsequent increase in 2024. While the Avios redemption rates themselves remain competitive and unchanged for five years, the cash component continues to creep upward, making these awards progressively more expensive – and therefore poorer value.

The per sector fee is particularly painful on multi-segment itineraries for multiple passengers, where costs would quickly spiral. On a return trip from Singapore to London via Doha, you’re looking at an additional S$518 just for the privilege of choosing your seat in advance – and that’s when travelling on your own!

For those without elite status, the strategy now is clear: skip seat selection at booking, monitor your flight’s seat map as the departure date approaches, and either grab a seat when check-in opens or reluctantly pay the fee if the selection starts to look too tight.

It’s not an ideal situation, but it beats paying hundreds of dollars in fees upfront.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)