Over the weekend, Qatar Airways Privilege Club made some unexpected changes to its award redemption fees.

You’ll now have to pay more in carrier-imposed fees as you travel further distances, with up to $250 (USD) now added on as an award redemption fee.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Changes Award Redemption Fees

Qatar Airways has made some unexpected changes to the carrier-imposed fees that you have to pay when redeeming Qatar Airways Avios for bookings.

As of September 15, 2024, Qatar Airways has changed how it charges fees on reward tickets. While you were previously charged based on the number of segments flown, you’ll now be charged based on the total distance you fly. In other words, the further you travel, the more expensive a redemption will be in cash.

The airline states that surcharges on some rewards have decreased by up to 15%, some have remained unchanged, and some have increased.

Initial fees released over the weekend were exorbitant, showing surcharges of $500 (USD). The airline has corrected what we can only assume was an error and has since lowered the redemption fee amount, still in some cases it will cost you $250 (USD) more on ultra-long-haul bookings.

Under the new system, it looks like the award redemption fee for ultra-long-haul routes is $250 (USD) in Qsuites business class, while the fees for long-haul routes in Qsuites business class are $200 (USD), $150 (USD) for ultra-long-haul economy bookings, and $100 (USD) for long-haul economy. Note that these fees are on top of the usual government-imposed taxes and fees.

We’ll dive into some examples of before-and-after redemptions below.

Booking Qatar Airways Flights with Points

One of the primary reasons to book through Qatar Airways Privilege Club is the access you have to more award availability on Qatar Airways flights than you do in other programs like American Airlines AAdvantage or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

After these changes, you’ll still have better access to awards through Privilege Club, but you’ll wind up paying more than you used to just last week.

For example, earlier this year, a one-way flight from Montreal to Bangkok via Doha in business class could be booked for 95,000 Avios plus $301.15 (CAD):

Now, those same flights cost the same amount in Avios (95,000), but $472.51 (CAD) in taxes and fees. While that’s a fairly substantial increase, it’s likely not enough to dissuade people from booking long-haul journeys with Qatar Airways.

Similarly, a one-way flight from Montreal to Doha used to cost 70,000 Avios plus $164.05 (CAD) in taxes and fees.

Now, the same flight costs 70,000 Avios plus $354.81 (CAD).

For comparison, a one-way flight from Montreal to Doha costs 70,000 AAdvantage miles plus $61.27 in taxes and fees…

Or 70,000 Alaska miles plus $74 in taxes and fees.

Of course, the drawback is that you’ll have much better odds of finding long-haul award seats in business class through Privilege Club than you will through AAdvantage or Mileage Plan.

The timing of this unexpected redemption fee change is interesting. Not only was Qatar Airways recently named the world’s best airline (again), but just last week its travel rewards program, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, was ranked number one in the Middle East by points and travel reward search platform point.me.

In response to the rewards program ranking, Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Thierry Antinori said “this recognition reinforces our position as leaders in customer loyalty, driven by our vision to offer our members rewards, benefits, and experiences that are unparalleled in the industry. We remain committed to staying ahead and continuously bringing new ideas and innovations to our Privilege Club members.”

Less than one week after the ranking and Antinori’s comments were published, the redemption fee changes were unveiled.

Conclusion

Qatar Airways has made some changes to its redemption fees, and while the airline has since “corrected’ or “rolled back” the initial steep fee hike, it’s still going to cost you more in redemption fees the farther you travel.

Depending on your itinerary, you’ll now have to pay up to $250 (USD) more for redeeming your Avios for Qatar Airways flights.

While these fees aren’t as punitive as what other loyalty programs charge for premium-cabin redemptions, and it’s likely not enough to dissuade would-be travellers from booking Qsuites, the unexpected hike is sure to not sit well with many Qatar Airways loyalists.