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How I turn 100,000 Membership Rewards points into Qatar Airways Business Class
Why I transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Avios and use them for Qatar Airways Business Class flights to Southeast Asia.
American Express values the 100,000 Membership Rewards points from the Platinum referral at €300. That is a straightforward value, but it is not how I prefer to use the points. I convert them into Avios and use those to book Qatar Airways Business Class to Southeast Asia.
From 100,000 Membership Rewards points to 80,000 Avios
The current American Express transfer rate is:
5 Membership Rewards points = 4 Avios
The calculation is simple:
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Membership Rewards | 100,000 points |
| British Airways Club | 80,000 Avios |
I first transfer the points to my British Airways Club account. I then link my British Airways and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts. Avios can be moved instantly between the two programmes without losing any value. British Airways explains how that works here.
What I book with 80,000 Avios
My favourite redemption is a one-way Qatar Airways Business Class flight to Southeast Asia via Doha. At the regular award rate, I use these prices as a guideline:
- Thailand or Vietnam: from 75,000 Avios
- Bali: from 80,000 Avios
That means the complete referral bonus can be enough for one Business Class ticket to Bali, or a ticket to Thailand or Vietnam with 5,000 Avios left over.
Qatar Airways shows the current number of Avios required in its award calculator. Award seats have limited availability. On popular dates, Qatar may only offer a Flexi Award for more Avios, so flexibility with your departure date and airport helps considerably.
Why this is worth much more than €300 to me
A comparable Qatar Airways Business Class ticket to Southeast Asia regularly costs around €2,000. If I spend 75,000 Avios on a flight that would otherwise cost €2,000, I get approximately 2.7 cents of value per Avios.
Put differently, 100,000 Membership Rewards points become 80,000 Avios and could potentially cover a ticket worth around €2,000. To me, that is a much more interesting use than the €300 standard value communicated by Amex.
The €2,000 is not a guaranteed points value. The actual value depends on the cash fare for your dates, available award seats, and the taxes and surcharges payable in addition to the Avios. I therefore compare the cash price and award availability before transferring any points. A Membership Rewards transfer is final and can take up to ten working days.
How I do it
- I first search for an available Qatar Airways Business Class award to my destination.
- I check the Avios price, taxes, and surcharges.
- I transfer my Membership Rewards points to British Airways Club.
- I move the Avios to my linked Qatar Airways Privilege Club account.
- I book the flight with Qatar Airways.
The page for moving Avios between British Airways and Qatar Airways can be surprisingly difficult to find. That is why I saved the direct link in a separate post.
Want to receive 100,000 Membership Rewards points?
You can currently receive 100,000 Membership Rewards points through my American Express Platinum referral when you meet the offer requirements.
View the current Platinum offer through my referral
This is a referral link. If you apply through this link and are accepted, I may receive a reward. Always check the current bonus, spending requirement, card fee, and other terms with American Express. Award rates and availability may change.