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Privilege Club membership tiers · Tier points per flight

Qatar Airways Privilege Club elite status explained

Qatar Airways Privilege Club status is decided by Qpoints, a separate count from your Avios. Earn 150 Qpoints in any 12 months for Silver, 300 for Gold or 600 for Platinum, with at least 20% of them (or four flights) on Qatar Airways itself.

Until 30 November 2026 those thresholds are cut to 135, 270 and 540 Qpoints. Silver, Gold and Platinum map to oneworld Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, so the status is recognised across the alliance.

Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .

Redeemable Avios versus Qpoints

What you spend

Avios

The balance that books award flights, upgrades and other rewards. See how to earn them and what they are worth.

What counts toward status

Qpoints

A separate counter that decides your tier. You cannot spend it on flights or rewards.

Avios are the currency you spend on award flights and upgrades; Qpoints only decide your tier and cannot be spent on anything. Qpoints are earned on Qatar Airways and oneworld flights and a few Qatar-linked purchases, while Avios also come from cards, hotels, shopping and dozens of partners.

Avios on a Qatar Airways flight are distance-based: distance flown multiplied by the percentage for your booking class, from 25% on Economy Lite (W) to 200% on Business Elite (C, J) and 300% on First Elite (F, A). Your tier then adds bonus Avios of 25%, 75% or 100% of the distance for Silver, Gold or Platinum. Qpoints are a fixed amount per flight set by the booking class, which Qatar Airways quotes in My Calculator rather than in a printed chart.

Worked example using a round 7,000-mile Qatar Airways flight in Business Elite (C or J) for a Gold member: base Avios are 7,000 x 200% = 14,000, the Gold bonus is 7,000 x 75% = 5,250, so the flight earns 19,250 Avios. The same flight also adds its Qpoints (look up the route in My Calculator) toward the 300 needed to requalify or reach Platinum, and those Qpoints never reduce your Avios balance.

Qpoints can be bought for US$25 each within yearly caps, but they cannot be transferred, pooled with Family & Friends or converted to or from Avios. Award tickets, including Avios + Cash awards, earn neither currency.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club tiers and what each one takes

TierTo qualifyBonus AviosAlliance tier
Silver150 Qpoints (135 until 30 Nov 2026)+25% of distance flown on Qatar Airwaysoneworld Ruby
Gold300 Qpoints (270 until 30 Nov 2026)+75% of distance flown on Qatar Airwaysoneworld Sapphire
Platinum600 Qpoints (540 until 30 Nov 2026)+100% of distance flown on Qatar Airwaysoneworld Emerald

There is no calendar year. You move up as soon as you earn enough Qpoints in any consecutive 12 months, and the new tier runs for 12 months from that date; retention is then checked at the end of each 12-month tier period. Each Qpoint expires 12 months after it is earned.

Benefits of each Qatar Airways Privilege Club tier

Silver

Earn 150 Qpoints in 12 months (135 from 1 June to 30 November 2026), with at least 20% of them or four sectors on Qatar Airways-marketed and operated flights.

  • Lounge access at Hamad International regardless of cabin, plus two guest passes a year
  • Extra 15 kg or one extra piece of checked baggage, depending on the route
  • Priority check-in, boarding and standby on Qatar Airways
  • 20% discount on seat selection
  • 25% tier bonus Avios on Qatar Airways flights
  • oneworld Ruby recognition on partner airlines (no partner lounge access at this level)

Gold

Earn 300 Qpoints in 12 months (270 from 1 June to 30 November 2026), with at least 20% of them or four sectors on Qatar Airways-marketed and operated flights.

  • 40 Qcredits on reaching or retaining the tier, valid 24 months, for upgrades, extra bags, award change fees and lounge guest passes
  • Lounge access at Hamad International plus four guest passes a year, and Business lounges across oneworld with one guest
  • Extra 20 kg or one extra piece of checked baggage
  • Complimentary preferred seat selection
  • No fee to change or cancel your own award flights and award upgrades
  • Better Economy award availability and the ability to book awards for anyone
  • Priority check-in, boarding and standby, plus Al Maha meet-and-assist
  • 75% tier bonus Avios on Qatar Airways flights

Platinum

Earn 600 Qpoints in 12 months (540 from 1 June to 30 November 2026), with at least 20% of them or four sectors on Qatar Airways-marketed and operated flights.

  • 60 Qcredits on reaching or retaining the tier, valid 24 months
  • Lounge access with two accompanying guests, five annual guest passes, and the Al Safwa First lounge when flying Business
  • First and Business lounges across oneworld (Emerald) with one guest
  • Extra 25 kg or two extra pieces of checked baggage
  • Avios never expire while you hold Platinum
  • Complimentary preferred seat selection and free award changes and cancellations
  • Priority Services at Qatar Airways contact centres
  • 100% tier bonus Avios on Qatar Airways flights

How flights earn Qpoints

  • Qpoints are earned on flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways and by oneworld airlines, and the amount depends on the booking class of the marketing carrier. Qatar Airways does not print a static Qpoints chart; enter the route and cabin in My Calculator to see the exact figure.
  • Flying other airlines can carry you most of the way, but at least 20% of the Qpoints (or four Qatar Airways sectors in 12 months, eight in 24) must come from flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways. A member who earns 300 Qpoints entirely on British Airways and American Airlines would not move to Gold until they add a Qatar Airways flight or four.
  • Outside flying, Qatar Duty Free and Qatar Airways Holidays flight-plus-hotel packages earn 1 Qpoint per US$100 spent, and some co-brand credit cards earn Qpoints on purchases (see below).
  • Award tickets, including Avios + Cash awards and Privilege Deals, earn no Qpoints. Only the Main Member earns Qpoints; Family & Friends members do not.

How many Avios each tier earns

  • Base Avios on Qatar Airways equal distance flown times the booking-class percentage: First Elite (F, A) 300%, Business Elite (C, J) 200%, Business Comfort (I, D) 175%, Business Classic (R) 125%, Business Lite (P) 75%, Economy Comfort (H, B, Y) 100%, Economy Convenience (S, V, L, M, K) 75%, Economy Classic (O, T, Q, N) 50%, Group (G) 50% and Economy Lite (W) 25%.
  • Tier members add bonus Avios of 25% (Silver), 75% (Gold) or 100% (Platinum) of the distance flown. A Platinum member on an Economy Classic ticket therefore earns 150% of the distance in total, three times what a Burgundy member earns on the same seat.
  • The tier bonus is defined for Qatar Airways flights; oneworld and partner flights credit at the partner's rate for the booking class. Award tickets earn no Avios at all.

Upgrades for Qatar Airways Privilege Club elites

  • Qatar Airways gives no automatic complimentary upgrades at any tier. Instead Gold and Platinum members receive 40 or 60 Qcredits, valid 24 months while the tier is held, which can pay for a one-cabin upgrade to Business or First on Qatar Airways.
  • Any member can request an upgrade with Avios (or Cash + Avios) on a Qatar Airways-marketed and operated flight on a 157 ticket, until 14 days before travel for Business online, and priced route by route in My Calculator. Promotional fares in booking classes W, P and G, staff and industry tickets, and award tickets cannot be upgraded.
  • Requests are first come, first served against limited upgrade seats, with no waitlist. Paid Upgrade Now offers run online until 2 hours before departure and at check-in until 1 hour before, and at Hamad International upgrades can also be bought at check-in or in transit.

Credit cards that help with Qatar Airways Privilege Club status

  • The US Qatar Airways Privilege Club cards earn Qpoints as well as Avios. The Signature card fast-tracks you to Silver and earns 2 Qpoints per 2,000 Avios from purchases; the Infinite card fast-tracks you to Gold, earns 2 Qpoints per 1,500 Avios from purchases and includes 150 Qpoints in its welcome bonus.
  • The fast-tracked tier covers the first card year only, and bonus Avios (welcome offers, category bonuses) do not generate Qpoints. You still need the 20% or four-flight Qatar Airways minimum to hold a tier on your own Qpoints.
  • In Qatar, the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Credit Card by Doha Bank is listed as a way to earn Qpoints. Check the Qatar Airways credit card page for the current offers.

Fees, sign-up bonuses and every other benefit are compared in the Qatar Airways Privilege Club credit cards guide.

Other ways to get Qatar Airways Privilege Club status

Buy Qpoints

Main Members can buy Qpoints online at US$25 each. To move up, Burgundy can buy up to 75, Silver (with at least 100 Qpoints) up to 150 and Gold (with at least 200) up to 300 in a calendar year; to retain, Silver can buy up to 75, Gold 150 and Platinum 300. Purchased Qpoints are non-refundable and you still need the Qatar Airways flight minimum.

Accor ALL account linking

Link your ALL Accor and Privilege Club accounts and an ALL Gold member gets Privilege Club Silver, and ALL Platinum or Diamond and above get Gold, after their first eligible Qatar Airways flight. The upgrade lasts 12 months, is granted once and is subject to annual caps. In the other direction Privilege Club Gold gets ALL Silver and Platinum gets ALL Gold after a first eligible international stay.

Privilege Club Pro subscription

The top Privilege Club Pro plan, Ultimate, costs $350 a month or $3,500 a year and adds 60 Qpoints a year (5 a month) along with 240,000 Avios. The Access, Select and Exclusive plans add Avios only.

Fast-track campaigns

The terms say Qatar Airways may run targeted campaigns to fast-track status. There is no published open status match or challenge, so any offer arrives by invitation.

Lifetime status and family

Qatar Airways publishes no lifetime tier. Tier benefits are personal: members of your Family & Friends group earn base Avios only, with no tier bonus and no Qpoints of their own.

Keeping Qatar Airways Privilege Club status

  • To retain a tier you need 135 Qpoints for Silver, 270 for Gold or 540 for Platinum in 12 months, or double that over 24 months (270, 540 or 1,080), plus the 20% or four-flight (eight over 24 months) Qatar Airways minimum. From 1 June to 30 November 2026 the 12-month retention levels are 110, 225 and 450.
  • Miss the target and you drop one tier, provided your account has had activity in the previous 24 months; with no activity for 24 months you fall straight to Burgundy. The 24-month route acts as a cushion because a strong year can carry a quieter one, since Qpoints themselves last only 12 months.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club status: FAQ

How many Qpoints do I need for Qatar Airways Gold?
Gold normally takes 300 Qpoints in 12 months, but from 1 June to 30 November 2026 Qatar Airways has cut it to 270. At least 20% of those Qpoints, or four flights, must be on Qatar Airways-operated flights. To keep Gold you need 270 Qpoints in 12 months (225 during the offer) or 540 over 24 months.
What is the difference between Avios and Qpoints?
Avios are the spendable currency for award flights, upgrades and other rewards. Qpoints only count toward your tier and cannot be redeemed. Most flights earn both, but card spend, hotels and shopping mostly earn Avios only.
Can I buy Qpoints to reach or keep Privilege Club status?
Yes. Qpoints cost US$25 each, bought online by the Main Member, up to a calendar-year cap that depends on your tier (for example up to 300 for a Platinum retention). You still need at least 20% of your Qpoints or four sectors on Qatar Airways.
Do Qpoints count from British Airways or American Airlines flights?
Yes, flights marketed and operated by oneworld airlines earn Qpoints. However, at least 20% of your qualifying Qpoints, or four sectors in 12 months, must be on Qatar Airways-marketed and operated flights.
Does Qatar Airways Gold get free upgrades?
No automatic upgrades are given. Gold members receive 40 Qcredits (Platinum 60) that can be spent on upgrades, extra baggage, award change fees or lounge guest passes, and any member can use Avios for an upgrade when seats are available.
How long does Qatar Airways status last?
A tier lasts 12 months from the date you reach or renew it. If you miss the retention target you drop one tier rather than all the way to Burgundy, as long as your account has been active in the past 24 months.
Is there a quick way to get Qatar Airways Gold without flying much?
The US Infinite co-brand card fast-tracks you to Gold for the first card year, and linking an ALL Accor Platinum or Diamond account gives 12 months of Gold after your first Qatar Airways flight. Both are one-off routes, so keeping Gold still means earning Qpoints.

Sources

More on Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Status in other oneworld programs