Qatar Airways Privilege Membership affords the best variety of award seats for Qatar Airways flights amongst all loyalty packages.
Since Qsuites enterprise class is such a aggressive product, discovering an award seat on the lowest “Saver” fee can show to be fairly troublesome.
Nonetheless, Qatar Airways Privilege Membership additionally options “Flexi” awards, which supply entry to extra seats in trade for a higher quantity of factors.
What Are Qatar Airways Privilege Membership Flexi Awards?
Within the Qatar Airways Privilege Membership loyalty program, one distinctive function obtainable to members is Flexi awards.
With Flexi pricing, you get entry to a higher variety of award seats, albeit at twice the price of the “Saver” off-peak award value.
It’s value noting that that is a lot completely different than dynamic pricing, for the reason that value is at all times mounted at twice the quantity of a normal, off-peak award seat, and doesn’t in any other case fluctuate.
While you seek for an award flight on the Qatar Airways web site, it’s possible you’ll discover the phrase Flexi within the search outcomes. This denotes that the value you see is twice that of the usual, off-peak “Saver” fee.
For those who don’t see Flexi above the search outcomes, then that you just’re paying the decrease “Saver” fee, which is a good deal.
For instance, a “Saver” award for a one-way flight from Montreal to Doha prices 70,000 Avios on off-peak dates in Qsuites enterprise class.
Nonetheless, the Flexi value for a similar flight is 140,000 Avios.
You might also see Flexi pricing displayed on a inexperienced flag with “Q2” written on it. Flexi tends to look extra usually on the Qatar Airways web site, and the Q2 banner tends to look on the app; nonetheless, it could additionally seem on the web site.
In both occasion, they each check with the identical factor.
Flexi pricing is simply obtainable for flights with Qatar Airways in financial system, enterprise class, and First Class booked by Qatar Airways Privilege Membership.
You gained’t discover Flexi pricing for Qatar Airways flights booked with different loyalty packages, nor will you discover Flexi pricing for different airways booked by Qatar Airways Privilege Membership.
Qatar Airways just lately launched peak and off-peak pricing to its loyalty program, with flights priced larger throughout peak dates on “Saver” charges.
Flexi costs aren’t affected by this distinction, and also you’ll pay the identical Flexi value whether or not you e book a peak or an off-peak date.
Are Qatar Airways Privilege Membership Flexi Awards a Good Deal?
Ideally, there could be ample award availability on all routes on the “Saver” stage. Sadly, this simply isn’t the case.
As an alternative, Flexi pricing affords entry to a higher stock of award seats, albeit at a better value.
On the one hand, getting access to extra award seats that may be booked with factors is at all times higher than not having any seats obtainable in any respect.
Moreover, since Flexi costs are mounted, they aren’t topic to the identical fluctuation in costs that you just’ll discover with packages that use dynamic pricing. On this regard, pricing continues to be predictable, so long as yow will discover an award seat.
Compared to the money charges for Qatar Airways flights, you’ll be able to nonetheless wind up getting return in worth along with your factors on Flexi awards.
For instance, a round-trip flight from Montreal to Doha in Qatar Airways Qsuites enterprise class prices round $7,200 (CAD).
On the “Saver” stage, those self same flights would value out at 140,000 Avios, plus round $300 (CAD) in taxes and charges. After accounting for the money part of the award reserving, you’d have netted a price of round 4.94 cents per Avios (CAD), which is superb.
With a Flexi award, those self same flights would value out at 280,000 Avios, plus the identical quantity of taxes and charges. On this scenario, and after accounting for the money part, you’d nonetheless have come out with a price of round 2.47 cents per Avios (CAD).
We worth Avios at 2.0 cents per level (CAD), and even with Flexi awards, you’re nonetheless in a position to redeem factors at larger than our goal valuation.
Whereas it’s not almost nearly as good as what you’d get on the “Saver” stage, your factors are nonetheless punching above their weight, particularly when in comparison with the money fare.
Understand that there are sometimes switch bonuses to each Qatar Airways Privilege Membership and British Airways Govt Membership.
Since you’ll be able to freely switch Avios between accounts, you may leverage a switch bonus promotion to both, after which transfer them round from inside the Avios ecosystem for a Qatar Airways redemption.
For those who’re in a position to benefit from a switch bonus, which normally ends in 30–50% bonus Avios, you then’d be taking a number of the sting out of Flexi pricing.
For instance, a one-way flight from Seattle to Doha in Qsuites enterprise class prices 140,000 Avios with Flexi pricing.
A 30% switch bonus would successfully cut back the variety of factors required all the way down to 107,700 factors. Equally, a 40% switch bonus would carry the efficient value all the way down to 100,000 factors, and a 50% switch bonus would decrease it even additional to 93,400 factors.
At these values, it’s not a completely unreasonable value to pay for one of many world’s greatest enterprise class merchandise.
It’s additionally value noting that reserving Qatar Airways Flexi awards stands out as the solely approach to safe award seats for a bigger group on the identical flight.
If there are greater than two individuals travelling collectively, it may be fairly exhausting, if not inconceivable, to search out a number of “Saver” award seats with Qatar Airways. That is particularly the case on routes to or from North America.
By combining Flexi awards with “Saver” awards, you’d have a a lot better likelihood of flying collectively, maybe even within the Qsuites Quad.
Conclusion
Qatar Airways affords Flexi awards by its Privilege Membership loyalty program.
In trade for a higher stock of award seats, Flexi awards are twice the price of the “Saver” off-peak awards.
Whereas it’s at all times a greater deal to e book award seats on the “Saver” stage, it’s not at all times doable, particularly on fashionable routes.
Flexi rewards provide you with a greater likelihood of scoring a seat in one of many world’s greatest enterprise class merchandise; nonetheless, it’ll simply come at a steeper value.
By transferring factors throughout a switch bonus occasion, you’ll be able to successfully cut back the variety of factors required, which additionally takes a little bit of the sting out of Flexi pricing.
