Update:The offer mentioned below has expired and is no longer available.
Purchasing miles can be a good way to top up your balance for a redemption, though it doesn’t always make sense.
When they’re on sale, buying miles can also allow you to score an award flight at a discounted rate. While we don’t always recommend doing so, there are cases where this can make sense.
Qatar Airways is out with its newest promotion for purchasing Avios, which will give you a 40% bonus on purchased miles.
Let’s check out the promotion details and whether it’s worth taking advantage of.
Qatar Airways’ promotion allows you to get up to a 40% bonus when purchasing at least 3,000 Avios. There are other details of which you’ll want to be aware:
- Members must have at least 1 Avios in their account to purchase Avios.
- Promotion valid on Avios purchased through February 1, 2024
- Members can buy, gift, or transfer 250,000 Avios per calendar year
Is It Worth It?
If you max out this promotion, you’ll be purchasing a total of 250,000 Avios (+100,000 bonus Avios) for $7,071. This comes out to a purchase rate of 2 cents per Avios.
This is considerably more expensive than our valuation of Qatar Airways Avios at 1.25 cents per Avios, so it’s not necessarily a great deal.
However, there are certain situations in which buying Avios like this can be a good deal, especially since they’re interchangeable with British Airways Avios, Aer Lingus Avios, and Iberia Avios.
Take, for example, this round-trip Qatar Airways flight from Doha (DOH) to Male (MLE) in business class, which will cost $3,744:
Qatar’s own website shows saver-level award availability for these flights, so you’ll pay 70,000 Avios round-trip plus $299.80 in taxes and fees for these 5-hour flights.
You can buy 50,000 Avios through Qatar Airways for $1,414, receive 20,000 bonus Avios (70,000 total), and book your flight for a total out-of-pocket cost of $1,414. That’s almost a third of the cash price you’d otherwise pay!
In this case, deducting the cost of Avios and taxes and fees from the retail price, you’re also redeeming your Avios at a rate of 2.9 cents each, which is way more than you’re paying to purchase them.
Hot Tip:
Final Thoughts
It’s not always a good idea to purchase points, even when they’re on sale. However, there are some situations where it can make sense, especially if you’re able to leverage partnerships to reduce your costs. If you’re interested in purchasing Qatar Airways Avios with a 40% bonus, you’ll want to do so before February 1, 2024, when the promotion expires.
